Chapter 36

"Number 21, Tim Duncan! Hook shot, it's good!"

"TD! TD! TD!"

The on-site DJ shouted Duncan's name, and the entire crowd of fans cheered in unison.

Although from an aesthetic perspective, Duncan's offensive and defensive moves could not be described as particularly "impressive."

However, veteran fans and basketball analysts always praised Duncan highly. Why was this so?

"Chen, jump a bit higher."

During the offensive play, Webber whispered to Chen Mu, "Jump a bit higher. You were only a fraction of an inch away from blocking Duncan's shot just now!"

"I know, but..."

Chen Mu shook his head slightly, looking at Duncan, who had already returned to his own basket to defend, and said helplessly, "Don't you think that even if I jumped ten or twenty centimeters higher, I still wouldn't be able to touch that ball...?"

"Hmm...?" Webber was taken aback, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

"Is Duncan's shot really just a matter of good feel and solid fundamentals?"

Chen Mu clenched his teeth slightly, seemingly unsure of his own judgment.

"Duncan, he's choosing the arc of his shot based on my defense...!"

Is this really possible?

Webber watched Chen Mu sprint into the paint, shook his head with a bitter smile, and muttered to himself, "This rookie, he must be obsessed...!"

The game continued, and the 76ers were on offense!

Iverson dribbled the ball, directing his teammates' movements from beyond the three-point line.

Chen Mu and Webber exchanged a glance and came out from the baseline.

"THIS WAY!"

Webber set a screen for Chen Mu, pinning Duncan to the strong side, allowing Chen Mu to smoothly move to the weak side corner, his favorite and most proficient shooting area.

"SWITCH!"

Duncan instantly guessed that the 76ers were going to run the "Chen Mu off-ball movement for a mid-range jump shot" play and quickly shouted to Finley, who was still dazed. Finley hurriedly ran out, leaving Webber and firmly positioning himself in front of Chen Mu.

The Spurs made this choice, or rather, Duncan made this choice, for two reasons: one, they were wary of Chen Mu's mid-range shooting ability; and two, they were less concerned about Webber's post-up ability after his injury.

After all, at that moment, Duncan was already standing in front of Webber. If Webber received the ball and shot, Duncan could interfere at any time.

However, Iverson seized the moment when Duncan and Finley switched, and accurately passed the ball to Webber.

Duncan stepped forward without hesitation, extending his hand to interfere with Webber's shot to the fullest extent. However, since he was on the outside of the basket, while Webber was on the inside, close to the basket, it was impossible for Duncan to completely defend against Webber's attack alone.

"I'll help!"

Finley quickly retreated to the basket, joining Duncan to double-team Webber. As a former guard, Finley's hand speed was much faster than these big men. The moment the double-team was formed, he quickly slapped his hands, trying to strip the ball from Webber.

And what Webber was waiting for was precisely this moment.

"Behind-the-back pass!"

As soon as Finley and Duncan surrounded him, Webber passed the ball behind his back with his left hand. The ball bounced off the floor and accurately reached Chen Mu's hands.

"Comfortable~"

Chen Mu smiled as he caught the ball. Receiving a pass from a master like Webber felt incredibly smooth. The ball's spin and angle were perfect, and there was no need for any adjustment. Chen Mu could immediately shoot upon receiving the ball, and everything flowed smoothly and precisely.

"Swish"

Chen Mu's standard and elegant shot found the bottom of the net.

Under the basket, Finley caught the ball and angrily slapped it. Webber stepped out from the double-team, retreating to the defense while fist-bumping Chen Mu in celebration.

"..."

The SBC Center fell silent instantly. All the fans were awed by the 76ers' smooth and beautiful teamwork but were unwilling to cheer for the visiting team, leading to an awkward silence.

Among the crowd, only the expressionless Duncan remained calm. After passing the ball from the baseline, he quickly caught up with the point guard Parker, whispered a few words, and then joined the offense.

Duncan clearly told Parker to handle the next play. As soon as they reached the front court, the French car (Parker) immediately passed the ball high into the post, and Duncan easily caught it with his long arms.

"So high...!"

Standing at 2.04 meters, Chen Mu faced a significant height disadvantage against the 2.10-meter-tall Duncan.

Duncan showed no mercy. After using his height to secure the ball, he took two steps and used his strength to turn and face the basket from the side.

"Is it a hook shot? Or a turnaround jump shot? Is it a strong drive to the basket? Or a pass to set up a play??"

Chen Mu's mind raced, quickly assessing Duncan's options, his eyes fixed on every move Duncan made, not letting up for a moment.

From a back-to-the-basket position, Duncan lifted the ball with both hands, seemingly about to drive to the basket.

"No way!"

Chen Mu took a step, leaping with all his might, his jump height far surpassing the previous play.

"Jumped higher...?"

However, Duncan did not shoot. Instead, he pulled the ball back as Chen Mu jumped, then spun to the left, using his left foot as the pivot, and smoothly made a left-handed layup.

"So easy~"

The ball went in smoothly, and Chen Mu just landed, fuming with anger.

"Up and Under!"

The commentator called out the name of the move Duncan had just made, a textbook up-and-under move. This back-to-the-basket technique, popularized by Celtics legend Kevin McHale, was executed flawlessly by Duncan, successfully faking Chen Mu and easily scoring two points.

"Allen!"

Before the next offensive play, Chen Mu turned to Iverson, who was handling the ball, and said, "Next play, give me the ball...!"

"OK~"

Iverson's elf eyes glanced at Chen Mu with a smile, then nodded slightly, giving Chen Mu a thumbs up.

"If I can't defend you, I'll dominate you on offense...!"

Chen Mu felt a surge of anger. Although he had faced opponents like Kevin Garnett before, no matter how strong they were, they only made him feel helpless and recognize the gap. He felt that he needed to put in a lot of effort to defeat them.

But Duncan's moves were too simple and fundamental. After his injury, Duncan couldn't jump high or run fast, and his strength was not as formidable as in his prime. However, his use of fundamental techniques was almost perfect. Every time Duncan made an offensive move, Chen Mu felt that he was just a little bit away from stopping him, but he couldn't quite do it.

"Even this time, if I hadn't been faked, I could have defended it... Tsk!"

Chen Mu was dissatisfied. Upon reaching the front court, he signaled to Webber and quickly ran from the baseline.

"This kid, hehe."

Webber also smiled, knowing that Chen Mu was determined to compete, and he smiled as he set a screen for Chen Mu.

"Is this kid trying to make up for it on offense? But he's facing the league's top power forward, perhaps the best in history, Tim Duncan. Can you really do it, you rookie?"

Everything was a replay of the previous play: Chen Mu ran from the baseline, Webber set a screen, Duncan was blocked, and Finley switched to defend.

However, this time, Iverson made a different choice. Instead of passing to Webber, he directly passed the ball to Chen Mu.

"Good pass!"

Chen Mu caught the ball, with Finley sprinting towards him. Without hesitation, Chen Mu raised the ball, seemingly about to take a mid-range shot.

"Rookie, don't even think about a mid-range shot!"

Finley rushed to Chen Mu, taking a step and leaping.

Although he was older, Finley had once been considered a potential successor to Michael Jordan and was a standard high-flyer in his youth. This time, he used all his strength to block Chen Mu's shooting path.

But in the next moment, the rookie surprised Finley.

"Slap"

Chen Mu quickly pulled the ball back, making a move very similar to Duncan's fake from the previous play. He then dribbled horizontally, creating a half-step of space, and took a mid-range shot.

"Got it...!"

As soon as the ball left his hands, Chen Mu silently cheered in his heart. From the arc, force, angle, and spin, this shot was perfect and bound to go in.

But Duncan didn't think so.

In front of Chen Mu, between the ball and the basket, a tall figure suddenly appeared. Duncan extended his long arms and, just before the ball reached its highest point, touched it with his fingertips, altering its trajectory.

"How... how is this possible...?!!"

Webber, who was under the basket, was stunned. Just a moment ago, Duncan was behind him, and in the next instant, almost at the same time Finley was faked, Duncan predicted that Chen Mu was making a fake move and immediately left Webber to help defend.

Chen Mu's passing ability in this situation was limited, and the fact that he wouldn't pass the ball became a key reason for Duncan to leave Webber.

"The Chinese kid is a basketball black hole. Once he gets the ball, unless it's a rebound, he will always take a shot."

Before the game, Popovich had already conveyed this information to all the Spurs players.

And this information was indeed accurate.

"Predicting that I couldn't pass the ball well in this situation, you decided to leave Webber and help defend?"

Chen Mu was also surprised by Duncan's speed in helping, but everything was still within reasonable bounds.

"There are still ways to save it...!"

Since Chen Mu jumped first and Duncan jumped after, Chen Mu landed first.

After landing, Chen Mu immediately took off again, running past the still airborne Duncan, circling to the other side of the basket, and leaping high, extending his hands.

"The Chinese kid...?!"

Duncan was taken aback, and even the expressionless face of the "Stone Buddha" showed surprise. He seemed surprised that Chen Mu could react so quickly after being almost blocked.

"Beep beep beep"

In Chen Mu's eyes, the green ring flashed continuously. His hands reached for the basket, and at the moment the ball hit the rim and bounced back, he firmly caught it and slammed it down with a powerful dunk...!

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