basketball never sleeps

Chapter 312 Noon has arrived
Artest is eager to prove that he can still limit Mo Wen as effectively as before.

But reality is cruel. With his three-point shooting, crossover, spinning back, and dreamlike dance under the basket, Mo Wen scored 6 out of 9 shots in a one-on-one duel.

The referee's whistle rejected his somewhat impulsive and aggressive moves. After a series of fouls, he could only sit on the bench and watch the beautiful massacre orchestrated by Mo Wen up close.

The 20-point lead at halftime kept the cheers going non-stop at KeyArena. Fans who had been starved for a summer saw Mo Wen's bold and stylish behind-the-back pass again and screamed in response.

Sir Alex Ferguson, who was quite provoked in the commentary booth, originally wanted to suspend the broadcast of the "Bravo Radio" for a day, but when the game actually started, he couldn't help but keep showering the commentators with compliments, as if he had eaten a rainbow candy.

Seeing Mo Wen's dazzling appearance, Atai admitted that he was jealous.

Three years ago, everyone was evenly matched in the playoffs.

In just three years, the two have become worlds apart.

Then I thought of the song Mo Wen proposed to in the summer, which also overshadowed his painstakingly recorded new album.

Artest felt his bipolar disorder was about to relapse.

"Ron, we need you to score in the second half." Trail Blazers head coach McMillan patted Artest on the shoulder. "I know those trade rumors are bothering you, but I need you to score not because I want you to pad your stats and get a better price, but because the team really needs you to score, and you need to score to get a bigger contract."

Artest was suddenly enlightened.

Even if his defense isn't at its best today, he can still attack!
He can shoot threes, he can drive to the basket, he can pass the ball; there's no reason why Mo Wen can't do what he can do.

The moment the thought of attack arises, one suddenly feels the vastness of the world.

So it seems like my past was really wasted on defense?
Who wasn't a prodigy averaging 20 points per game back then?

"Second half, give me the ball, and then everyone else spread out beyond the three-point line, understand?" Artest felt the ancient power returning to his body. This season, he would prove to the world that he won the Defensive Player of the Year award not because he guarded others, but because he guarded himself!

When Mo Wen returned from his break, he looked at Atai, who was striking a three-threat pose, and felt a chill run down his spine.

Seeing Artest abandon his signature clumsy back-to-the-basket move and start playing fancy face-up dribbling, he couldn't resist any longer and lunged forward to shove the basketball away.

"Referee, he fouled me! He hit my hand!"

The referee gave him a cold glance. "Mo didn't foul. He just made a mistake. I saw it clearly. If he had come a little later, the ball would have gone out of bounds by itself."

Mo Wen: ...

Atai: ……

In the following period, Artest, who had awakened his offensive spirit, did not give up, but began his fancy performance.

A dribble turn that slams the ball into the instep, a layup after a quick drive, a fake pass that slips out of the hand...

Seeing this scene while watching the seller's photos on TV, Cole couldn't help but start to question his life.

This, this, this, is this right?
The Cavaliers' reluctance to release another first-round pick has stalled the three-way trade involving Artest, Marion, and Bibby.

In order to implement the boss's spirit of diligence, thrift and hard work, Kerr was thinking of gritting his teeth and sending both first-round picks to the Suns. After all, Artest's contract was only $700 million, which was only a fraction of Marion's. The Suns would not only be able to solve the defensive problems against Mo Wen, Kobe and McGrady in the playoffs, but also directly reduce their salary to below the tax line.

But now it seems the issue isn't about the deal being cancelled due to an insider, but rather that if the deal had actually been made, he would have become the insider!

In order to stay on the court longer and make the home fans' tickets worthwhile, Mo Wen started to throw the game. However, Artest, who had already gotten carried away, went 0 for 4 from beyond the three-point line, killing the game in advance.

In the final quarter, SuperSonics rookie Ramon Sessions, who came off the bench, looked at the 30-point deficit on the big screen and seemed a little dizzy.

Why does the real game feel easier than the game?

After the game ended, Artest stared at the ceiling, muttering listlessly, "This is ridiculous, isn't it? Aren't I a genius? Why, why can't I make a shot?"

……

The SuperSonics have a relatively easy start to the season. After their home opener, their second game is an away game against the Timberwolves in nearby Minnesota.

With the departure of Kevin Durant, the Timberwolves' popularity unsurprisingly plummeted, and even the opening game failed to sell out.

It's hard to say how many of those 80% attendances were there specifically for the newly crowned champions.

On the sidelines, many fans held up signs supporting General Manager McHale.

[Eliminate the traitor] [The Celtics' Trojan Horse] [The team's criminal] [McHale fired]

On the sidelines, McHale calmly endured everything like an emotionless NPC, just as he had calmly accepted the praise after he strongly advocated for Garnett's selection.

Garnett's trade to the Celtics certainly had his influence, but it was definitely not something he could have done alone. The owner, Garnett himself, and even the fans holding up signs on the sidelines had all had enough of the hopeless days.

But is there really any hope?

Mo Wen glanced at the Timberwolves, who were mostly unknown except for Ricky Davis and Al Jefferson, and knew that he would have to try his best to let Miao go today.

Hill had hoped to use the opponent to easily integrate the lineup and practice tactics, but unfortunately, this Timberwolves team had the youth of a young team, but not the fighting spirit. If the Trail Blazers' defeat in the previous game was an orderly collapse, then the Timberwolves' defeat was a sudden collapse after the foundation was removed.

The SuperSonics led by only 13 points in the first quarter, but in the second quarter, Hill and Scola on the bench played well against a bunch of rough guys and widened the gap to 15 points. In the second half, Mo Wen came on and quickly scored 22 points before going to the bench to rest.

The SuperSonics also fielded a completely roster of unused players, after all, it was their first home game and they didn't want to make things too ugly.

But the SuperSonics continued to win, and by the end of the game, the SuperSonics had narrowly kept the score difference within 40 points at 118-79.

After the game, Timberwolves head coach Randy Wittman's face was as black as the bottom of a wood-fired stove. He felt that the league arranged this kind of schedule to drive the team to its knees. The "husband" had just left, and the "bully" kicked the door down. How could the NBA be so dark!

Mo Wen: What are you crying for? Have you forgotten that when your man is here, we kick down the door just the same way, even in front of him!
A day later, they flew to Memphis at supersonic speed and easily secured a victory.

A key figure for the Grizzlies chose to leave in the summer, but it wasn't Pau Gasol; it was Jerry West, the "logo man."

Many people believe that the Logo Man orchestrated the trade of Gasol to the Lakers, much like McHale traded Garnett, but that is not the case.

After the summer draft, Logo Man resigned as general manager after failing to get the rightful draft pick despite tanking, and his successor, Chris Wallace, had previously worked for the Celtics.

To be fair, the "logo guy's" journey with the Grizzlies wasn't particularly stellar. The only decent asset he left the Grizzlies was Lowry. Historically, he did manage to disrupt the Rockets' draft plans and acquire Gay, but Gay's subsequent performance with the Grizzlies makes it hard to call it a successful draft.

As for Pau Gasol, he didn't make any further moves after his summer campaign to force a trade, but it's rumored that the Nets, who lost Vince Carter, are very interested in him.

The SuperSonics won all three games, all by more than 20 points, drawing the spotlight back from teams that had been drawn away by super teams.

Let me see what's going on... Oh, it's just stomping noobs.

Even though the SuperSonics won all their games in the first week, Mo Wen was forced to play only three quarters each time, resulting in a decline in his personal statistics to a normal level of 24.3 points, 9.3 assists, and 7 rebounds. Therefore, he failed to win the Western Conference Player of the Week award for the first week, which was awarded by the league to Tracy McGrady, who was playing in San Antonio.

After trading away McGrady, the Rockets completely turned into a tanking team, so badly that Kobe, who wanted to show his selflessness under O'Neal, accidentally scored 40 points. In the Rockets' home opener, McGrady, who was "returning home" to his former team, also gave back to his fans with a 45-point performance.

In the following two games, McGrady scored over 25 points each, leading to a bizarre discovery across the league that a Spurs player was temporarily leading the scoring charts. However, knowing McGrady's injury risk, Popovich was determined to make this a swan song; a $2000 million star missing even one game would be a huge loss for the team.

Gay and Millsap's performances in these three games have been a pleasant surprise. The championship, the hard work in the summer, and the weak opponents have catalyzed their growth. Both of them scored 20+ points in their respective games and look like they have the makings of stars.

Hill did a good job as the sixth man. Since the SuperSonics' starters usually win by a lot of points, and the intensity when they come off the bench is also quite low, Hill, who has no pressure to win, has surprisingly rediscovered his dominance in the game after a long time.

The only player who made a significant sacrifice was Damien, who could only get playing time in positions 2, 3, and 4. However, he was a hard-working and honest man who showed no signs of dissatisfaction.

The teaching assistant asked him privately if he felt wronged, and he said that he felt he hadn't made any contribution and felt a little guilty about receiving a salary of 300 million.

He really made me cry to death.

Unfortunately, the good things in life are always so short-lived. On November 7th, the supersonic train flew to Detroit, and the young man's challenge began.

Losing Billups dealt a heavy blow to the Pistons, and almost all experts asserted that they were out of contention for the championship and could no longer be considered a strong team.

Indeed, the Pistons lost to the Bulls and Hawks in their last three games, only managing to beat the Bobcats, who were consistently at the bottom of the standings.

Dumars did have a plan for Billups' departure. He drafted four guards in the last two years, including Stuckey, who was highly regarded by Pistons scouts.

But even the strongest engine can't carry a tank. Stuckey scored in double figures in the first two games and seemed to have a lot of potential in terms of statistics. But if you actually watch the game, you'll find that he is extremely out of sync with the team's overall style. Many times when he was given the ball, he didn't know what to do.

Historically, Billups at least coached him for a year, but now that Billups has jumped ship early, he can only rely on the coach's academic guidance and his own exploration.

Before the match, Hamilton even had a meal with Mo Wen to reminisce about the "happy times" of the championship season.

Mo Wen cut the steak but didn't dare to eat it for a long time.

"Get to the point. The way you're acting, I'm starting to suspect you've poisoned the food."

"Fuck you, eat yours. If you don't eat, I will." Hamilton forked a piece of steak from his plate and mumbled, "Then I'll be blunt. Joe paid for the meal. He... he wants you to let that kid off the hook and not to hurt him too badly."

Mo Wen looked puzzled. His feud with the Pistons had been settled long ago after Larry Brown left. Weren't the Pistons all his buddies?

Seeing Mo Wen's confusion, Hamilton continued to explain: "It's our rookie this year, named Stuckey. Joe thinks highly of that kid. He said that kid has your shadow in him, but his three-point shooting isn't as reliable as mine. Just think of that old guy as being drugged."

Isn't that a mind-altering drug? Mo Wen still remembers that in history, Stuckey squeezed out Billups, forced the number 3 symbol to give up the number 3, forced Hamilton to give up the sweet spot, and led the Pistons into a long dark age... Well, the last one wasn't his fault.

"Hey, it's no big deal." Mo Wen waved his hand. "Take good care of the young guys in our team, and I'll help you train the newcomers."

Hamilton raised an eyebrow, the two exchanged a glance, gave each other a high five, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

In the evening, upon entering the Palace of Auburn Hills, Mo Wen, as usual, enjoyed a spicy ice cream—a treat met with a mix of boos and welcome.

When the home team entered the stadium, Stuckey surprisingly did not receive much cheering.

It's unusual for a rising star to receive this kind of treatment, because his recent comments touched a nerve with Pistons fans.

"I will follow in the footsteps of Mo and Changxi and continue to strive towards greatness."

Following in the footsteps of two predecessors at the moment when Billups "defected"?
Wait, is it trendy to self-destruct at the start of the game now?

Even though Starkey later explained and clarified repeatedly at a press conference, many local single-threaded Black people felt that this kid had already shown the look of a hawk and a wolf, and should not be kept around for long.

Today's game was quite close, dragging on until the 9th minute of the first quarter, when the SuperSonics would normally bring in their substitutes, but the score was still not widening.

Before the game, Mo Wen emphasized to his teammates that the Pistons, who had a poor record, were not an easy opponent. However, his teammates generally did not believe him. As expected, they suffered a lot after the game started.

The Pistons may have a poor record, but their defensive foundation hasn't collapsed.

Hamilton, Prince, Rasheed, and McDyess can all contribute defensively without Billups directing the defense, while Stuckey, who replaced Billups, is not yet qualified in terms of experience and technique, but he is young, energetic, and has the right attitude, so he is not a liability.

Gay and Millsap paid the price for their impetuous mentality. Facing the Pistons' tenacious defense, the two combined for 1 of 7 shots, just not making any shots.

It was noon, and Mo Wen stopped slacking off and put away his traditional point guard persona.

7-chan wearing headphones.jpg
Stuckey, who had basically adapted to the intensity of the matchup, felt that Mo Wen was overrated. The current best player seemed to be just like him, stronger than him, but not to the point of being unbeatable.

Before he could think any further, Mo Wen vanished right before his eyes.

Stuckey chased after him in a panic, but Mo Wen smoothly brushed aside his pulling hand, leaned against him briefly, and then immediately stopped and pulled the ball back.

Stuckey was two body lengths behind and could only watch as Mo Wen leaped up and effortlessly tossed the basketball into the net.

Hearing Sanders yelling for everyone to gather on the sidelines, Stuckey gritted his teeth. He wasn't a big enough player to even think about getting the ball back, but Prince kindly passed it to him instead.

He scored only two points from pick-and-rolls in his first three shots, but he couldn't resist being reckless when faced with a one-on-one opportunity.

Ignoring Rashid who was calling for the ball on the other side, he used his best crossover step.

Ankles overloaded, calves working at full power, eyes wide open like saucers, left and right hands moving rapidly...

Starkey felt himself enter a strange state, where everything seemed to slow down.

But Joe Dumars, standing on the sidelines, couldn't help but cover his eyes.

Snap... Snap snap snap!

Two seconds later, Mo Wen bent down, dribbled the ball, and ran back to the Pistons' half of the court.

Stuckey's flashy moves were interrupted by Mo Wen's head-on, unreasonable confrontation, and he lost control of the basketball. Just then, someone nearby turned on auto-pickup.

Recalling the steak that Joe Dumars treated him to at lunch, Mo Wen transformed his 720-degree dunk into a mid-range layup that Chinese netizens called "Flying Immortal from Outer Space".

After landing, Mo Wen pointed at Dumas with Lambiel's classic one-finger gesture, and that was the end of the favor of the meal.

So, what happens next... hehe boy!

"Hey, I've told you before, if you want to play against Mo, you have to stick your butt out. When Chauncey was still around, you had to stick your butt out to protect the ball in front of him. Don't forget that the person standing in front of you is a strong contender for the greatest point guard of all time." Hamilton came over and slapped Stuckey's butt in exasperation.

Starkey's face flushed slightly, but fortunately Prince came over and patted him on the shoulder to comfort him and speak up for him.

"Don't make things difficult for him. He's still a child, and can you even turn your back? You're just teaching him randomly."

"Why not? Want to try?" Hamilton subtly nudged Prince with his pert buttocks.

"Get lost, you gay man," Prince laughed and cursed.

At that moment, a supersonic speedster on the defensive looked up and asked, "Who's calling me?"

(End of this chapter)