Chapter 61

"Vade penetrates the interior, scores two more points, and makes the free throw, a three-point play!"

In the Wachovia Center, the noisy cheers of the fans, which had been stirred up by the team's smooth and spectacular offense at the beginning of the game, gradually subsided.

Dwyane Wade, the 193 cm tall player who had become the most terrifying interior scorer in the league, continued his brilliant performance.

"Attack, attack!"

The 76ers organized their offense, and a hint of dissatisfaction appeared on Allen Iverson's face. He directed his teammates to move into position while looking for an opportunity to penetrate the interior.

As the former king of small guards, Iverson naturally had his own pride. Seeing the outstanding performance of the younger player across from him, the scoring champion's fighting spirit was ignited.

"Alen!"

Chen Mu immediately understood Iverson's thoughts. Instead of asking for the ball in the interior, he stepped forward to set a screen.

Iverson's eyes were sharp, spotting this fleeting opportunity. He used the screen to cut into the interior and then decisively went for a layup.

In the Heat's paint, the combination of Shaquille O'Neal and Udonis Haslem, while not the strongest in the league, was still quite formidable.

O'Neal's bulldozer-like presence in the paint, combined with his unique hook shots, and Haslem's developing accurate mid-range shooting, became a nightmare for many teams.

However, compared to their offensive prowess, this duo was not as strong defensively.

O'Neal's well-known fear of pick-and-rolls and Haslem's insufficient height, despite his good fighting spirit, limited their rim protection.

Facing the aggressively charging Iverson, the two interior defenders, neither of whom were particularly fast, failed to provide timely help defense. Iverson smoothly executed a finger roll, and the ball gently found the net.

In the crowd, Jason Williams quickly ran over, took the ball, and threw a long pass from the baseline.

On the frontcourt, Wade once again initiated his penetration, receiving the ball and rapidly advancing towards the 76ers' basket.

"I'm here!"

Since the 2+1 play, Chen Mu had not taken his eyes off Wade. After setting the screen for Iverson, he immediately returned to the half-court to defend, even giving up the potential offensive rebound, determined to stop this offensive play.

Wade's speed remained unchanged, his ability to change direction without slowing down reminiscent of the young Jason Kidd. Combined with his explosive athleticism, his offensive power far exceeded that of his predecessors.

Reaching the basket, Andre Iguodala also came to help defend, tightly sticking to Wade from the side to cut off his passing lanes.

However, Wade had no intention of passing from the start.

Stepping into the air, Wade assumed his signature offensive stance, holding the ball with one hand high above his head, staring directly at the rim, completely ignoring Chen Mu's defense.

"The Chinese kid's defense is terrible!"

This was the instruction Pat Riley had given before the game.

If the interior defender was Chen Mu, decisively penetrate, he can't stop anyone!

Wade firmly remembered the old coach's advice, focusing entirely on the rim, not even glancing at Chen Mu.

Chen Mu jumped up, raising his hands to block the shot, and Wade adjusted in mid-air, pulling the ball back with his right hand and then pushing it forward, shooting the ball from Chen Mu's side.

Chen Mu showed no fear, his left hand moving naturally, swinging hard to the side.

"…?!"

Seeing Chen Mu's action, Wade was startled. He felt that the originally calculated shot path seemed to be obstructed, and he couldn't adjust in time, resulting in a slightly weaker shot.

As they landed, the ball circled the rim and eventually slipped out from the other side, snatched by Chen Mu.

"Great defense!"

Iguodala also released his anger, taking Chen Mu's pass and advancing to the frontcourt to participate in the offense.

"…"

Wade did not immediately return to defend but paused, staring intently at Chen Mu for a moment before turning to chase after him.

"This Chinese kid, isn't his height with shoes 204 cm…? Why does it feel like his defensive area is as wide as a 210 cm center…?"

This thought flashed through Wade's mind but was quickly dismissed without further consideration.

Behind Wade, Chen Mu was also somewhat surprised, looking at his hands and then at the rim, only rushing to join the offense when his teammates shouted.

A strange thought also appeared in Chen Mu's mind:

"Did I… grow taller…??"

Before the draft, Chen Mu did not participate in all the physical tests, only roughly testing his jumping ability in the training facilities of a few interested teams.

As a prominent member of the Chinese national youth team, Chen Mu's physical data was easily searchable: 201 cm in height, 204 cm with shoes, and 89 kg in weight, thin like a bamboo pole.

After coming to the United States, Chen Mu's training became more systematic and scientific. It's not that the training of the national youth team was bad, but compared to the basketball kingdom of the United States, there were still gaps in various aspects.

The brief time with the Suns also helped Chen Mu develop good dietary and sleep habits, which were further reinforced and improved during his training with Gallagher and his time with the 76ers, especially with the fitness fanatic Iguodala.

Although he had excellent running and jumping abilities, Chen Mu's relatively short height in the interior was one of the reasons many teams carefully considered.

With more and more equipment training and a perfect diet, Chen Mu's strength and muscle mass increased, but his height?

Chen Mu himself had not even considered this issue.

Come to think of it, this height data was from seven or eight months ago…

"Good play! Back to defense!"

While lost in thought, the 76ers scored through team cooperation and quickly returned to defense, and the Heat began their half-court offense.

Wade moved to the top of the arc to receive the ball, facing a relatively loose defender in Kyle Korver. His eyes were not on Korver's position but directly focused on Chen Mu, passing through the other players.

"The combination of Weber and the Chinese kid, theoretically, should be a defensive sieve, making penetration easy. But…"

Wade bent down to dribble, quickly shaking off Korver. On the side, Haslem and O'Neal cut to the perimeter to pull the defense, and Wade once again penetrated the interior.

"But why? What was that strange feeling just now?"

One step from the free-throw line, Wade suddenly paused, then accelerated, cleanly passing the advancing Weber.

"Let me test you again, Chinese kid…!"

Wade, like a blazing flame, rapidly burned into the restricted area, facing the 76ers' last line of defense. He took a step, leaped, and with astonishing speed, attempted a dunk over Chen Mu.

"Swish!"

At the same moment, Chen Mu also jumped, colliding with Wade in mid-air.

This instant collision made Wade feel that something unusual was happening again.

Chen Mu's arms seemed to have suddenly grown longer. On the chosen dunk path, Chen Mu's fingers quickly rose, touching the bottom of the ball at the moment of release, deflecting it away.

"Beep beep!"

The referee called a defensive foul on Chen Mu. After landing, Chen Mu stomped his feet in regret, and his teammates rushed to comfort him, not wanting the Chinese big man to get too excited and receive a technical foul.

Standing at the free-throw line, Wade calmly made both free throws. On the way back to defense, he was still secretly amazed:

"Just now, this Chinese kid, who clearly jumped later, reached the high point before me!"

After marveling at Chen Mu's jumping speed, Wade thought of a new question:

"The key is not the jumping speed, the key is, his wingspan… is too astonishing!"

With doubt and shock, Wade's momentary distraction on defense allowed Korver to find an opportunity to cut and receive the ball, scoring a jump shot.

The game entered a tense state, with both sides continuously scoring but unable to stop each other's offense.

Everyone knew that at this moment, both teams were on fire. If one side could find a way to stop the other's offense, they could seize the momentum and gain a lead.

Now, the 76ers had the opportunity to defend.

The entire Heat team gave their star penetrator, Wade, full trust, spreading the floor to give Wade a chance to isolate at the top of the arc.

Wade bent down to dribble, and Haslem set a screen on the side. Wade decisively penetrated the interior again.

"Switch defense!"

Chen Mu shouted, deeply bending his waist, his eyes almost shooting flames, focusing intently on Wade's movements.

Seeing Chen Mu's defensive emphasis on the interior, Wade had a thought. He took a step forward, then executed a smooth step-back, jumping to release a mid-range shot.

In the next moment, Wade was thoroughly stunned by this Chinese big man in front of him.

Chen Mu's reflexes were comparable to those of a guard. The moment Wade executed the step-back, Chen Mu immediately stepped forward. By the time he reached Wade, the latter was already in the air, preparing to shoot.

However, Chen Mu would not miss any opportunity to interfere with Wade. He immediately jumped, reaching the high point before Wade.

"Oh no…!"

Seeing Chen Mu's rapid jump, Wade felt a sense of foreboding. The ball was already on his fingertips, and it was too late to pass. He could only add a bit more force, raising the arc of the shot.

Unfortunately, what greeted Wade was Chen Mu's merciless hand.

"Slap…!"

Chen Mu, like a rocket, quickly ascended to the highest point, raising his long arms, staring at the ball Wade released, and fiercely slapped it down.

The ball was swatted away by this powerful block, immediately falling to the floor.

"…Beep!"

The referee's whistle blew, and the ball was ruled out of bounds, giving the Heat a frontcourt possession.

"Chinese kid…"

After receiving congratulations from his teammates, Chen Mu heard Wade's voice beside him.

"Are your physical test data really accurate…?"

"…Huh?"

Chen Mu didn't understand Wade's meaning, turning to look at the Flash, and after a moment, he realized the reason, laughing and saying, "This question, I also want to know. Maybe after this game, I'll have the staff retest me, hahaha!"

"But there is one thing I am very clear about, very clear."

Chen Mu's tone changed, his eyes suddenly flashing with a cold light, and he smiled slightly, "Flash, it's time to stop…!"

===========

Sorry to interrupt the exciting game.

Just a side note, regarding the character Shen, there has been a lot of feedback, and many people dislike her. Originally, Dragon Bone Porridge planned to make her a hidden antagonist, not one of the main female characters.

However, since everyone dislikes her so much, we will make changes. Dragon Bone Porridge is already working on handling the subsequent plot, and the character will be directly removed in a few chapters, hoping to satisfy everyone.

But to be self-indulgent, everyone's dislike of her proves that the character is well-drawn, hahaha~ As an antagonist, she is quite powerful.

Thank you all for your opinions and criticism. I spent a day reorganizing and revising, hoping to satisfy everyone.

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