Chapter 71

"Bang!!!"

As Chen Mu's alley-oop slam dunk was successful, a yellow-skinned fan in the stands jumped up and down with joy, unable to contain his excitement.

"Wow~! Chen Mu, you're awesome!!!"

Boss Su was extremely excited, waving his hands in the air. If he weren't wearing a Phoenix Suns jersey with Steve Nash's number, one might have mistaken him for a die-hard 76ers fan who had traveled all the way from Philadelphia for this away game!

Beside Boss Su, Su Yin was also watching Chen Mu's brilliant performance on the court with wide eyes. She, who had never been particularly fond of basketball, seemed to have found a new appreciation for the game, feeling a growing excitement in her heart.

"Brother Mu is so amazing...!"

Even Su Yin, who knew little about basketball, couldn't help but cheer. On the court, Chen Mu seemed to have suddenly become invincible, his previous struggles swept away, and he was now brimming with boundless energy.

"Great shot!"

On the court, Chen Mu and Allen Iverson high-fived, both looking as if they had just let out a long-held breath, their fighting spirit fully ignited.

"Chinese kid, your athletic ability is truly remarkable!"

Marion, who had just joined the offensive play, marveled at Chen Mu's physical prowess. In the entire league, there were no more than five players who could keep up with Marion's peculiar and rapid movement, and at least four of them were star players, which Marion could count on his fingers.

Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Josh Smith, and Andrei Kirilenko.

And the fifth was Chen Mu.

The Suns continued their V-shaped offensive formation, with both big men stepping up to set screens for Nash.

Nash dribbled and started his move from Marion's side, spinning the ball to prepare to pass it inside.

But Chen Mu had suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Shawn!"

Nash shouted, lobbing the ball high to pass it over Chen Mu's head to the inside.

However, Chen Mu jumped at the moment Nash released the ball, reaching the peak of his jump with incredible speed, and then extended his long arms to intercept the ball mid-air.

"What?!!!"

Both players and fans were stunned. How many big men in the league could intercept a pass from a player of Nash's caliber mid-air?

"Swish"

Chen Mu quickly passed the ball to Korver and sprinted forward.

Korver and Iverson performed a hand-off pass, with the latter dribbling and quickly advancing to the Suns' half, then making a bounce pass to Chen Mu.

Chen Mu had already reached just inside the free-throw line, and Marion, using his incredible speed, quickly caught up and stepped in front of Chen Mu.

But Chen Mu had already released his mid-range shot.

"Swish"

The ball went through the net, and Marion didn't even have time to jump. The offensive play was over.

"This kid...!"

Marion finally felt something was off. He had been continuously frustrated on both offense and defense, being suppressed by Chen Mu in a short period. And Chen Mu's advantage came from his extraordinary athletic ability.

Just a second before Iverson's pass arrived, Chen Mu was still sprinting at full speed, but the moment he caught the ball, he made an incredible stop and quickly released his mid-range shot.

His shooting form wasn't even fully completed, yet the ball went through the hoop with precision. This level of body control was nothing short of a miracle!

With this mid-range shot, the 76ers finally took the lead in the first quarter, with the score at 36-33, 76ers leading on the road!

During the brief intermission, both teams made personnel adjustments. The Suns replaced their starters with a bench lineup led by Leandro Barbosa, the Brazilian Lightning.

The 76ers, led by Chen Mu, also switched to a bench lineup.

Without the mobile Diaw and Marion in the frontcourt, Chen Mu played with ease. Facing the slower Kurt Thomas, the 76ers began to run the second most used offensive tactic in their last ten games.

"Chinese kid, successful baseline screen and mid-range shot, his shooting touch is on fire!"

Chen Mu didn't handle the ball himself but used a solid baseline screen from Hunter to receive the ball on the weak side and immediately took a mid-range shot.

The badge in front of him began to flicker slowly. After several consecutive successful shots, Chen Mu's Scorer badge started to take effect.

"This is just the beginning; my shooting touch will only get hotter from here on out!"

Satisfied with his shooting rhythm, Chen Mu smiled and threw himself into the defense with even more enthusiasm.

The Suns' offensive tactics remained unchanged, with a V-shaped formation and Barbosa initiating the play from the top of the arc.

However, the two big men on the court were clearly not as skilled as the starters, especially in terms of their ability to attack the basket.

Of the two Thomases, Tim had a precise three-point shot, and Kurt had a peculiar mid-range shot, but both lacked the ability to attack the basket.

After the V-shaped formation, the two big men set screens, and there were generally two follow-up options.

Based on the direction of the ball handler's attack, the successful screener would sprint to the inside for the roll option, while the other would move up to the outside for the pop option.

The ball handler would then either pass to the rolling big man, attack the basket directly, or draw a double team and then pass to a corner shooter for a three-point shot.

Or the ball handler could pass directly to the outside, where the pop player would take a three-point shot from the top of the arc.

This offensive play was simple, involved many players, and was fast and visually impressive.

However, it required the big men to have a good mid-range and long-range shooting ability, as well as the ability to attack the basket.

It also required the ball handler to have exceptional passing skills to fully activate the offense.

But the Suns players on the court did not possess these two abilities.

Barbosa cut around Kurt's screen and passed the ball to Kurt, who received it and faced the basket, then immediately took a mid-range shot.

Knowing that Kurt lacked the ability to attack the basket, Chen Mu didn't retreat to protect the rim but instead moved up to tightly guard Kurt the moment he received the ball.

Kurt Thomas, facing Chen Mu's long-arm interference, shot short, and Chen Mu quickly grabbed the rebound, leading to another 76ers fast break.

Louis Williams, like a sports car, lowered his center of gravity and sprinted quickly, almost making a motor sound as he suddenly stopped and passed the ball across the court.

Chen Mu had already shaken off Kurt Thomas and reached the front court, receiving the ball near the free-throw line. Without looking, he threw the ball behind his head.

Salmons was in the perfect position, not knowing how Chen Mu saw his movement, but the ball felt as smooth as silk in his hands, and the momentum made him feel obligated to take the shot.

"Swish"

The ball went through the net, adding three points.

"Again, it's the bench lineup, the衔接段 (transition period), and the Chinese kid's all-around skills!"

The commentator shouted, "The 76ers' secret weapon has appeared!"

On the offensive end, Barbosa was anxious, lowering his body and quickly breaking through. The Brazilian Lightning rushed past half court, his feet moving at lightning speed, and he was about to make a high arc shot off the glass.

Chen Mu quickly chased after him, and as Louis Williams interfered with Barbosa's shot, Chen Mu jumped, spreading his arms wide to block the shot.

Barbosa had no choice but to take a difficult shot, and to avoid Chen Mu's block, the ball hit the backboard with too much force and bounced to the weak side.

"Slap!"

Chen Mu's right hand, in an incredible display, extended in mid-air, and he twisted his body to grab the rebound!

The US Airways Center fell silent, and the fans were completely stunned.

Everyone knew that the Chinese kid had remarkable physical abilities, but physical abilities and athletic nerve were two different things. Having good physical abilities did not necessarily mean having top-tier athletic nerve.

Physical abilities were like the hardware foundation; only with enough memory and a powerful CPU could a computer run smoothly.

Athletic nerve was like the operating system; a well-designed, efficient, and bug-free system could run smoothly and respond quickly.

If Chen Mu's physical abilities in the Suns' games proved that he was "a computer capable of running the latest system," then his current display of athletic nerve was telling the world:

No software is too heavy for me to run!

After a few more failed offensive and defensive plays, D'Antoni called a timeout. After the timeout, both teams adjusted their lineups, and Chen Mu took a short rest. In the second half, the starters faced off again.

Soon, halftime arrived, and the underdog 76ers led by 3 points, 55-52, on the road.

During halftime, the arena hosted a variety of performances.

In the stands, Boss Su was extremely excited, enthusiastically discussing with Su Yin how Chen Mu used his athletic nerve and peculiar offensive and defensive choices to dismantle the Suns' offense and defense.

But Su Yin wasn't paying much attention, her eyes fixed on the court, afraid of missing Chen Mu's sudden appearance.

In fact, since Chen Mu left Phoenix, their contact had been decreasing. After all, they had only spent about a month together, and it was difficult for two people with no prior connection to become close friends.

"Should I text Brother Mu now? Will he reply?"

Holding her phone tightly, Su Yin hesitated and ultimately decided not to send the message.

"Wait until the game is over."

For some reason, Su Yin felt a strange sensation. She and Chen Mu had never explicitly discussed their relationship. If Chen Mu had stayed in Phoenix, everything might have naturally progressed, but now that they were in different places, things were more complicated.

"Wait until the game is over, then I'll text Brother Mu. He will definitely reply...!"

Su Yin thought to herself.

After halftime, the game resumed, and both teams continued their high-scoring battle.

Nash's incredible passing and Iverson's superhuman scoring quickly led to an official timeout.

Chen Mu, who had "only" scored 8 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists in the first half, stood up from the bench, his eyes burning with a desire for revenge, looking at the VIP box in the distance.

"Mr. Colangelo, how do you feel now? Do you regret it? Do you feel helpless? Do you feel ashamed?"

Chen Mu clenched his right hand into a fist and muttered to himself, "Next, I will make you regret your decision deeply...!"

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