Chapter 15

"Welcome, dear viewers, to the T-N-T live broadcast. I am commentator Kenny Smith. Today, we bring you a key match in the Pacific Division, with the Phoenix Suns taking on the Los Angeles Lakers on the road!"

On the TV screen, Kenny Smith began his pre-game commentary. Charles Barkley sat beside him, his expression complex, the usual calm and composed look gone, replaced by a sense of constraint and helplessness.

"Today, we have the pleasure of welcoming my old buddy, Charles—the shoe-eater—Barkley, as our commentator!"

Kenny Smith exaggeratedly introduced the fat man beside him. Barkley, with a helpless look, waved at the camera and then lowered his head, pretending to read the pre-game analysis report without saying a word.

"Before the game starts, there's something we must do."

Kenny Smith wore a mischievous smile, gesturing to a nearby staff member. A young man ran up and placed a brand new shoe on the commentary desk.

"Sir Charles, no, Sir Shoe-Eater," Kenny Smith said with a wicked grin, "please, perform your shoe-eating magic, hahaha...!"

"Ten rebounds... ten rebounds... DAMN!"

Barkley reluctantly took the shoe, muttering to himself and repeatedly slapping his big head.

"Why didn't I say twenty rebounds back then? Damn it!"

While cursing himself, Barkley brought the shoe to his mouth, frowning and hesitating for a long time. Under Kenny Smith's urging, he closed his eyes and took a big bite.

"Mmm... mmm..."

However, the shoe was clearly made of special material. Barkley's bite left a hole in it. As he chewed, a part of the shoe was swallowed.

"Mmm...! It's actually pretty good...!"

After a few bites, Barkley, as if discovering a new world, relaxed his frown and, ignoring Kenny Smith's laughter, began to eat the shoe in large bites.

"HAHAHAHA..."

Smith was laughing so hard he was almost out of breath. Only when the director reminded him through the earpiece did he force himself to stop and say, "The 'Sir Charles Eats Shoes' segment is brought to you by Whitney Simulated Candy Company, hahaha..."

On the sidelines, the pre-game commentary by the two entertainers continued. On the court, the two teams had finished their warm-ups. The lights dimmed, and the music became intense. The home team DJ loudly announced the player introductions.

"Get ready to scream! The heroes of the Los Angeles Lakers are about to take the stage!"

"Oh oh oh!!!"

Sitting on the sidelines, Chen Mu felt the wonderful and enthusiastic atmosphere and couldn't help but marvel at how successful the NBA's marketization was. Even a simple player introduction could create such a strong sense of ceremony, instantly stirring the blood.

If he were a regular fan, Chen Mu would probably have stood up from his seat, clapping and cheering for the players!

"First, the center, from the University of Texas at Austin, 7 feet tall, number 31, Chris—Mihm!!!"

"Oh oh!!!"

Amid the cheers, the Lakers' bench players lined up at one end of the court. The starting center, Mihm, ran out from the tunnel, high-fived his teammates, and took his place among the bench players.

"Mihm, 26 years old, a solid 7-footer, was once called the 'hope of white centers' during the draft, but has never lived up to his potential in the NBA."

Chen Mu recalled his memories of this season and analyzed, "He's good at positioning, rebounding, and blocking, averaging 6.3 rebounds per game, 2.3 offensive rebounds, and 1.2 blocks. He's a tough, physical player."

"But his offensive skills are lacking. His mid-range shooting is barely passable, and he mostly scores through tough plays in the paint and second-chance opportunities. He averages 10.2 points in 26 minutes. On defense, just push him out of the paint."

Although this was the case, the tall and strong white center had impressive strength. Chen Mu remembered that in the NBA Live 2005 game, Mihm had the "hand" icon, a special attribute for shot-blocking experts. Fortunately, Chen Mu didn't plan to invest much energy in offense, so he wouldn't be easily blocked by Mihm.

"Next, the power forward, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 6 feet 9 inches tall, number 43, Brian—Cook!!!"

"Cook, 25 years old, is a power forward but an excellent long-range shooter, with a three-point shooting percentage over 40%, a formidable player."

Chen Mu continued his analysis, "He lacks all the skills in the paint but has secured his starting position with his 'baseline curl and three-point shot.' In this game, I'll likely face him multiple times, so I need to be careful of his long-range shooting...!"

As the DJ continued, the other two starting players for the Lakers, "The Reaper" Smush Parker and the versatile forward "The Left-Handed Magician" Lamar Odom, also made their entrances.

After the four players were introduced, the crowd suddenly fell silent, all Lakers fans eagerly awaiting the appearance of their greatest hero.

"Finally, please welcome our super hero with the most enthusiastic applause and cheers..."

The DJ's tone was full of excitement, stirring the emotions of all the fans to the highest point.

"Shooting guard, from Lower Merion High School, 6 feet 6 inches tall, number 8... Kobe—Bryant!!!!"

"Oh oh oh!!!"

"KOBE! KOBE! KOBE! KOBE!"

With the deafening cheers of the fans, the most fearsome scoring machine in the league finally ran out from the tunnel.

"Tap tap tap"

As soon as Kobe appeared, his overwhelming presence immediately caught Chen Mu's attention. Not just Chen Mu, but all the Suns players felt a sense of tension, as if their hearts were being gripped.

Especially Raja Bell, who was responsible for defending Kobe, his brows furrowed, and he took deep breaths, seemingly both eager for the upcoming battle and unable to suppress his nervousness.

"Kobe Bryant, one of the most terrifying scoring machines in NBA history, with mid-range, drives, dunks, ball handling, rebounds, passing, floaters, and jump shots... a super scoring machine with almost no weaknesses in his offensive game...!"

Recalling his memories of this season, Chen Mu's most vivid impression was Kobe's average of 35 points per game, a terrifying dominance.

Although the Lakers' record was poor and they were eventually eliminated by the Suns in the playoffs, the 2005-06 season was undoubtedly the most spectacular scoring performance Chen Mu had ever witnessed!

"If things don't change much, Kobe will score 81 points in a single game against the Raptors in a little over a month...!"

Chen Mu couldn't help but swallow hard, his heart pounding, as if the intense shock was still before his eyes, making it impossible to forget.

Besides Mihm and Cook, the Lakers' bench included players like Turiaf, Kwame Brown, the young "Little Shark" Bynum, and Medvedenko. Although the Lakers had depth in the frontcourt, these players were either too short or too inexperienced, making the Lakers' frontcourt one of the weakest in the league.

After the opening ceremony, the lights came on, and everything was ready. The game between the "strongest artillery" and the "strongest individual hero" began!

"Beep!"

The ball was tossed high, and Diaw won the jump ball, giving the Suns possession. The game was underway.

Although Chen Mu had performed well in the previous game and was a key contributor to the team's victory, D'Antoni did not start him but told him to be ready to play.

"I'll put you in mid-first quarter. Remember, when you come in, you have only one task..."

Before the game, D'Antoni told Chen Mu, "Get all the damn rebounds for me...!"

On the court, the Suns and Lakers exchanged possessions. The Suns' perimeter players, who had struggled in the previous game, started to find their rhythm, with Bell, Marion, Diaw, and Nash all hitting three-pointers.

On the Lakers' side, Kobe, unusually, did not start aggressively. Instead, he used his scoring threat to draw the Suns' defense and create opportunities for his teammates, making the game very close.

"Beep beep"

The referee's whistle blew, and Marion's steal went out of bounds, creating a dead ball.

"Chen, go replace Diaw."

"Sure, Coach!"

Finally, Chen Mu got his chance. He sprang up from his seat and walked onto the court, high-fiving Diaw as they switched places.

"Hey, the Chinese kid is in!"

In the commentary booth, Kenny Smith noticed Chen Mu's entrance and joked with Barkley, "Charles, how many rebounds do you think he'll get this time?"

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Barkley shook his head. "I'm not betting. This kid is a rebounding machine, absolutely. But I know he won't score more than 5 points in this game, absolutely!"

Smith and Barkley started betting again, but Chen Mu, now on the court, had no time for that. He focused entirely on the sideline, ready to defend against Cook's inbounds pass.

"Whoosh"

Cook passed the ball with both hands, and it went to Smush Parker, who dribbled up the court and signaled for a play.

"Tap tap tap"

The Lakers players moved, and the ball was passed several times before reaching Kobe on the wing.

"KOBE! KOBE! KOBE!"

As soon as Kobe got the ball, the crowd erupted in cheers.

"Tap tap"

Kobe's signature jab step created some space. Bell lowered his stance, fully focused on defense.

"Thump thump"

Kobe dribbled quickly, performing several crossover moves. Then, in a moment of hesitation from Bell, he suddenly accelerated and charged past him!

"Chen! Help defense!!!"

Chen Mu was in the paint, battling for position with Cook. Hearing Nash's shout from behind, he quickly stepped forward, raising his hands high like a wall between Kobe and the basket.

"Tap tap..."

However, Kobe showed no signs of slowing down. He took two steps to the three-second line, then jumped horizontally, his body forming an arc in the air, like a rainbow, flying past Chen Mu from the right and finishing with a powerful reverse dunk!

"Thump!!"

"WOW!!!"

Kobe's spectacular individual performance sent the crowd into a frenzy. Everyone was shouting in unison, the sound waves overwhelming the Suns players.

"Chen... run!"

But Nash remained calm. He took the ball from Chen Mu, who was inbounding, and shouted to him before turning and sprinting down the court.

"Here it comes...!"

Chen Mu knew his chance to shine had arrived. He quickly adjusted his mindset and ran hard to follow Nash.

"Tap tap tap... whoosh!"

Nash dribbled quickly to the front court, with Smush Parker hot on his heels. Without looking at the basket, Nash lobbed the ball off the backboard. The ball bounced off and flew out of the basket.

"Tap tap... whoosh!"

"Whoa...!!!"

Behind Nash, Chen Mu, like a flying eagle, took a step and leaped, raising his hands high, focusing on the ball flying toward him. He caught it with both hands and slammed it into the basket with a powerful dunk...!