Chapter 16

"Thump thump... Huh!"

Chen Mu leaped up, sprinting alongside Nash's steps, and they arrived at the Lakers' half-court. Among the Lakers' players, only Smush Parker had returned to his defensive position.

"Clap"

Nash's unpredictable pass lightly hit the backboard, and the basketball bounced back, landing perfectly in Chen Mu's "flight path."

"Clap"

Chen Mu firmly grabbed the basketball with both hands, looking at the basket just a few inches away, and without hesitation, he slammed it down, both hands gripping the rim as he dunked the ball.

"…?!!"

Just a few seconds ago, the fans were still cheering wildly for Kobe's acrobatic dunk. Suddenly, it seemed as if a powerful force had suppressed their enthusiasm. The entire Staples Center fell silent, with everyone's mouths wide open, staring at Chen Mu on the court as if he were an alien, unable to utter a word.

"This...!"

In the commentator's booth, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley were also stunned, speechless, and stammering for a long time, unable to say a word.

"A textbook fast break!"

After a while, Kenny Smith finally reacted and said, "Steve Nash, the best offensive playmaker in the league, quickly launched a counterattack after Kobe scored, and together with the Chinese kid Chen, they completed an alley-oop!"

"If Chen can score one more time in this game, he can break his own single-game scoring record in the NBA. He will also get closer to the 5-point limit that Charles mentioned!"

"The credit for this play should go to Nash. Chen just dunked the ball," Barkley said, unconvinced. "This level of offense can be achieved by any NBA player."

"Thump thump thump," "Clap!"

On the court, Chen Mu and Nash high-fived while retreating, and the entire Suns team was greatly inspired by this play, shouting loudly to encourage themselves.

"Nash's choice was very smart," Smith commented. "Kobe just completed an amazing dunk, and if the Suns couldn't respond immediately, the Lakers would take control of the game!"

"By choosing to launch a quick counterattack and completing an alley-oop with Chen, Nash gave the Suns a much-needed boost. This helped to maintain the team's momentum. The score is now 22-21, with the Suns leading by one point on the road!"

"Thump thump thump"

On the court, Smush Parker was dribbling, and a look of frustration began to show on his face.

During the Suns' fast break just now, Parker had already been in position, but Nash's individual skill allowed him to pass the ball to Chen Mu, and Parker couldn't stop it alone.

However, as a streetball expert, Parker was not satisfied with his NBA career and had a lot of pent-up frustration. Seeing his opponent perform a flashy move in front of him, Parker's blood boiled, and he felt a bit resentful.

"SCREEN!"

Parker shouted, and Cook came up to set a screen. Parker dribbled at high speed, taking advantage of Chen Mu's slow reaction, and quickly charged into the paint.

"Thump thump... Thump!"

Not far away, Kobe was signaling for the ball, but Parker, who was frustrated, only had the basket in his eyes. He ignored his team leader's call and cut to the side.

"Thump thump thump"

Although Chen Mu's speed was fast for a power forward, he was still far behind Parker in terms of physical ability. Parker dribbled at high speed and quickly shook off Chen Mu's defense, reaching the basket.

"Oh no!"

Chen Mu realized the danger. Marion was pulled to one side by Mihm, leaving the basket unguarded, and Parker was about to score.

"Thump!"

With no other choice, Chen Mu jumped and reached out to block Parker's attack, but the slight contact was enough for the referee to call a foul.

"Beep beep"

Parker stumbled and shot, and under Chen Mu's interference, the ball flew high. The referee blew the whistle, calling a defensive foul on Chen Mu.

"Whoosh... Huh!"

At the same time, the ball flew high, drawing a strange arc in the air, and then, as if by magic, it fell into the basket. The crowd erupted in cheers, and everyone was ecstatic.

"Score and one! Suns No. 5, defensive foul!"

"Thump thump"

On the ground, Chen Mu was filled with regret. He grabbed the ball and slammed it hard, venting his frustration.

"Beep beep!"

Chen Mu's simple action was caught by the referee again, and another whistle was blown. Before Chen Mu could react, the referee made a technical foul gesture.

"I...?!! Technical foul?!!"

Chen Mu was almost driven mad. He had only slammed the ball to vent his frustration and had no intention of targeting the referee. However, the referee interpreted Chen Mu's action as a challenge, resulting in a technical foul. This meant that Parker would not only get a free throw but also a technical foul free throw for the Lakers!

If Parker made both free throws, it would be equivalent to scoring four points in one possession, which is rare in a game!

"Wait, referee, I wasn't complaining to you, I was just..."

Chen Mu wanted to explain, but he was immediately pulled away by Marion from behind, who dragged him away from the referee's view.

"Chen, don't say anything more!"

Marion sternly said in Chen Mu's ear, "Didn't you see the referee's eyes? If you say one more word, you might get another technical foul and be ejected from the game!"

"But I..."

Chen Mu wanted to say more, but his teammates also came forward, pulling him away and blocking the referee's view.

"Hmm..."

Not far away, Kobe was quietly observing everything. Seeing Chen Mu's fiery spirit and his determination, he nodded slightly and a smile appeared on his face.

"Clap clap... Huh!"

Parker stepped to the free-throw line and calmly made the first free throw, and the home crowd erupted in cheers.

"Beep beep... Suns substitution!"

On the Suns' bench, Diaw, who had just rested, stood up and gestured to Chen Mu, indicating that they would switch.

"Get off the court! Yellow monkey!!!"

"Just because you dunked, you think you're great? You were still broken down by our Deathstroke, hahaha!"

"Useless guy, go back to China! Go back and open a restaurant and cook!"

"Ah...!"

Amid the continuous boos from the crowd, Chen Mu returned to the bench, dissatisfied with his performance. He grabbed the towel offered by the staff and threw it to the ground in frustration.

"Chen, focus!"

Not far away, D'Antoni's voice rang out, snapping Chen Mu out of his frustration.

"Your rest time is only one minute," D'Antoni said, staring at the game, "I will put you back in after one minute."

"Coach, I..."

Before Chen Mu could finish, D'Antoni waved to interrupt, "I understand your feelings, but the NBA is like this. Rookies are often treated differently by the referees. Especially as a foreigner and an Asian, every move you make is magnified several times in the eyes of the white referees!"

"To earn the respect of the referees, you need to work ten times harder than us. You need to prove that every step of your improvement is the result of your hard work! Just like your big brother Yao, who made everyone shut up through his strength!"

A glint of something indescribable flashed in D'Antoni's eyes, as if he was recalling something from the past. He continued, "America is a country that only recognizes the strong...!"

"..."

Chen Mu was taken aback, then took a deep breath, trying to calm down. After a while, he nodded, "I understand, Coach...!"

"Whoosh"

On the court, Parker made his second free throw, and the score was immediately reversed. The Lakers led 25-22 at home, with 2 minutes left in the first quarter.

"Thump thump thump"

Nash dribbled, and the Suns players constantly moved and cut. Chen Mu, on the bench, watched intently, absorbing the "nutrients" from the game.

When to move and how? What do Nash's gestures mean? Under what tactical movements will offensive space be created?

Chen Mu's brain was like a sponge, absorbing information from the game without missing any detail.

D'Antoni glanced at Chen Mu and, seeing his effort, nodded in satisfaction.

"Beep beep"

Time continued to pass, and with 20 seconds left in the first quarter, a dead ball finally appeared. D'Antoni gave the order, and Chen Mu quickly ran onto the court.

The Suns made a large-scale substitution, replacing the entire starting lineup. When Chen Mu entered the game, the lineup on the court was Barbosa, Eddie House, James Jones, Jim Jackson, and Chen Mu—a bizarre lineup.

"One big, four small??"

In the commentator's booth, Smith immediately noticed this and said in confusion, "The Suns have a very bizarre lineup, four shooters plus a power forward. What does this mean?!"

"Barbosa and Eddie House are small guards, Jim Jackson is a swingman, and James Jones has the height of a power forward but can only shoot threes," Barkley analyzed. "Based on this, we can only conclude..."

Barkley pointed to a name on the roster and said seriously, "D'Antoni has great trust in the Chinese kid's rebounding ability and is using a shooter-heavy lineup to compete...!"

Barkley's finger pointed to Chen Mu's name.

"Thump thump thump"

With little time left in the first quarter, the Brazilian lightning Barbosa quickly dribbled to the front court. Chen Mu stood near the free-throw line, and the remaining three shooters began to move and cut around him.

"Thump thump thump thump!"

With less than 10 seconds left, Chen Mu was like a lighthouse in the dark sea, and the four shooters used his body for screens and cuts, passing the ball around until they got a shooting opportunity at the corner three-point line.

5 seconds!

"Whoosh"

Barbosa passed the ball to Jim Jackson at the corner, who, one of the former Dallas 3J, caught the ball, raised it over his head, and shot a three-pointer.

3 seconds!

The scoreboard showed that the Suns had not scored since Chen Mu left the court, while the Lakers were on a scoring spree, with the score now 32-22.

2 seconds!

"Whoosh"

The ball flew through the air, quickly heading towards the basket. Everyone watched the ball's trajectory with bated breath. If this shot went in, the Suns could reduce the deficit to less than 10 points.

If it missed, entering the second quarter with a 10-point deficit would be a significant challenge for the Suns.

1 second!

"Thump thump thump!"

As everyone watched the ball, a tall, yellow-skinned figure quickly charged into the paint. The Lakers' reserve big man, Turiaf, who was defending Chen Mu, realized the danger and rushed to stop him, but it was too late.

"Clang!"

"Beep beep beep!"

The moment the ball hit the rim, a green circle in Chen Mu's vision began to flash rapidly.

The circle was right next to the rim!

"Thump!"

Chen Mu leaped, reaching out with both hands towards the circle. Turiaf grabbed Chen Mu's jersey from behind, but it was too late to stop him.

"Clap... Bang!"

Chen Mu caught the ball that had just bounced off the rim and slammed it back in. The ball went in, and the buzzer sounded, with the clock hitting 0!

"Beep beep beep!"

The referee's whistle blew, and in the stunned silence of the crowd, the referee signaled a two-point score and called a foul on Turiaf. Chen Mu would take a technical foul free throw!

"Ah ah ah!!!"

After landing, Chen Mu roared to the sky, finally scoring his first AND ONE in a professional game...!