Chapter 7

**Step, "Huff!"**

Chen Mu took a step forward, his whole body seeming like a missile as he leaped from the ground, soaring high into the air. He stretched his hands forward to reach for the basketball flying through the air.

"Hmm...?"

As soon as he extended his hands, Chen Mu felt something was off. Although the ball's height was decent, its trajectory seemed problematic, too far back, and it was spinning intensely, making it difficult to handle.

"Could it be that Nash made a passing mistake?"

This thought flashed through his mind but was quickly dismissed.

Nash was an MVP player, and in the original timeline, he had won the MVP again this season. When it came to passing, especially aerial passes, few in the league could match Nash's skills.

Would a player of this caliber make a bad pass during a pre-game warm-up, a moment with no resistance? It was clearly impossible.

"Since it wasn't a mistake, there's only one answer..."

Chen Mu pulled his hands back, already in front of the basket, but the ball flew behind him. With his long arms, he barely managed to reach the basketball and then pulled it forward with force.

"Nash is testing my abilities...!"

"Whoosh!"

In mid-air, Chen Mu adjusted his body, using his excellent physical condition to perform a half-turn. He then used both hands to slam the ball into the hoop with a powerful back dunk.

"Bang!"

The dunk was clean and crisp. Although the ball's position and spin affected his reception, Chen Mu used the brief moment of hang time to adjust his hand movements, completing a beautiful aerial dunk.

"...Wow!"

The scene on the warm-up court caught the attention of the spectators. Many people were whispering curiously, intrigued by the Chinese big man the team had just signed.

"Hey, Charles, did you see that?"

In the broadcast booth, Kenny Smith noticed Chen Mu's move and couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise. "That aerial back dunk was quite impressive, very smooth and powerful! Let me check, his number is 5... Yes, this young man is the Chinese big man the Suns just signed, Chen!"

"Hmm~ Not bad~"

Charles Barkley, known for his blunt comments, shook his head slightly. "From this ball, his physical condition is not bad, maybe even comparable to our black athletes, but it's just an aerial dunk. Everyone in the NBA can do it, nothing special."

Barkley quickly flipped through the player profiles prepared by the pre-game staff, found Chen Mu's page, and continued after a careful read: "It's said that this Chen's offensive skills are quite poor, and his rebounding is only slightly better. But except for Dennis, no one has ever made me respect their rebounding. No one!"

"Unless this kid can average over 10 rebounds per game as a substitute, he can't be considered a rebounding specialist!"

Indeed, Charles Barkley had the right to say this. As a former NBA rebounding champion, Barkley's rebounding skills were top-notch. The only person he respected in rebounding was Dennis Rodman, who won seven consecutive rebounding titles from 1992 to 1998.

For Barkley, who had battled against Rodman and the four great centers, a Chinese newcomer was not enough to catch his eye.

"Ha, Charles, aren't your standards a bit too high?" Kenny Smith laughed. "Do you remember last year when we bet on whether Yao could score 20 points in a game? You said if Yao scored 20 points, you'd kiss my butt. In the end, you kissed a donkey's butt, didn't you? Ha ha ha~"

"That's a different story!" Barkley's face turned red, and the fat on his cheeks trembled. "If you don't believe me, let's make another bet. If he grabs more than 10 rebounds in this game, I won't kiss your butt or a donkey's butt; I'll eat a shoe right here in the studio!"

"Ha ha ha, okay, it's a deal!"

Kenny Smith was already laughing, knowing that Barkley's bet was almost impossible to lose. A player who had just signed a ten-day contract might not even get playing time in this game. Even if he did, it would likely be during garbage time, and he might not even touch the ball, let alone grab 10 rebounds.

But for the sake of the show, Kenny Smith laughed and accepted Barkley's bet, creating anticipation among the American audience.

"Chen, good job."

On the court, Nash walked over to Chen Mu with a smile, dribbling the ball gracefully. "I didn't expect you to complete the aerial dunk even with the intentional bad pass. Your body control is impressive."

"Thank you for the compliment," Chen Mu smiled. "I hope I can receive your passes during the game."

"..."

Hearing Chen Mu's words, Nash was taken aback, his eyes flashing with intelligence as he carefully examined the confident Chinese big man. He then smiled and said, "It's a deal!"

"Bang!"

"Oh oh oh!"

As the two chatted, on the other side of the court, the Nets' Vince Carter performed a 360-degree two-handed dunk, igniting the crowd's enthusiasm. The Suns' new player's aerial dunk was quickly forgotten.

Half an hour later, the lights in the Suns' home arena dimmed, and a spotlight shone as the announcer enthusiastically introduced the starting lineup. After a grand entrance, the game began.

"Beep!"

The referee blew the whistle, and the basketball was tossed high into the air. Both centers leaped, and although Kostic was taller, the incredibly athletic Diaw easily tipped the ball to the Suns.

"Clap clap clap"

The ball was dribbled on the ground, and under Nash's leadership, the Suns' offense began.

In the stands, the audience cheered loudly, supporting the home team. Chen Mu, wearing a long-sleeved training suit with a "CHEN" 5 jersey underneath, sat at the end of the bench.

"Thud thud thud"

Eddie House, also a substitute, walked to the water cooler, poured himself a cup of water, and said to the nervous Chen Mu, "Hey, Chinese brother, don't be nervous. You won't get playing time in this game."

"Regardless, I'll be ready to play at any moment," Chen Mu smiled in response.

"Good attitude, I like that, ha ha ha!"

House, a man of emotion, laughed and sat next to Chen Mu, pointing to the players on the court. "Come on, tell me, how much do you know about the opponents' frontcourt?"

"Um, the Nets' frontcourt..."

Chen Mu recalled his impressions of the players from the original timeline, both from watching games and playing video games. "Starting center Kostic, accurate mid-range shooting, slow footwork, strong defensive effort, but very thin and average in physicality."

"Clifford Robinson, can shoot from beyond the three-point line, but is too old, with almost no athleticism left. Average defensive and blocking skills."

"Backup Jason Collins, slow footwork but a strong body, plays hard on defense, and is excellent in low-post defense. But he has no offensive skills, probably about the same as me, ha ha!"

"Backup power forward Pat Garrity, accurate three-point shooting, but not much of a threat in the paint. Just watch out for his outside shots."

Chen Mu's brief and precise analysis left House speechless, his mouth wide open, and he forgot to drink his water. After a moment, he finally reacted and said, "Kid, you know a lot!"

Ha ha, of course!

Chen Mu was secretly pleased. Did he think all those hours of playing video games were for nothing?

In the original timeline, Chen Mu was a passionate basketball game enthusiast. He knew the abilities, strengths, and weaknesses of every player in the league, not just the popular teams like the Suns and Nets.

To practice his game skills, Chen Mu would use unknown players in the practice mode, constantly finding their shooting spots and various skill levels. Since 1998, when he first played a basketball game, Chen Mu had played countless games. Even for the most marginal players, he knew their abilities well, as if he had a database of player abilities in his head.

In terms of basketball skills, Chen Mu wasn't very confident yet, but when it came to knowledge of players, he far exceeded the average fan.

"Beep beep"

As the two chatted, a sharp whistle sounded on the court, and all the Suns' players looked concerned.

"Ah...!"

On the court, veteran Kurt Thomas, who had just come on as a substitute for Tim Thomas, accidentally stepped on someone's foot and severely twisted his ankle upon landing.

"Doctor, how is it?"

The game was temporarily paused, and Kurt Thomas was carried off the court. Coach D'Antoni approached the doctor urgently.

"Not good," the doctor frowned and shook his head. "The sprain is severe. We don't know if there's any damage to the ligaments or bones, and he needs immediate examination."

"This..."

D'Antoni's head felt like it had split into two, and he paced anxiously, scanning the bench.

The Suns were off to a bad start. Starting center Amar'e Stoudemire had just had surgery and was sitting on the sidelines in a suit. Tim Thomas and Brian Grant were still recovering from old injuries and were barely able to play. Georgian center Zaza Pachulia's defense was like air, and if he played with Diaw, the Suns' frontcourt would be easily penetrated by the Nets' backcourt.

What to do? D'Antoni was at a loss, searching the bench. Should he put James Jones in at the power forward position, or risk sending Tim Thomas back onto the court?

As he looked, D'Antoni's gaze suddenly fell on a yellow-skinned figure sitting quietly by the water cooler.

"...Chen!"

"Here!" Chen Mu looked up, seeing D'Antoni looking at him with a helpless expression, clearly facing a problem.

"You're going in!" D'Antoni seemed to have made a difficult decision, almost gritting his teeth as he said it.

"Okay, Coach...!"

Chen Mu stood up, his heart racing, feeling almost tremble as he looked at the bright lights on the court.

NBA... I'm coming...!