Chapter 45

In the Quicken Loans Arena, the game continued.

LeBron James had a calm expression, using a screen from Zydrunas Ilgauskas to move near the free-throw line. Taking advantage of the 76ers' slow interior defense, he released a mid-range jump shot.

"Tsk..."

As soon as the shot left his hand, LeBron frowned, sensing it wasn't going well.

Although this season LeBron James had evolved comprehensively, averaging a career-high 31.4 points per game, his mid-range shooting was not yet at the level of his later years. This shot was a bit rushed, and the basketball hit the front rim and flew high.

"The rebound is mine...!"

Chen Mu leaped, grabbed the rebound with both hands, and upon landing, he quickly looked up and saw Allen Iverson sprinting. Without hesitation, he launched a long pass.

The basketball flew at high speed, and Chen Mu's long pass was incredibly precise, crossing the entire Cavaliers' defensive line and landing accurately in Iverson's hands.

"Great pass!"

Iverson chuckled, then dashed towards the basket and scored with a delicate layup.

"7-2! The 76ers have put together a 7-2 run!"

In the commentator's booth, Kenny Smith was stunned, watching Chen Mu grab two rebounds and dish out three assists in just one minute after entering the game. He was so excited he nearly jumped out of his seat.

"The Chinese kid is evolving rapidly! Look at his passing! Look at his vision! Look at his incredible judgment! This is a rare level of court control among the new generation of the NBA!"

Kenny Smith was lavish with praise, and Charles Barkley, who was sitting next to him, was thoroughly convinced. He shook his head and said, "I said he was a black hole on the court, and he must have heard me. He's showing me that he has many more weapons in his arsenal!"

Back on the court, the Cavaliers were growing frustrated after consecutive offensive setbacks and a classic 76ers counterattack. Point guard Eric Snow passed the ball to Larry Hughes, who rushed a two-point shot that missed, and Chen Mu grabbed the rebound again!

"Get back on defense! Get back on defense!"

LeBron had already noticed the pattern and immediately reminded his teammates to quickly retreat, not to tangle with Chen Mu in the frontcourt.

With his improved passing skills, Chen Mu was no longer the rookie who would delay the game when tightly guarded.

Feeling LeBron's attention, Chen Mu felt secretly pleased and muttered to himself, "No wonder he's a superstar; his reaction is really fast~"

Iverson brought the ball up the court, and Chen Mu received the ball at the high post again. He scanned the court, feeling the not-so-tight defense from Ilgauskas behind him, and began to orchestrate a new offensive play.

"Baseline screen!"

The 76ers effectively implemented Coach Cheeks' tactical ideas, with all players except Chen Mu constantly moving without the ball to stretch the defense.

"From the left 45-degree angle, there should be an opportunity in three seconds!"

In Chen Mu's eyes, the basketball court had become a virtual world of data. His mind returned to the virtual training ground, constantly searching for the positions of his teammates and opponents.

In the later stages of the Insight Eye challenge, Chen Mu worked tirelessly, going through countless failures before finally finding the key.

Practicing with a master like Magic Johnson, Chen Mu's passing technique and feel for the ball had improved significantly, and his passing success rate continued to rise.

In the later stages, the system consistently increased the difficulty, with virtual opponents appearing to interfere with Chen Mu and Magic's passing, in addition to the constantly moving virtual teammates.

"Just delivering the ball accurately isn't enough; you need to anticipate the movements of your teammates and opponents, find the gaps, and use the most precise technique to pass the ball, so that your teammate can immediately attack the basket or easily set up the next offensive play. That's the best choice!"

Chen Mu's mind was crystal clear. Organizing the offense isn't just about delivering brilliant assists; it's about whether a pass can disrupt the opponent's defense, drive your team's offense, and involve all players. That's the highest level of organizing the offense.

Throughout history, there have been many masters with numerous assists, but many of them are called "passers" rather than "organizers."

What's the difference between these two titles? Chen Mu had already grasped the truth.

"If you pass the ball to A, and A can't directly attack the basket, but because A received the ball, B can move accordingly, and the opponent's defense will have a gap. If A makes another pass, it can create an opportunity. That's truly a high-level pass."

"Assist data only proves a player's ability to quickly judge offensive opportunities, but true insight requires more than just assists; it requires control of the entire game!"

Chen Mu constantly paid attention to his teammates' movements. Iguodala had reached the top of the key, and there were two seconds left!

"Even if you can't create an 'indirect assist,' just using the pass to shift the opponent's defensive focus and then create opportunities through ball movement and sharing is still a good pass!"

One second!

Iguodala and Kyle Korver switched positions at the top of the key, and Chris Webber cut to Chen Mu's left, reaching for the ball. Behind him, Zydrunas Ilgauskas was closely following, his long arms waving, constantly interfering with Chen Mu's judgment.

"If I pass the ball to Webber, he can directly attack the basket, but Ilgauskas is interfering, and Ilgauskas can turn and double-team me at any time. Webber would be very uncomfortable with the ball in that position."

Time's up!

"Right now!"

Chen Mu made a quick pass. Everyone thought he would pass to Webber, but the basketball drew a strange arc and landed precisely in Iguodala's hands at the 45-degree angle.

"Huh...?!"

Iguodala was surprised when he caught the ball, then realized what was happening. He looked up and saw Chen Mu pulling to the side, with Ilgauskas already turning to defend Webber.

In that instant, a gap was created, leading to a defensive mistake by the Cavaliers.

"Whoosh!"

The basketball whizzed through the air, and Chen Mu smoothly caught it outside the three-second zone, with no one around him, only the basket in front of him!

"Swish!"

A classic and elegant mid-range jump shot, the basketball went through the hoop, and Chen Mu scored!

"Mid-range! Finally! The Chinese kid's mid-range shot! BAM! Clean and crisp!"

Barkley was already showing signs of becoming a Chen Mu fan, laughing and mimicking Chen Mu's shooting motion. Afterward, he paused, frowned, and muttered to himself, "This shooting form, why does it feel so familiar...?!"

On the court, the 76ers' morale soared, and the players cheered loudly. Iguodala excitedly ran over and patted Chen Mu on the head, laughing.

"Playing like this is pretty easy~"

Iverson also smiled, feeling good. Since Chen Mu entered the game, Iverson rarely held the ball and forced his way through, and the two points he scored were from easy fast breaks, significantly reducing the burden on him.

"Ah...!"

The Cavaliers, on the other hand, sighed, with all players except LeBron blaming themselves for their poor defense.

"Don't get discouraged! It's just a 9-2 run; the score difference isn't big. We must hold our ground in the first quarter!"

James shouted loudly, making a tactical gesture. After a series of coordinated plays, Snow finally scored a layup under the basket.

"Let's get it back!"

Chen Mu's fighting spirit remained undiminished, and he sprinted to the frontcourt. Iverson, like a sprite, dribbled past Snow and reached the three-point line, suddenly jumping to take a shot.

"No way!"

LeBron James rushed over, leaping high into the air as if defying gravity, extending his left hand, about to swat the ball away.

But at the peak of his jump, Iverson suddenly turned his head to the side, changing his shooting motion and passing the ball to the basket.

"No-look pass!"

The spectacular streetball-like move excited the fans. The basketball whizzed towards the basket, and a yellow-skinned figure stepped out from near the three-second zone, reaching out to grab the ball in mid-air, then...

"BAM!!!"

As Kenny Smith shouted, Chen Mu caught the ball low in the air, looked up at the basket, and with a powerful two-handed pull, completed a reverse dunk in mid-air!

"WOW! WOW! WOOOOOOOW~!!!"

Barkley was already laughing uncontrollably. Chen Mu's current offensive style was incredibly entertaining, with mid-range shots, dunks, and brilliant passes. Except for the lack of a killer move in one-on-one situations, he was almost unstoppable in the half-court!

"BR**O! BR**O!"

Kenny Smith couldn't help but applaud and praise. In this storm of attacks, the 76ers, who were trailing 11-14 before Chen Mu entered the game, quickly took the lead. By the end of the first quarter, the 76ers led 22-18, a 4-point advantage!

"Beep beep"

The referee's whistle blew, and Cavaliers coach Mike Brown finally couldn't sit still, calling a timeout.

"Great job, Chen!"

Back on the bench, Coach Cheeks praised Chen Mu, smiling and said, "Keep up the offensive pressure. We'll rotate the players. Allen and Chris, you can rest for a while, but... no."

At this point, Cheeks turned to Chen Mu and said seriously, "Including the first half of the second quarter, our offensive focus will be on Chen!"

After the timeout, both teams made personnel adjustments, and the game continued.

Back on the court, the Cavaliers tried many ways to deal with Chen Mu, but with the main players resting and the limited strength of the substitutes, they couldn't effectively contain Chen Mu.

Receiving the ball and orchestrating brilliant assists.

Taking the ball in the middle and scoring with a powerful dunk.

Using a crossover to create space and scoring with a clean mid-range shot.

Grabbing the offensive rebound and drawing a foul for free throws.

In the remaining time of the first quarter and the first half of the second quarter, totaling about five minutes, Chen Mu transformed into an all-around warrior, leading the offense like a magician in the paint, helping the 76ers gain a nearly 10-point lead.

After the timeout, both teams made substitutions, with the main players returning to the court, and Chen Mu resting.

Thanks to Chen Mu's outstanding performance during the transition, the team's operation was smooth. Although LeBron found his rhythm and scored continuously from inside and outside, the 76ers maintained their offensive momentum and firmly held the lead.

At halftime, the 76ers led 52-44, an 8-point advantage. Soon, the unpredictable second half of the game was about to begin...!

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