Chapter 88

Miles took off his basketball jersey and ran onto the court, immediately drawing cheers from the fans. But at that moment, Spoelstra also made a substitution, bringing in Joe Anthony because Marion had signaled to him that he was running out of energy.

With Joe Anthony on the court, Yang Mo moved to power forward, once again mismatching with Garnett.

This made Garnett somewhat unhappy, feeling as if he were hitting a wall of cotton.

Yang Mo, however, had a very positive attitude. He wasn't in a hurry to face Garnett head-on, but he knew that there would definitely be a time to do so tonight. For now, he would use the other Celtics players to level up. In any game, the boss is always the last to be fought.

Yang Mo treated Miles as a tool to grind experience, while Miles saw Yang Mo as a stepping stone to his own advancement. He was determined to secure a rotation spot and no longer wanted to play for the minimum salary; he wanted to fight for a big contract.

Both had their own clear goals, so this was bound to be a very intense confrontation, unlike Glen Davis, who would shrink before even starting.

Swish!

Pierce's first free throw was accurate, and this guy, who called himself the best player in the NBA after winning the championship, indeed had the right to be arrogant. However, he had not yet reached the position of the best player in the NBA, so his second free throw... Clank!

The basketball hit the rim.

Yang Mo tightly guarded Miles, who was trying to grab the rebound, preventing him from jumping. Despite being known for his explosive leaping ability, Miles had no room to show it and could only watch as the shorter guy easily grabbed the rebound.

This is the power of brute strength!

After grabbing the rebound, Yang Mo didn't hesitate and immediately passed the ball to Dwyane Wade, who was breaking down the court. Wade drove into the paint, drawing a foul from Tony Allen. His foul-drawing technique was identical to Pierce's, and the location was just one step inside the paint. The only difference from Paul Pierce was that Wade, upon hearing the whistle, threw the ball and it went in, making it a clear 2+1.

When Dwyane Wade stepped to the free-throw line, Yang Mo immediately prepared to contest the rebound. He tightly pressed against Miles, ready to make a move at any time. This wasn't because he lacked confidence in Wade's free throws, but because he was eager for every offensive rebound.

Miles was very uncomfortable being squeezed by Yang Mo. Although his body was no longer as slim as it used to be, it had become somewhat bulky. However, this extra weight did not add to his strength; instead, it was a significant burden, greatly reducing his agility, jumping ability, and explosive power. Even so, despite these reductions, he was still stronger than Yang Mo in these areas, as these were racial advantages. Nature had taken away their intelligence but given them extra benefits in other areas.

"Are you a gay or something? Why are you sticking to me like this?" Miles said angrily.

"Not for anything!" Yang Mo smiled, and at that moment, Dwyane Wade on the free-throw line released the basketball. Taking advantage of Miles' distraction, Yang Mo quickly turned and blocked him behind him.

Clank!

The basketball actually missed the mark, hitting the rim and bouncing toward Yang Mo.

Seeing the ball coming, Yang Mo quickly pushed Miles away, reached up, and grabbed the basketball with his long arms. Just as Yang Mo grabbed the ball, Miles, who had been pushed aside, quickly moved in and got into position behind Yang Mo, ready to block his shot.

Yang Mo, with his shoulders hunched and toes pointed upward, made Miles jump immediately.

Seeing Miles fall for it, Yang Mo quickly jumped and shot the ball... but as soon as he released it, he felt something was wrong. A black shadow suddenly appeared behind him, and by the time the ball was high in the air... Smack! A large hand ruthlessly slammed the ball onto the backboard and caught it.

A terrifying block!

The crowd instantly erupted in cheers, and the DJ loudly shouted: "KG...!!"

Without a doubt, the person who completed this terrifying block was Kevin Garnett, and he was the only one on the Celtics who could do it, given his legendary ability to grab coins from the top of the backboard.

Beep!

Just as Yang Mo was feeling a bit disappointed, the referee blew the whistle, indicating that the block was a goaltending, meaning the basket counted.

Yang Mo was naturally happy with this call, as it added two points to his stats, but he wasn't entirely happy because the ball was still knocked away. However, there was nothing he could do; Garnett's height, length, and jumping ability were objective facts.

Kevin Garnett, upon learning that his block was called a goaltending, did not protest. To him, a goaltending was the highest level of a block. He turned his head and condescendingly lectured Yang Mo, "Rookie, the post is the stage for tall players. You should stay outside and shoot threes."

"Don't get cocky, old bird. I just scored two points and grabbed an offensive rebound in your paint," Yang Mo shot back, not lacking in trash talk. "When you tell me this, it's like I slept with your dream girl, and you say, 'Hey, buddy, I loved her longer than you.' Does that make sense? I still slept with your dream girl, didn't I?"

"You..." Kevin Garnett's face turned red with anger, and he almost couldn't control himself, wanting to punch Yang Mo.

Yang Mo, however, didn't bother to continue the conversation and ran back to the half-court with the pride of a victor.

In their first head-to-head, KG won the face, but Yang Mo won the substance.

Back in the half-court, Miles, who had been outrebounded by Yang Mo twice, immediately reached for the ball. He was known as "Little KG," but his post-up game was very poor, so he could only wait for opportunities near the free-throw line.

Yang Mo didn't closely guard him, allowing him to easily receive the ball.

Rondo didn't want to pass to him, but seeing his enthusiasm and the open space, he had no choice but to pass the ball to him.

Miles caught the ball and, without hesitation, drove into the paint. Yang Mo stayed close but didn't exert much force, giving Miles the false impression that he could easily break through.

He led Miles into a trap, and when Miles saw the opportunity, he prepared to charge and dunk. However, just as he was about to charge, Yang Mo suddenly exerted force, and the collision sent Miles reeling backward, almost causing him to lose the ball.

Miles, pushed back two steps, realized he had fallen into the trap. He couldn't dunk, but he couldn't pass the ball either, as he wanted to perform well to secure more playing time and a bigger contract.

So, he decisively jumped, using the two steps he had been pushed back as a buffer, and took a jump shot.

As soon as he jumped, Yang Mo quickly followed. Although Yang Mo's jumping ability was not as good as Miles', his wingspan was better, and most importantly, his timing was perfect. He reached the peak of his jump just as Miles had to release the ball.

Seeing Yang Mo jump, Miles had no choice but to grit his teeth and release the ball... but as soon as he did... Clank!

Yang Mo slammed the ball with all his might, and it quickly bounced down... Clank!

It hit Miles' head and then bounced out of bounds, landing on a spectator in the ninth row.

The extent of Yang Mo's strength was evident, and the amount of force Miles had to endure was equally clear.

Beep!

The referee blew the whistle, ruling that the ball had touched a Celtics player and gone out of bounds, giving the ball to Miami.

As soon as the whistle blew, Miles, who had been hit hard, felt dizzy and fell to the ground. His teammate Tony Allen quickly called for the team doctor.

At the same time, Yang Mo smiled at Kevin Garnett and said, "Is this post player tall enough?"

...

[This is the third update from yesterday. Please vote and follow. PS: Many things happened today, so the update was late. Starting tomorrow, I will update four times a day, in the morning, noon, afternoon, and evening.]

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