Chapter 60

Dwyane Wade, in the 2003 NBA Draft, was selected fifth overall by the Miami Heat in the first round, thus beginning his professional career.

There's no need to elaborate on his playing style; his explosive athleticism and unwavering determination to win, combined with his frequent aerial acrobatics and fearless physical confrontations in the paint, made him a scoring sensation in the NBA, where he excelled with his exceptional touch near the basket.

His nickname: The Flash.

Chen Mu tossed the documents in his hand aside and raised his eyes to carefully observe the game on the court.

The Heat had the ball, and Jason Williams brought it up the court, near the baseline, where Wade had already started his off-ball movement.

Although Wade at this point had not yet developed the superior off-ball skills he would later in his career, Jason Williams' arrival had completely liberated Wade, who had played point guard early in his career. His scoring ability and explosiveness were greatly unleashed, and without the need to worry about orchestrating the team's offense, Wade became even more versatile and unpredictable.

"Bang!"

After weaving through a double screen at the baseline, Wade received a simple pass from Jason Williams near the free-throw line. He then turned to find Shaquille O'Neal's screen and charged into the paint, slamming the ball over Hunter's head for a score.

"The Flash!"

The arena's DJ shouted, as home DJ's rarely call out the names or nicknames of visiting players, but in the face of a star like Wade, many DJs, who are fans themselves, can't help but raise their voices, infected by his explosive style.

"The world knows your speed and agility, your explosiveness and fearlessness, and your extraordinary ability to attack the paint, but I know you are more than that...!"

Watching Wade's relentless scoring on the court, Chen Mu couldn't help but recall the games he had seen of Wade in the original timeline.

The 2003 draft, hailed as the super-golden generation, produced several players who profoundly influenced the league's landscape.

These players had diverse styles; some were as dominant as LeBron James, some were as versatile offensively as Carmelo Anthony, and some, like Chris Bosh, played power forward with a small forward's style, while others, like Kwame Brown, were peculiarities.

Among them, Wade's physical attributes and talent were not the highest, yet why was he the first of the 2003 class to win a championship ring?

"Fundamentals."

Chen Mu muttered to himself, "The most solid fundamentals."

On the court, Wade's incredible speed became a nightmare for defenders, and his scoring ability under pressure was daunting. However, only the most observant old fans would notice that Wade's fundamentals were the most solid among the 2003 class.

Fundamentals are not just about shooting and passing; for perimeter players, the most crucial fundamental in modern basketball is ball-handling.

Even Curry, who might become Chen Mu's opponent in the future, has a godlike handle. Allen Iverson, with his lightning speed, had unparalleled ball-handling skills. Kobe, who was a complete player, had a solid, if not flashy, handle.

Wade, among this new generation of stars known for their explosive athleticism, had the most solid ball-handling skills.

Low dribbles, high dribbles, behind-the-back, between-the-legs, spin moves, step-backs, and back-to-the-basket dribbles...

Wade mastered all these ball-handling techniques to perfection, but they were overshadowed by his explosive style and went largely unnoticed.

"Swish"

"Again, Wade! A behind-the-back dribble through the defense, a high-difficulty layup for a score! Hoho, Mr. Impossible!"

Indeed, before Shaquille O'Neal gave Wade the famous nickname "The Flash," Wade shared another nickname with another peculiar star in the league:

"Mr. Impossible."

"Beep"

The official timeout arrived, and both teams took a brief rest. The scoreboard showed a 17-17 tie between the 76ers and the Heat.

"No... No, no, no!"

On the bench, head coach Larry Brown was furious, drawing countless X's on the whiteboard before raising his head and glaring at the 76ers' starters like a teacher scolding misbehaving students.

"No defense, we have no defense!"

Brown pointed at the real-time statistics and shouted, "17 points in 7 minutes, we gave up 17 points! 15 of them in the paint!"

Starter center Hunter lowered his head, knowing that Brown's anger was mainly directed at him.

At the start of the game, the 76ers had a smooth start, with Allen Iverson and Kyle Korver hitting shots from the perimeter and Chris Webber dishing out assists.

But on defense, the 76ers' paint was being shredded by The Flash.

"Wade 10 points, O'Neal 5 points, all in the paint! What's wrong with you? Just because the road trip went well, you're getting complacent? They are a strong team, a super-strong team! Our record is far worse than theirs, remember that!"

"I shouldn't have let you rest, I should have locked you all up in the training facility, and you wouldn't leave until you learned how to defend!"

Brown's tirade left the players silent.

Indeed, after a successful road trip, the 76ers had become a bit lax.

This relaxation was a brief relief for the players, but a disaster for the team.

"Yes, the last two games of the road trip, we won, but we were very lucky!" Brown continued, "The game against the Pistons was exciting, and you all played well, so I rewarded you, letting you enjoy yourselves at night without any interference."

"But what did you give me in return? A crushing defeat! A loss to the Raptors, and a thoroughly deserved one!"

Brown's words were harsh, but not unjustified. In the game against the Raptors, the team's spirits were low due to the continuous night-time celebrations, and they were thoroughly beaten by the North's king, leaving Toronto in disgrace.

In the following two games, the team improved, but the victories were somewhat lucky, leading to a renewed sense of complacency.

After the game against the Pistons, Chen Mu, as the team's sixth man, had also struggled, with inconsistent offensive performance.

"The Chinese kid hits the rookie wall."

This was the headline many media outlets used after the game.

"Chen, get in there!"

Throughout the timeout, Brown vented his frustration. In his mind, a coach should instill true tactical discipline in daily training, not just before the game.

Brown's coaching record wasn't great, but his dedication was acknowledged by all who worked with him.

Before the game, Brown had already given the team thick tactical manuals, but how many had actually read them?

"Chen, if you play poorly in this game, you'll sit at the end of the bench and cool off!"

Before entering the court, Brown glared at Chen Mu and said, "I've tolerated your poor defense because of your offense and rebounding. But my patience has limits. If you let other big men dominate you again, you won't play for a month!"

Chen Mu knew Brown was exaggerating; his offensive contributions had already offset, if not surpassed, his defensive shortcomings.

But this time, the coach's anger was palpable, and his words were harsh.

"I know."

Chen Mu took a deep breath, looked at Wade, who was walking slowly to the other side of the court, and said, "I'll try my best...!"

The game resumed.

"The Chinese kid is in. Indeed, this player has given us many surprises. But his defensive contributions have been lacking, especially in the game against the Raptors, where he was dominated by Chris Bosh, who scored 30 points and 10 rebounds. Our staff also heard that Coach Brown has given the Chinese kid a strict order to improve his defense."

The commentator frowned, "I doubt this thin frame can hold up against the double threat of Shaq and The Flash for long."

The 76ers had the ball, and Allen Iverson brought it up the court, as usual, passing it to the post first.

Chen Mu received the ball, and a massive figure approached from behind. The pressure was more intense than any he had faced before, causing him to stagger.

"Beep!"

The referee's whistle blew, pointing at Chen Mu and making a quick circling motion with his hands, signaling to the scorer's table, "76ers, number 5, traveling violation!"

"What...?!!"

Chen Mu's eyes widened. He had indeed been pushed by the overwhelming force, but he was confident that his pivot foot had not moved significantly. Most referees would not call such a minor flaw in a physical contest.

"Chen, get back on defense!"

Seeing Chen Mu about to argue with the referee, Andre Iguodala rushed over, patting his head, "If it's called, it's called. Just focus on defense!"

"I... sigh!"

Chen Mu shook his head in frustration. Being called for a violation on his first touch was frustrating.

"Whoosh"

Before Chen Mu could recover, the Heat had already inbounded the ball. Chen Mu saw a black blur flash by.

The blur was lightning-fast, and even Iverson, the quickest on the team, couldn't turn in time to chase it. The blur had already penetrated the 76ers' defense, and under the double team of Iguodala and Webber, made a circus shot, with the ball going in as the referee's whistle blew again.

"Shot good, 76ers, number 4, defensive foul, one free throw!"

"...Wow!"

The crowd was stunned.

Wade got up from the floor, his face still showing that signature stern expression. He wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at the scoreboard.

"Chen! Are you sleepwalking?!! Where was the help defense?!!"

Brown was nearly fuming, shouting loudly. Even the home crowd shook their heads, as Chen Mu's failure to provide help defense was the root cause of the defense being completely breached.

"Swish"

Seeing Wade make the free throw, Chen Mu's mind cleared of all distractions, leaving only one thought:

"It's time to stop this lightning...!"

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