Basketball miracles

Chapter 57 [Digging a Hole]

Xiao Tu felt that those who said Bird couldn't play football... were right.

When the offseason comes next year, people will be surprised to find that Bird can injure himself even by doing odd jobs.

The parallel universe story is particularly famous. Bird was stingy and refused to spend money to hire workers, insisting on fixing his parents' driveway himself, which resulted in a spinal injury. Later, as he got older, this injury recurred frequently, affecting his performance and leading to his early retirement.

Xiao Tu spoke eloquently: "As fellow white players, the league should promote people like me. We need to let everyone know that the NBA is a group of people with superhuman physical abilities who can do everything, and that it's not just black players who are good at dunking."

Stern blurted out, "White people can fly?"

"White people can fly too!" Xiao Tu nodded. He was the one who first shouted this slogan, and it was frequently mentioned by the media.

The NBA has no more eye-catching gimmick than this; most fans love watching dunks. Even when the league promotes Michael Jordan, they only praise his dunks; nothing else matters.

Stern laughed and said, "You're digging a hole for the Celtics. They are the Lakers' biggest rivals for the championship. By putting Bird down, you can increase their chances of winning the championship."

Xiao Tu shook his head and smiled, "No, I'm just stating the facts. If the Celtics make it to the Finals, I'll be matched up against Bird, and he definitely won't be a match for me. The league is giving him all the support, and he'll just become my stepping stone."

Xiao Tu dared to boast, believing that Bird could at most trade blows with him, but would absolutely be unable to defend against him.

How could a floor-style player who is 206cm tall and weighs 100kg possibly defend against him?

Last season, Bird struggled to defend Larry Nance and Tom Chambers at the power forward position. Xiao Tu has faced those two before and can easily dominate them with his physicality.

Stern laughed and said, "You're so confident? Bird was the double MVP last season."

Xiao Tu nodded: "With me on the Lakers, they're 100% guaranteed to win the championship this season, and it wouldn't be surprising if they swept the Celtics. Don't forget how the Celtics won last season; the turning point was McHale's clothesline foul, which should have resulted in a five-game suspension."

“Okay, I’m sure you’re digging a hole for the Celtics, haha.” Stern found Xiao Tu quite amusing.

Xiao Tu wasn't embarrassed at all when his little scheme was exposed. When chatting, you should find interesting topics.

He first belittled Bird, then McHale, and his criticisms were well-founded. He was telling the truth, things that fans already knew, but which the media hadn't mentioned much before.

Xiao Tu has great ambitions and even greater audacity. He doesn't hide his intention to use Bird as a stepping stone and says it outright.

There's no risk in me saying this; it's all benefits.

If Stern is swayed by what I said, the Lakers might receive preferential treatment in the Finals regarding the calls. Even if Stern continues to favor Bird and the Celtics, he's unlikely to let the Lakers suffer from poor officiating.

Am I wrong?

McHale's flagrant foul in the Finals not only didn't result in a suspension, but he wasn't even ejected from the game. The Lakers were at a disadvantage due to the officiating last season. Without McHale, the Celtics definitely wouldn't have won the championship; they couldn't have come back from that game.

Bird was a two-time MVP last season and a strong favorite for the regular season MVP this season. But before Xiao Tu and Stern even finished their meal and chatted, Bird's hopes of winning back-to-back MVPs were already slim.

Stern believed that Xiao Tu's point was valid, as allowing Bird to win the regular season MVP award twice would be detrimental to future publicity.

In a parallel universe, Bird was able to win the regular season MVP three times in a row, largely due to the Celtics' outstanding regular season record and his impressive statistics. Even if Stern didn't particularly like Bird, he could only let him win the award; others weren't as good as him, either lacking in team performance or statistical prowess.

The Celtics have had four All-Stars in recent years, their roster depth is unmatched in the league, and there aren't enough basketballs to go around. Is Bird really as incredible as some fans imagine?
Stern is now willing to award Lakers stars a major prize, as long as the Lakers are guaranteed to win the championship as Xiao Tu predicted. The Lakers are also highly likely to achieve the best regular season record, clearly outperforming the Celtics.

Xiao Tu seems to have a bright future, and it's not just because of his physical attributes and ball skills.

Stern only needed to think about his own youth to realize that Xiao Tu's genius was abnormal.

What was he doing when he was 18? He had just started college and was hesitant to communicate with people, so he tended to keep his thoughts to himself.

At 18, Xiao Tu compared himself to the MVP, believing he was better, and was even considering changing the future landscape of the NBA.

Stern believed that someone who could see the times clearly and dared to express themselves would surely succeed in other fields, even if they didn't play basketball. Xiao Tu and Stern chatted about the NBA, and time flew by.

They found each other very agreeable and became close friends despite their age difference.

As the conversation got going, Xiao Tu asked Stern for advice: "I haven't signed a sneaker endorsement yet. Several big companies have contacted me. Which brand do you think I should sign with?"

Stern gave him a clear answer. "Sign with Adidas; they desperately need a new star player. Nike just signed Jordan for a high price, and the company isn't big enough to sign another star player for a high price. Converse already has a bunch of star endorsers; if you go there, you'll have to compete with established players."

"Thank you, then I'll choose Adidas." Xiao Tu made his decision happily.

Xiao Tu has already become famous, but he hasn't signed a shoe endorsement yet. He wants to choose the brand that's easiest to promote with, and it would be best if he could know Stern's attitude. This has nothing to do with personal preference. If Stern said Nike was better, he would immediately sign with Nike to compete with Jordan for the top spot and step on Jordan's head.

When the two discussed how to promote the NBA, Xiao Tu offered no suggestions whatsoever. He certainly had his own ideas, but he chose to remain silent.

I can't say, or I'll look like a fool.

If he is not in his position, he will not seek his government.

Stern was the most authoritarian leader of any sports league. He did make enormous contributions, but he was equally controversial. He might not be happy if I offered too many suggestions.

My goal is to become the greatest player of all time, not to become an assistant to the president, running errands and negotiating deals in other countries. The key is to promote myself and make Stern more willing to support me.

Xiao Tu knew how well Stern had done in the parallel world, gradually making the NBA international. His television broadcasting policies, star-making plans, and global strategy led the NBA to glory.

Not only in the United States, but in the future, NBA broadcasts will be available in countries and regions all over the world. Xiao Tu can benefit from this; there's no need for him to offer advice.

He couldn't even be bothered to comment on the other rookies; what Danzi, Wangwang, and Feizhu were like was none of his business. If they wanted to be noticed by the CEO, they had to find their own way.

Sometimes, Stern gave the impression of being a modern-day plantation boss, with NBA players like his servants. Xiao Tu, however, didn't dislike Stern's authoritarianism; he felt that someone of his skin color couldn't possibly be a cotton farmer, but rather a foreman.

The two had a good understanding and didn't speak too deeply with each other. They only needed to understand each other's general thoughts; they were kindred spirits.

If Xiao Tu didn't say he wanted to become the greatest of all time, but instead wanted to assist Magic Johnson, then he limited his own potential.

His desire to become the greatest of all time is extremely important. If the Lakers achieve the best record, and the media emphasizes Xiao Tu's greatest contribution, Xiao Tu will have a chance to beat Johnson in the future MVP and Finals MVP awards.

They can just compare their stats then; the one with the better stats gets the award. Xiao Tu's stats aren't worse than Johnson's right now; the only area where Johnson's stats are far superior is his assists.

Xiao Tu was very confident, believing his future stats would definitely surpass Johnson's. In this parallel world, Johnson's peak season averaged 23.9 points, never exceeding 25 points. He specifically went online to check this back in 2003.

When Stern took office, he naturally wanted to promote players he liked, and Magic Johnson was not his first choice. He felt that Johnson scored too few points and was a scoundrel who liked to throw orgies, which affected the NBA's brand image.

This kind of person won't change, and their strength won't improve significantly; they've already reached their peak.

Regarding the number of fouls committed by players and the level of physical contact, neither Stern nor Xiao Tu mentioned it.

Stern currently has no intention of establishing a "malicious foul rule," and Xiao Tu also feels indifferent about it.

There are many small guards in the league who are around 180cm tall and skin and bones, and they have not been killed by malicious fouls from opponents, so why should Xiao Tu be afraid?
Xiao Tu believes that the current foul rules in the league are not a bad thing at all. After playing for a while, he has found that the current NBA defensive rules are more favorable to him.

His defensive presence is formidable; if he can help defend quickly enough, he can turn the Lakers' paint into a no-fly zone. And if anyone tries to play dirty, he'll make them regret it.

In terms of physical strength, it's easy for him to injure someone, but very difficult for an opponent to injure him. Everyone should be afraid of him. If he continues to play like this this season, he will definitely be selected for the All-Defensive Team.

In short, he is now the epitome of an explosive playing style and fierce defense. To suggest that everyone play more gracefully is to invite trouble.

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(End of this chapter)