Chapter 12

"Whoosh... Clank!"

The Nets launched an offensive, and Kidd received a pass from Carter and attempted a three-point shot. However, this superstar, who was not known for his reliable three-point shooting, missed the mark, and the ball bounced off the rim and soared high.

"Get back... Get back!!!"

Typically, in such a long rebound from a long-range shot, the backcourt players of the offensive team would rush forward to fight for the rebound, hoping to secure it amidst the chaos.

But today's game was very strange. Kidd, known for his calm demeanor, loudly called for his teammates to retreat immediately after the missed shot, showing no intention of fighting for the offensive rebound.

After all, against a team like the Suns, which excels at fast breaks, every rebound is crucial. Especially with a long rebound that bounces far, if the Suns secure it and quickly pass it to Nash, it could easily result in a fast break!

Despite this, Kidd did not fight for the offensive rebound but instead quickly retreated, as if facing a formidable enemy, returning to his half of the court to set up a strong defense, waiting for the Suns' attack.

"Thud thud thud thud"

All the Nets players followed their captain's instructions without any hesitation, retreating to defend.

Through the TV cameras, close-ups of the Nets players' faces were broadcast to every corner of the world.

From these images, it was clear that the Nets players were on the verge of losing their fighting spirit...!

"Haha, since none of you are going for it, I won't be shy...!"

"Thud... Clap!"

Chen Mu stepped forward, looked around, and seeing no one competing for the rebound, reached out and grabbed the ball that had bounced near the free-throw line, firmly holding it in his hand.

"Great job, let's attack!"

Nash took the ball from Chen Mu and began dribbling to launch an attack. Although the Nets had adopted a rapid retreat strategy, preventing the Suns from executing their signature fast break, Nash remained calm and steady, advancing with the ball, his face showing complete confidence.

"Thump, thump, thump"

The ball was slowly dribbled into the frontcourt, and the other Suns players also looked relaxed, as if the game was already a done deal, with no suspense left.

"LET'S GO SUNS! LET'S GO SUNS!"

In the US Airways Center, the fans loudly cheered for their team, their expressions relaxed, high-fiving each other in celebration, already starting to celebrate the victory.

At the center of the court, the giant electronic scoreboard displayed the score:

Suns 109:96 Nets

The game time remaining was less than three minutes.

Logically, three minutes is not a long time, but for a team like the Nets, with their strong offensive power and scoring burst, a 13-point deficit is not insurmountable, and they could potentially catch up.

But why did the entire Nets team seem to have accepted their defeat, while the Suns were already celebrating in advance?

"Charles, look at the latest statistics. Do you have anything to add?"

In the commentary booth, Kenny Smith pointed to the computer screen and read aloud: "Rebounds for the entire game: Nets 33, Suns 57. In the first half, both teams had 21 rebounds, but in the second half, the Nets only managed 12 rebounds, while the Suns grabbed 36...!"

"Looking at the individual statistics, the Nets' highest rebounder is Kidd with 7 rebounds, while the Suns have 4 players with double-digit rebounds!"

As Kenny Smith introduced the statistics, a jaw-dropping technical summary was presented to the global audience.

"The Suns did not have a single player with double-digit rebounds in the first half, but in the second half, they transformed like werewolves under a full moon, suddenly becoming rebounding experts. According to the current statistics, the highest individual rebounder is Marion with 16 rebounds, including 3 offensive rebounds."

"Other players with double-digit rebounds include Diaw with 10 rebounds, and Tim Thomas, who rarely grabs rebounds, managed to get 11. Additionally, hahaha..."

At this point, Kenny Smith suddenly changed his tone and looked at Charles Barkley, who was whistling and pretending to look at the scenery, and said with a cough: "Ahem... In this game, Chen played for 17 minutes and grabbed 11 rebounds, including a staggering 8 offensive rebounds. Our Charles' nemesis, the Chinese kid who gave us the ball-eating shoe performance—Chen!"

"This... I... Sigh... Alright, alright." Barkley stammered for a while before finally nodding: "I really didn't expect this Chinese kid to be so good. Alright, the next time there's a national broadcast, I'll eat a shoe live on TV!"

"Ha, Charles, your words have been broadcast live on TV. Every sports fan in the country now knows about this, so don't try to weasel out of it!" Kenny Smith said with a mischievous smile.

"Whoosh... Whoosh... Whoosh... Whoosh..."

On the Suns' bench, a yellow-skinned big man was sitting, breathing heavily.

"Chen, your heart rate is very high. It's best to get up and walk around a bit before sitting down again."

The team doctor advised Chen Mu, but Chen Mu weakly waved his hand and said: "No... Can't... I can't even stand up... Whoosh... Whoosh..."

In the NBA, playing 17 minutes of high-intensity competition was already Chen Mu's limit.

Not to mention the fast-paced style of these two teams, which is very demanding on a big man's stamina, just the physical battles with the "black and tough" players in the paint were already a significant challenge for Chen Mu.

No... This won't do...

As he watched Nash steadily control the game and lead the Suns to victory, Chen Mu thought to himself:

I can't let this continue. I need to use SP points to exchange for more stamina, otherwise, I'll be done after just three games in the NBA!

Chen Mu felt as if every muscle in his body was no longer his own, each one trembling involuntarily and aching. Every collision on the court with his opponents felt like his muscles were being torn apart.

The intensity of the NBA is far beyond anything he had experienced in youth league games.

"This is just the Nets..."

Without any disrespect to the Nets, Chen Mu recalled his memories of the 2005 NBA season. Among all the teams in the league, the Nets' frontcourt was one of the weakest.

"Cliff Robinson, Krstić... I mainly competed against these two. In terms of strength, they are among the weakest in the NBA. But even against them, I'm almost at my limit..."

Thinking about the future, where he would face Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Chris Webber, and Rasheed Wallace, Chen Mu felt a sense of unease.

"With my current strength, I wouldn't even stand a chance against them. They could probably blow me away with just a breath...!"

Given this, the most important attribute for Chen Mu to improve seemed to be his strength.

"I need to increase my stamina, strength, and offensive attributes... Sigh, I wonder how long it will take to earn enough SP points..."

"Beep, beep, beep...!"

Just as Chen Mu was seriously considering how to allocate his points in the future, the referee blew the final whistle, and the Suns won the game 113-102, securing a home victory against the Nets.

Although the Suns' shooting percentage was not high, especially for their outside shooters who struggled with their form, their collective performance in the frontcourt, particularly in rebounding, allowed them to complete a comeback in the second half and take control, never relinquishing their lead.

"Congratulations to the Suns, congratulations to Nash for another 18+11 double-double, and congratulations to Marion for a 19+16 double-double."

Kenny Smith began his summary, sharing the game statistics, and then focused on Chen Mu.

"Of course, the biggest congratulations go to our Charles, as the Chinese player Chen, whom he 'favored' the most, performed brilliantly in his NBA debut, giving Charles the opportunity to eat a shoe, hahaha..."

As the commentators laughed, Chen Mu joined the Suns' players in waving to the cheering crowd, then walked through the player tunnel to prepare for post-game activities, including showers, interviews, relaxation, and special post-game treatments for various injuries.

"Steve, come with me."

Not far from the tunnel, D'Antoni called out to the team leader Nash, then also called on Marion, who had an excellent game, to join the post-game press conference.

"Thud thud thud... Thud"

After a few more steps, D'Antoni seemed to remember something and turned to the group heading to the locker room, saying with a smile: "Chen...!"

"Coach."

Chen Mu, hearing his name, winked at Diaw, who was describing the size of a girl's chest he had touched last night, and then stepped out of the crowd to face D'Antoni: "What is it, Coach?"

"Come over here."

D'Antoni smiled and motioned for Chen Mu to come closer, then said to him: "Come with us to the press conference."

"Wait... Can I really attend the press conference??"

Chen Mu was pleasantly surprised, standing there for a moment, unable to believe it: "I've only played one game, and I can attend the press conference??"

"Of course, especially since it's your first game, the media will be even more interested in how you're adapting to the NBA."

D'Antoni smiled and added: "Also, don't talk about qualifications or anything like that. After all, no coach in the league would dare not let the team's top contributor attend the press conference, ha ha...!"