Chapter 37

"Bang...!"

As Chen Mu leaped high, his body began to twist in the air with the powerful strength from his waist and abdomen, managing to perform a 180-degree spin under the basket. He then raised his hands high, grabbed the basketball that had just bounced out, and slammed it into the hoop with great force.

"WOW...!"

Beside Chen Mu, Webber, who was constrained by his knee injury, could no longer perform such a spectacular move. Recalling his own peak athletic days a few years ago, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Could I have made such a follow-up dunk?"

Webber pondered for a moment and concluded: Yes, he could.

However, making the move was one thing; being able to quickly judge the rebound's landing point and start moving to the basket immediately after a shot was blocked, and then accurately grab the ball and dunk it, was another matter entirely.

Chris Webber, during his brief but glorious career, was once considered a rebounding prodigy.

Although at the beginning of his career, Webber had argued fiercely with head coach Nelson over whether he should become a point forward like Magic Johnson or a power forward like Karl Malone.

History cannot be rewritten, so we may never know what achievements Webber could have attained if he had taken the path of a point forward.

But as Popovich, who was then an assistant coach with the Warriors and later became the head coach of the Spurs, once said:

"What a rookie will ultimately become is just a matter of a moment."

In that moment, Webber saw that the tall, yellow-skinned player in front of him would continuously expand his arsenal and eventually become a formidable force on both ends of the court.

Back on the court, Chen Mu and Allen Iverson fist-bumped in celebration, then returned to the basket to prepare for defense.

A nearby camera zoomed in on the rookie's face, revealing a rare look of determination. Chen Mu's brows were furrowed, and his lips were slightly downturned, as if he was dissatisfied with everything and still had a lot of energy to unleash.

This shot was quickly displayed on the large screen above the center of the court. The fans in the SBC Arena looked up and, upon seeing this expression, felt a sudden unease.

"How many points does this rookie plan to score on our Duncan today...?"

Many people began to ponder this question.

The basketball was passed around by the Spurs players. The usually composed Tim Duncan seemed to be spurred by Chen Mu's strong performance upon entering the game. He actively sought a position under the basket, using one hand to shield Chen Mu from behind, preventing him from getting in front, while the other hand was raised high, loudly calling for the ball from Parker.

The ball was smoothly passed to Duncan. Recalling how Chen Mu had used almost the same tactics to get open twice in a row, scoring once with a mid-range shot and once with a follow-up dunk, Duncan felt a rare competitive spirit. He quickly leaned in, then suddenly dribbled the ball and spun around the baseline.

"Nice try...!"

Chen Mu moved laterally, firmly holding the baseline position. However, just as he got into position, he sensed something was amiss.

The moment Duncan turned, he immediately adjusted his body, pivoting on his left foot and spinning in the opposite direction.

"Another step-over?!"

Chen Mu quickly retreated, moving to the left side of the two players to prevent Duncan from scoring a layup.

But Duncan made an unexpected choice.

"Fadeaway!"

After spinning again, Duncan immediately took a fadeaway jump shot. Although the fadeaway was not yet his signature move at this point, his unusual soft touch and long arms gave him a decent shooting accuracy.

"Swish"

The ball went through the hoop, and the Spurs took the lead, 19-18, with a one-point advantage!

"Damn...!"

The flame of defiance in Chen Mu's heart had burned to its peak. After passing the ball out of bounds, he said to Allen Iverson, "Give me the ball next time, I want to get it back...!"

"Hey~"

Allen Iverson was increasingly fond of this Chinese rookie who refused to give up. He pushed Chen Mu from behind and said, "Then get those long legs of yours moving to the front court!"

Iverson dribbled the ball swiftly, and Chen Mu once again executed a baseline cut, just like Webber had done.

"Who will he pass to? Will he pass to Webber to draw a double team and then transfer the ball to the Chinese rookie, or will he directly pass to the Chinese rookie?"

The Spurs' defense under the basket was in chaos. Duncan and Finley were momentarily unsure how to defend. As Chen Mu was about to get into position, Duncan whispered to Finley, "No switch!"

The ball was smoothly passed to Chen Mu. Duncan stepped forward, quickly securing his position, and extended his long arms to completely block Chen Mu's offensive path, leaving no room for error.

"Truly the best power forward on both ends of the court...!"

Chen Mu looked up and saw that although Duncan's defense was not overly aggressive, every step was perfectly timed, and his arm and body positioning were flawless.

Duncan's height advantage made it difficult for Chen Mu to score one-on-one, and with the tight defense, it was even harder.

"In this situation, I should use this move...!"

Chen Mu took a step, using a jab step to create space, then quickly gathered the ball, raising his hand slightly as if to shoot.

"Hmm...?!"

Duncan rushed forward to defend, but this move became Chen Mu's breakthrough.

The moment Duncan rushed forward, Chen Mu crouched down and began dribbling quickly. Although his dribbling skills were poor, and the ball was somewhat unsteady, with only a few steps to the basket, it was not difficult for Chen Mu.

"This kid...!"

Duncan realized Chen Mu's intention too late. He couldn't turn back in time and could only watch as Chen Mu ran past him, took a step, and leaped into the air, like a dragon soaring, heading for the basket.

"Trying to dunk...??"

Duncan instinctively pushed Chen Mu from behind. This small action did not escape the referee's notice. With a whistle, Chen Mu's mid-air momentum was disrupted, and he hastily threw the ball, then fell forward.

"Beep beep!!"

The referee's whistle was sharp. Duncan instantly regained his senses and quickly reached out to catch Chen Mu.

"Phew...!"

Chen Mu felt a pair of broad hands firmly supporting him from behind, cushioning the impact, and then he safely landed on the ground.

"Sorry, sorry..."

Duncan repeatedly apologized behind Chen Mu, gently patting his shoulder and said, "Sorry, Chinese kid, I don't know what came over me, I shouldn't have done such a foul move..."

"It's okay~"

Chen Mu turned and smiled, "Even the 'Stone Buddha' got flustered by me, doesn't that prove my strength...? Hahaha..."

"..."

Watching Chen Mu walk to the free-throw line, Duncan shook his head with a half-smile.

This Chinese kid seemed to have a certain charm. Although his skills were still immature, for some reason, seeing him always made people want to compete with him.

"This guy is not even 18, theoretically still playing by instinct, but somehow, his movements seem to have a maturity beyond his age."

Watching Chen Mu make his first free throw, Duncan couldn't help but recall about half a year ago when he faced the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals.

"That kid was only 22 or 23...! He could average 37 points against me, which was truly incredible..."

Chen Mu missed his second free throw. Duncan grabbed the rebound and passed the ball to Ginobili, who controlled it as they ran to the front court.

"This Chinese kid seems to have a bit of that kid's shadow..."

Mid-range jump shots and dunks, the two most basic and fundamental scoring methods for big men. If they could be combined and used effectively, how much power could they generate?

When a player has the option to drive or shoot, and both options have a high success rate, how should the defender defend?

Even if the defender knows the player will definitely shoot, they can't confidently say, "I can handle it alone."

Amar'e Stoudemire's performance in the 2005 Western Conference Finals left a deep impression on Duncan and the world.

Even with just mid-range jump shots and dunks, a player can still become the team's scoring core...!

And then, it became a showcase of the two teams' interior scoring cores.

Duncan received the ball, backed down, and scored a hook shot before Webber could help.

Chen Mu grabbed the offensive rebound, passed the ball to Iverson, then cut around Webber's screen and hit a mid-range jump shot.

Duncan and Parker executed a high pick-and-roll, and Duncan managed to score despite the contact.

Chen Mu grabbed the defensive rebound, passed the ball to Iverson, and quickly ran to the front court for an alley-oop dunk.

Duncan received the ball in the mid-range, and hit a bank shot from the 45-degree angle.

Chen Mu received the ball on the move, jumped, and scored a low-hand layup.

...

For the next one and a half quarters, the game became a personal showcase for Chen Mu and Duncan. Although the pace was not fast, the fans were thoroughly engrossed.

"Finally... after Amar'e, another power forward can go toe-to-toe with Tim...!"

The on-site commentator was impressed by Chen Mu's performance and shouted out loud. The Spurs' home fans were still friendly, initially booing when Chen Mu scored.

But soon, the fans noticed that whenever Duncan scored, Chen Mu would immediately respond with a score, and the boos gradually subsided, replaced by applause.

"Beep...!"

The halftime whistle sounded, and the Spurs led 45-43. The game entered halftime.

In 13 minutes on the court, Chen Mu made 6 out of 8 shots, 2 out of 4 free throws, and scored 14 points with 7 rebounds.

"Chen, let's go to the locker room!"

His teammates called out to Chen Mu, but he sat on the bench, panting heavily and waving his hand, "You... you go first, I... I need to rest... a bit..."

In front of Chen Mu, his legs were trembling involuntarily, a strange and intense sensation making him frown and groan.

"My legs... what's happening...?!"

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