Chapter 40

Bruce Bowen hadn't tasted such a bitter defeat in a long time.

"Swish"

Watching the rookie Chen Mu make his free throw from the foul line, Bowen pursed his lips, his face as ugly as if he had just eaten a fly.

Facing a scorer, Bowen believed he had a hundred ways to defend, and besides these hundred conventional methods, he would occasionally add a little "seasoning" to his defensive strategy.

This seasoning was small actions.

There were many small action experts in the league, such as John Stockton, who firmly held the top spot in both the assists and steals lists in history, was a master of this. Many players have said that they were least willing to face this lean, taciturn white man.

Stockton's small actions were not about the quality but the astonishing quantity. If you carefully watch the old game footage, it's not hard to notice that many players, when facing Stockton, would suddenly pause for no reason during their dribbling or slow down their movements.

Or some hot-tempered players would suddenly flare up during what seemed like a normal defensive position, pushing the assist king away.

All of this was due to Stockton's constant small actions.

Pulling at jerseys, pressing knuckles against bones, secretly using elbows, tripping... Stockton used all these small actions with great skill, not only achieving his goals but also deceiving most referees.

In addition, some players took a more outrageous route, such as the Pistons' "Bad Boys" inner line bully, Bill Laimbeer. This player, who looked like he had just been bailed out of jail after a bar fight where he broke five people's bones with brass knuckles, and immediately took a taxi to the game, was a nightmare for the entire NBA from the 1980s to the early 1990s.

Any player who dared to enter the Pistons' restricted area would be mercilessly tripped and sabotaged by Laimbeer and his gang of "thugs," and if necessary, they would not hesitate to knock the opponent out of the air with an elbow.

Whether it was Stockton's "elegant" style or Laimbeer's "bold" style, the goal of these small action experts was the same:

To instill fear in the scorer's heart, making it impossible for him to continue the scoring actions he had practiced thousands of times.

And Bruce Bowen was the collective projection of all the "thugs" in NBA history in the 21st century.

Rich in small actions, and not afraid to use harsh moves in critical moments, Bowen's defensive style, though despised, was undeniably effective on the court.

From 2000 to 2008, Bowen was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team for eight consecutive years, three times to the second team, and five times to the first team.

It's worth noting that these honors were won from the hands of defensive experts like Kobe, Kidd, Payton, and Artest, which speaks to the depth of Bowen's defensive skills.

"As long as the opponent has a hint of fear, it will definitely affect his technique. A shot that is usually effortless will miss, a dunk to vent anger will fly out of the rim, and a simple bounce pass will mysteriously result in a turnover. Everything will develop in a way that is detrimental to the opponent."

Bowen had always adhered to this defensive philosophy and had not encountered much trouble.

However, tonight, a rookie left him at a loss.

"Clank"

The Spurs' offense failed, and this was already their fourth consecutive miss. Frustration spread, and the entire team began to blame each other. The usually steady Spurs finally showed signs of fatigue.

Snatching the crisp rebound, Chen Mu glanced at the corner of his eye, passed the ball to Allen Iverson, and sprinted to the front court.

Iverson accurately delivered the ball, and behind Chen Mu, Bowen had already arrived, firmly pressing against Chen Mu's waist to prevent him from attacking the basket.

Chen Mu tried to dribble and turn, but due to his poor technique, it was not smooth. He staggered to a face-up position, looked at Bowen's stern expression, and began to make a triple threat move.

"Come on, rookie!"

Bowen roared, "What tricks do you have this time? A mid-range shot? A fake move? A pull-up jump shot? Or do you want to dunk over me?"

Bowen crouched very low, gritting his teeth and growling, "No matter what you want to do, I won't let you succeed...!"

"Oh, really...?"

Chen Mu smiled, his eyes glinting with something unknown, and suddenly looked up at the basket.

"No way you're pulling up!"

Bowen immediately moved to block, but Chen Mu's upper body did not move. Instead, he suddenly passed the ball with a lateral bounce.

On Chen Mu's side, Iverson had already sprinted over. Although Chen Mu's pass was a bit wide, Iverson, with his good ball sense, still controlled the ball, then dribbled past Parker and delicately scored a layup under the basket.

"Unfortunately, this time, I was passing...~"

Celebrating with a high-five with Iverson, Chen Mu looked at the furious Bowen and walked back to his half of the court.

"Chinese kid...!!!"

Bowen's dissatisfaction had reached its peak. Seeing Chen Mu laughing and talking as he retreated, he felt an indescribable sense of frustration and annoyance.

"Huff... Huff... Huff..."

At this moment, Chen Mu was also not feeling well. By this point in the game, Chen Mu had already played for 20 minutes, and the increased ball-handling opportunities had rapidly drained his energy.

In fact, at halftime, Chen Mu had already felt his legs starting to tremble slightly, almost involuntarily.

After the halftime break, the situation had improved, but as the third quarter was about to end, fatigue caught up with Chen Mu, making it hard for him to catch his breath.

"Just... one more goal... one more goal, and the task will be completed...!"

Chen Mu gritted his teeth and persisted. In front of him, a small, unobtrusive notification bar appeared, which would be hard to see if not looked at carefully.

"Badge Collection Task: Score 25 points in a single game."

Looking at the technical statistics, Chen Mu had already scored 23 points, just one step away from his goal.

"Once the task is completed, I will get the 'Scoring Shooter' badge, and my scoring ability will reach a new level...!"

Chen Mu gritted his teeth and defended. Under his interference, the usually steady Duncan missed a hook shot, and Chen Mu fiercely grabbed the rebound.

"Fast break!"

Iverson shouted, taking Chen Mu's pass and sprinting quickly. On both wings, two figures followed closely, Iguodala on the left and Chen Mu on the right, like Iverson's wingmen, starting a textbook three-line fast break!

Reaching the front court, facing Parker's pursuit, Iverson glanced and passed the ball to Iguodala on the left.

Iguodala crouched very low, quickly dribbling and sprinting, reaching the basket in a few steps, with Ginobili already in position.

Iguodala paused at the basket, then made a no-look pass, gently sending the ball with his right hand.

Near the free-throw line, Chen Mu had already arrived, catching the ball with both hands, not even looking at the desperate Ginobili, he took one step and leaped.

"Bang!"

"The Chinese kid dunks for a score, setting a new career-high... 25 points...!"

The commentator almost mechanically said these words, and the SBC Center instantly fell silent. In contrast, the 76ers were ecstatic. On the bench and on the court, all the players were celebrating with Chen Mu as if they had just dunked themselves.

Iguodala came to Chen Mu's side, patted his shoulder, and said, "Yo~ Chen, that was a great dunk!"

"Th... thank you..."

Chen Mu smiled slightly, just about to thank Iguodala for the brilliant pass, but suddenly felt his legs give out, and then everything went black as he fell to the floor.

After that, there was a chaotic noise. Chen Mu's eyelids felt incredibly heavy, and just before they closed, he seemed to hear the team doctor say something about "exhaustion," and then he passed out.

When Chen Mu opened his eyes again, he was lying in the away team's locker room. The team doctor was hurriedly contacting the hospital, preparing saline to replenish his energy, and was about to start an IV for Chen Mu.

"How... how is the game...?"

Chen Mu asked in a low voice.

"Lost."

The team doctor, seeing Chen Mu awake, gestured for him not to speak, to conserve his energy, and sighed, "After you left, our offense had a big problem. On the Spurs' side, Ginobili seemed to be motivated by your dunk and started to perform."

"Oh...? What a pity..."

Chen Mu felt an overwhelming soreness all over his body, more exhausted than he had ever been in his life. He asked, "How long has the game been over? Where is everyone?"

"It ended about three minutes ago. Coach Cheeks is furious and is scolding them in the next room!"

The team doctor made a shushing gesture, signaling the female assistant to give Chen Mu some water, and continued, "Don't think too much right now. Your energy is completely drained. I don't know how you managed to hold on in the last few plays. Just rest and wait for the saline to arrive, and get the IV started!"

"..."

Chen Mu said no more, closed his eyes, and fell into a half-sleep.

In front of him, a shiny badge was floating in the air, with an abstract shooting pose above it. Below the square badge, a line of text glowed with a mysterious light.

"Congratulations, you have obtained the 'Scoring Shooter' badge!"