Chapter 8

“Beep”

The referee's whistle signaled the start of the second quarter in the Suns' home game against the Nets, but an unexpected situation occurred on the court.

“Ah… ah…”

Kurt Thomas, the veteran who had played in the NBA for many years, fell to the ground after a scramble, his ankle severely twisted. After a quick examination by the team doctor, the situation looked grim, leaving head coach Mike D'Antoni in a bind, unsure of what to do.

“Oh…”

In the stands, the fans all wore worried expressions. They knew that their team had a difficult start to the season, with injuries plaguing the frontcourt. Kurt Thomas was the only power forward on the bench who could contribute rebounds and defense. His injury would leave the team's frontcourt in a dire situation.

“Chen, you’re up!”

After scanning the bench, D'Antoni’s eyes landed on the Chinese big man at the end of the bench. After some hesitation, he decided to give him a try.

“Okay, coach…!”

Although it wasn’t good that a teammate was injured, for Chen Mu, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He took off his practice jersey, jogged a bit to warm up, and then walked onto the court with his head held high.

“Huh? Who’s this kid? He’s Asian!”

“I think I heard that the team signed a new power forward yesterday, a Chinese big man who went undrafted this year!”

“A Chinese big man? What can he do?”

“Why are you asking so many questions? At this point, it’s good enough to have someone who can play the power forward position!”

In the stands, the crowd buzzed with discussion. Many were unaware of Chen Mu’s signing and asked the older fans curiously.

The older fans, while familiar with the news, were unsure of Chen Mu’s abilities and wore skeptical expressions.

“Get off the court, yellow monkey!”

“Go back to China!”

There are always racist spectators at any sports venue. As soon as Chen Mu stepped onto the court, a few spectators started booing and taunting him.

“Chen, don’t mind them.”

Steve Nash walked up to Chen Mu, patted his shoulder, and said, “They just don’t know your capabilities. Once you show them your skills, they’ll be won over!”

Chen Mu turned around, saw Nash’s friendly gaze, and nodded gratefully, “I’ll do my best!”

“Phoenix is a great city. As long as you have the skills, they’ll eventually accept you. Don’t worry.”

Boris Diaw, the starting center, also walked over to Chen Mu and said nonchalantly, “When I first came, they booed me and told me to go back to France. Ha, it’s an NBA tradition~”

“Chen!”

The teammates comforted the somewhat nervous Chen Mu, while D'Antoni shouted from the sidelines, “Focus on defense, grab those rebounds!”

“Yes!”

Chen Mu nodded, about to say something else when the referee handed the ball to a Nets player to throw in from the sideline.

“Beep”

The whistle sounded, and the game resumed. On the court, the game was intensely competitive. Unlike what Charles Barkley had predicted, the Nets didn’t deliberately slow down the pace but instead engaged in a fast-paced offensive battle with the Suns. The game was exciting, with players flying all over the court, shooting three-pointers, and the pace was rapid.

“Dribble, dribble, dribble”

Former league MVP Jason Kidd, with his large eyes, carefully advanced the ball to the frontcourt. He glanced at Chen Mu in the paint, seemingly assessing the new Chinese player’s capabilities.

“Step, step, step”

Vince Carter made a reverse cut around the baseline, then used a screen to get to the perimeter, positioning himself at the 45-degree angle. A flash of orange-yellow light appeared in his peripheral vision.

“Swish!”

Kidd’s pass was precise, reaching Carter instantly. Carter, after a quick stop, spread his arms, and the ball obediently landed in his hands. Without much adjustment, he shot a three-pointer.

“Oh…!”

As soon as Carter released the shot, the entire crowd held their breath. In the previous game, Carter had made 3 out of 5 three-pointers, and this open three seemed almost certain to go in.

If Carter’s three-pointer went in, the Suns would trail 44-47.

“Whew”

The ball arced through the air, and everyone gathered under the basket, ready to contest the potential rebound.

“It won’t go in!”

In front of Chen Mu, a magical green ring appeared almost instantly, flashing and then stabilizing outside the three-second area.

“It’s a long rebound!”

Chen Mu, trusting the green ring, immediately ran towards the predicted landing spot.

On the sidelines, D'Antoni, seeing Chen Mu not boxing out but running outside the three-second area, became anxious and shouted, “Chen! What are you doing?! Box out!”

“Step, step”

Chen Mu’s opponent was the nearly 40-year-old Cliff Robinson, a sharpshooter whose offensive skills were still sharp, but whose defense had declined with age. Rebounding was never his strong suit.

“Kid, are you losing it?”

Seeing Chen Mu run to the side, Robinson smiled and shook his head, not understanding what the Chinese big man was thinking. He quickly moved to the most advantageous rebounding position near the basket.

“Clank!”

The ball hit the rim with a sharp sound. Everyone looked up to see where it would land, except Chen Mu, who stood outside the three-second area, arms extended, seemingly doing nothing.

“This kid, is he crazy?!”

“Why isn’t he boxing out for the rebound? Is he too nervous and confused?”

“Don’t grab the rebound, and you’re out! Yellow monkey!”

Boos erupted from the crowd, but Chen Mu paid no attention, knowing his positioning was correct.

“Whew”

The ball hit the side of the rim and flew horizontally. No one expected that Carter, who had been shooting well, would miss the three-pointer so badly. The ball flew out of the key and headed straight for the Chinese big man.

“Slap”

Chen Mu’s hands were already in position within the green ring. As the ball flew towards him, he caught it with both hands, secured the rebound, and passed it to Nash nearby.

“Good rebound…!”

Nash was momentarily stunned but quickly realized it was a great opportunity for a fast break. He dribbled the ball and ran past Chen Mu, whispering, “Run!”

“Mm-hm…!”

Chen Mu understood and immediately sprinted down the court. The Nets players were still in the Suns’ half, still dazed, while Nash and Chen Mu were already on the fast break.

“Step, step, step, step!”

Nash’s steps were quick, and the ball in his hands seemed to perform magic, with several clean behind-the-back dribbles to shake off the Nets’ defenders, easily breaking through to the basket.

“Step, step”

Jason Kidd, the best defensive player and team leader of the Nets, had anticipated this and was already in position under the basket, ready to defend against Nash’s attack.

“Dribble, dribble”

Nash stopped, performed a between-the-legs dribble in front of Kidd. Kidd, immovable, wasn’t fooled by the fake move. Kidd, who had been named to the All-Defensive First Team three times, wasn’t easily deceived by such a simple move.

“Dribble, dribble, dribble”

Nash, however, was unhurried, dribbling the ball between his legs, seemingly waiting for something.

“Step, step, step, step”

“Hmm…?”

Kidd raised an eyebrow, sensing something, but by the time he turned to block, it was too late.

“Step, bang!”

Beside Kidd, a tall figure took a step, stopped, and then leaped high, like a towering iron tower, flying towards the basket.

“Swish”

At the same moment, Nash performed another magic trick. In the split second Kidd’s eyes left Nash, the ball had disappeared from his hands and was now in the big man’s hands, like a precision-guided missile.

“Whew… bang!”

An alley-oop slam dunk!

“Ha, Jason.”

Nash, watching Chen Mu land, smiled at the still-dazed Kidd, “This is my new partner, Chen from China.”

As he spoke, Nash turned and followed Chen Mu back on defense, adding, “That was my way of saying hello~”

“…”

Kidd smiled wryly, picked up the ball, and began to throw it in from the baseline.

“…Wow!!!”

“Step, step”

As Chen Mu landed and ran back on defense with Nash, the crowd, as if just realizing what had happened, erupted in thunderous cheers.

“Not bad, Chinese kid!”

“What a great play! Can you be Phoenix’s next Yao, Chinese kid? Ha!”

“Go, go!”

The crowd’s initial skepticism towards Chen Mu quickly turned to excitement. Many were elated, as if they had discovered a long-buried treasure.

“Good job, Chen~”

Nash caught up, extending his hand. Chen Mu smiled and high-fived him, responding, “The pass felt better than in practice~”

“Ha~” Nash laughed, keeping an eye on Kidd’s dribbling, and shouted, “Defense!”

“Got it!”

Back in their half, Chen Mu noticed that Diaw, Bell, and Marion all wore expressions of surprise and joy, giving him approving looks.

“Your first NBA basket, huh?”

Marion came over to Chen Mu and said with a smile, “Not a bad debut, right? How does it feel?”

“Feels great!” Chen Mu smiled.

“Then let’s stop this offensive play, and the next one will feel even better…!”

“Step, step, step”

The Suns set up their defense. After the alley-oop, they led 46-44 with five minutes left in the half. If they could maintain the lead into the second half, their chances of winning would be high.

“The rebounds are yours.”

Nash gave Chen Mu a nod, and Chen Mu confidently replied, “Leave it to me…!”