basketball never sleeps

Chapter 315 The Most Difficult Road
McGrady thought his provocative intentions were obvious, but Mo Wen merely glanced at him without a trace of extra expression.

Just one indifferent glance was enough to make McGrady feel humiliated.

Shouldn't you be pointing back at me now? Where's your trash talk? You could have at least glared at me, but what's with just a quick glance? Do you really look down on me?
Mo Wen: Hmm.

What kind of reaction can he give to an ordinary civilian's jump shot?
After all, he wasn't some pervert who would drool over slender, black-stockinged legs and exclaim in ecstasy, "So beautiful, so beautiful!"

As usual, Mo Wen dribbled the ball up the court quickly. When he reached the three-point line, he paused and leaned forward to deceive Bowen into shifting his weight forward. Seeing that an opportunity had arisen, he did not hesitate to take a step forward and accelerate, starting with a burnout and leaving Bowen behind.

Duncan retreated quickly on defense, standing under the basket with his arms outstretched, and began to cosplay as the famous League of Legends hero, the Wall.

Mo Wen noticed Guy following behind him out of the corner of his eye, as did Duncan, who was staring with wide eyes.

and so……

The two leaped high into the air and bumped chests intimately in mid-air. Duncan managed a smile through his slightly contorted face, contorted by the struggle.

I predicted your prediction!

This time I won...

But when his large hand pressed down, he felt a sensation similar to that of his wife's virginity—empty.

Mo Wen maintained his balance in mid-air thanks to his powerful core. He turned his elbow out and flicked his wrist, and the basketball, which was originally heading straight for the basket, was gently tossed behind him while spinning. Because the force was very small, the ball gave people the illusion that it was suspended in mid-air.

Upon landing, Mo Wen lightly touched the ground with both feet and gracefully slid and turned in a cha-cha style, leaving the entire screen to Duncan.

By shaking off McGrady and comfortably receiving the ball in mid-air, Gay gained a deeper understanding of the saying "anyone with hands can do it."

By the time Duncan regained his balance and looked up, Gay's head was almost level with the rim, his arms slightly bent, and he unleashed a powerful dunk from above.

BOOM!

As the rim trembled, cheers erupted from the crowd.

What did they see? A second-year player riding on Duncan?
But if it's Duncan, then it doesn't seem wrong.
"Wow, Mo Wen's pass was brilliant, Gay jumped really high, and Duncan caught it perfectly. It's really enjoyable to see such great teamwork on the court." In the CCTV commentary room, Zhang Weiping leaned back in his chair, thoroughly enjoying himself.

After landing, Guy grabbed his shirt and yelled at Old Deng, then pointed at McGrady.

"Don't point fingers at me like that, your opponent is me, the champion!"

For the first time, McGrady gained a clear understanding of Mo Wen's teaching abilities.

Those arrogant and conceited young people really deserve to die!
Kobe frowned as he watched the game on TV.

Although McGrady was modeled after Gay, he was no longer a match for Gay in terms of speed and explosiveness.

Youth is a powerful force, and while they appear to be at the peak of their physical and technical abilities, their time is running out.

After switching sides, the Big Fundamental did not show any emotional fluctuations because of the dunk. As always, he set a screen for Parker on the high post, and while rolling to the basket to box out, he also set an off-ball screen for McGrady.

Parker's drive to the basket failed, but it created space for a one-on-one play under the basket.

After establishing a solid position, Duncan caught the ball with one hand, dribbled it once, leaned against Tyson, ignored Tyson's little trick on his waist, took a solid step inward, grabbed the ball with one hand, and performed a simple forward and backward fake before turning to aim at the basket and shoot.

Tyson pursed his lips helplessly. Before the fight, when he watched Duncan's video, he thought Duncan was just a robot. But sadly, on the court, he was more like a robot than Duncan in the face of Duncan's combo moves.

The score was tied, and the two sides quickly advanced. Mo Wen once again easily outmaneuvered Bowen. This time, Duncan was unable to get back on defense in time, and Mo Wen directly broke through the paint.

"Why are the Spurs still having Bruce guard Mo? He can't keep up with Mo at all now. His performance at the start of the game was simply criminal," Barkley commented from the sidelines, frowning.

Although the Spurs in this timeline failed to continue their odd-year dynasty, Bowen still received a minimum salary contract extension from the Spurs, just like in history.

Popovich was aware that Bowen had a decline in athleticism, but the bigger problem was that the Spurs were short of money after signing McGrady.

Among all the minimum-salary players, Bowen is the most cost-effective player they could find.

Popovich, with a stern face, just yelled at the players to concentrate more and work harder, but he didn't adjust their positions or bring on McGrady, who the commentators were strongly recommending.

He set his sights on the supersonics' backcourt.

After last season's defeat, the Spurs coaching staff, under the pressure of unemployment, seriously reviewed their defense.

This includes the overall defense against the supersonics and the defense against Mo Wen.

Finally, they made a crucial discovery—the defense was dead.

All of the Supersonics' defensive problems can be attributed to Mo Wen, but they can't solve Mo Wen, which means... the Supersonics are defenseless.

The answer is absurd, but that's reality.

There was only one path left for them.

attack.

To defeat Mo Wen and the Supersonics, the only way to break them down is through offense.

The Spurs spent a lot of money to acquire McGrady during the offseason, essentially to improve their offense.

On the court, McGrady had the ball beyond the three-point line, Duncan dropped into the low post and made a gesture to ask for the ball, and Parker ran towards McGrady after Oberto's screen, trying to play a handoff or a fake screen.

That's right, this is the tactic that Morven used most often when he was with the Heat.

Since the Heat's Big Three are considered the strongest team in history, the Spurs' direction for learning is quite clear.

McGrady noticed that Gay's gaze was drawn to Parker, so he faked a pass and immediately took a big step to the side, resisting the temptation of an open pull-up jumper. He chose to play it safe and drove inside to the mid-range before raising his hand to float a shot.

The basketball landed, but the two sides had no time to communicate. Tyson quickly inbounded the ball under the basket, and both sides rushed forward together.

Mo Wen didn't have an easy chance to break through, so he decisively passed the ball to Ray Allen, who hadn't touched the ball yet.

Ray Allen didn't hold back against the little sports car guarding him, casually setting a screen for Scola. Seeing Parker half a beat away, he decisively stepped back beyond the three-point line and pulled up for a shot.

Because of the height difference, Parker's waving arms from below looked more like cheering than defending.

Swah——

In the past, Popovich's roar would have echoed from the ground to the ceiling, but today he held back.

His gaze remained fixed on the Supersonics' backcourt.

The moment Ray Allen scored, Parker forgot everything that had happened before and sprinted like a madman towards the SuperSonics' backcourt. Duncan's long pass found Parker.

Ray Allen's relentless pursuit disrupted Parker's easy shot opportunity, but McGrady seized the spotlight on the other side.

McGrady received the ball, and Gay followed closely behind. However, knowing the strengths and weaknesses of both sides, McGrady did not recklessly shoot like he did when he was younger. Instead, he pretended to drive to the baseline, then stopped abruptly and stepped back, gathering the ball as if to shoot.

McGrady's long-term experience playing against Mo Wen prevented him from being faked out immediately, but he was still too inexperienced. McGrady's half-turn and feigned turnaround jump shot fooled Gay, and by the time Gay realized he'd been tricked, it was too late. McGrady took a step back and released the shot towards the basket, bumping into Gay in mid-air.

The basketball went into the net, and the referee blew his whistle.

2+1.

McGrady's fans in front of the TV jumped up, while Popovich on the sidelines sat down.

It tastes just right. It tastes just right.

"Incredible! McGrady has already scored three goals. He almost single-handedly withstood the SuperSonics' offense. Although he and Mo were not directly matched up, they played a different kind of head-to-head battle. It was amazing." Reggie Miller on the sidelines seemed to see that dashing young man with a white horse and silver spear again.

"I told you, whatever you can do, I can do too. I will prove to everyone that you are nothing special."

McGrady didn't yell or shout because he and Mo Wen didn't have any specific hatred, only jealousy and desire.

A playful smile appeared on Mo Wen's face.

After mastering his divine skills, he thought it would be difficult for anything in the basketball world to stir his emotions again.

At this moment, McGrady evoked a strong urge to destroy him.

In the SuperSonics' possession, Mo Wen didn't pass the ball again. Instead, he signaled his teammates to spread out and used the simplest one-on-one move to execute Bowen once more.

McGrady couldn't stand it anymore and signaled Oberto to move up to defend two opponents, while he himself went to face Mo Wen.

Pass the ball?

Mo Wen showed no intention of passing the ball. Facing the two players who were closing in, he lowered the basketball, his strong arms shielding it in the shadows like wings.

McGrady and Bowen could have easily put their arms around Mo Wen, but they didn't.

So Mo Wen seized the gap between the two, holding the basketball, and with one foot on the ground, he turned around like a ballerina and rushed out of their encirclement.

Then, after landing firmly, without the slightest hesitation, he pulled up from the spot.

McGrady pounced on him decisively, trusting his judgment and his height and wingspan.

Unfortunately, he calculated everything perfectly, except for the timing.

Time has robbed him of his agility, but Mo Wen continues to evolve with time.

Mo Wen, who was once regarded as a model of floor-style movement, is now at a height that is like a distant mountain peak. Romantics can measure it with their fingers, but only true mountaineers can feel what it means to look up to a high mountain.

Snapped.

Swish!
Beep!
2+1.

What is a response ball?
Use your best fighting style to inflict the same wounds on you.

"Andwan, here it comes! This is Mo's response, a 2+1 against two double teams! Without a moment's hesitation, responding in the same way when Tmac is at his most triumphant, this kid is too ruthless, I fucking love it."

In the commentary booth, Barkley spread his arms wide in an exaggerated manner, making no attempt to hide his stance.

"Believe me, you have chosen the most difficult path. High rewards and high risks always go hand in hand. Unfortunately, whether you realize it or not, there is no turning back."

Mo Wen didn't say anything offensive; his tone even carried a clear hint of pity.

"Difficult my ass! I've been through way more than you. What do you know, you lucky guy?" McGrady said through gritted teeth.

Whether Mo Wen mocked him or ignored him, it only fueled his fighting spirit, but Guy's words about winning the championship truly broke his defenses.

"I have four championships, what do you think I know?"

"Fake!"

Mo Wen calmly sank the free throw, but McGrady was really getting anxious.

He urged Duncan to serve quickly, as he wanted to challenge Mo Wen to a duel once they crossed half-court.

Popovich, who had just sat down on the sidelines, couldn't help but stand up upon seeing this.

McGrady certainly didn't disappoint him, giving Mo Wen a good beating. But by the time the eggs were cooked, he still hadn't found a way to break through. Finally, he managed to get away from Mo Wen, but Tyson Chandler was already setting up his defense in the paint.

The process of elimination eliminated all shooting options. Just as McGrady was about to take a fadeaway jump shot, Mo Wen, who was behind him, suddenly sprang up and swatted the ball away before McGrady could release it.

Tyson got the ball and passed it to Gay, who was running up the court. Parker followed up, but he cleverly didn't try to use his 185cm height to block the heavy Gay. Instead, he kept stealing the ball and forcibly interrupting Gay's fast break rhythm.

Fortunately, Scola followed up in time, providing support before Gay lost control. Scola faked a shot to get past his old national team teammate, and then calmly dunked the ball into the basket.

Returning to the game, facing Mo Wen's proactive defense, McGrady still didn't think about setting a screen, but his simple dribbling rhythm couldn't fool Mo Wen.

In the end, he had no choice but to take two steps to the side and then stop and shoot.

But he forgot that Morven could predict his pull-up jumper to some extent during his rookie season.

The basketball was suppressed by Mo Wen with a single hand as it was moving upwards.

Without even a superfluous action of picking up or controlling the ball, Mo Wen flicked the ball with his fingertips as soon as it landed, while leaning forward and pushing the ball down, using himself as a pen to draw a dragon from the backcourt to the frontcourt.

The point difference was only widened to 4 points, but Popovich had to call a timeout.

Watching Mo Wen spread his arms and enjoy the cheers of the home fans, McGrady felt an unprecedented tightness in his chest, and something in his heart was quietly cracking.

"Don't fight him to the death, he's not Kobe." Deng Daidai stretched out his warm hand and stroked McGrady's tight buzz cut. "Calm down, do what you do best, and leave the rest to me."

Popovich could see the desire to win in McGrady's eyes, so he simply told McGrady to calm down and then turned to explain the tactics to Parker and Duncan.

Just like Wade and Shaq on the Heat, Parker and Duncan are the sharpest and most consistent spearheads of this team.

To be fair, McGrady's self-control is indeed impressive. He successfully cooled down during a timeout, seemingly forgetting the earlier commotion with Mo Wen, and focused on playing his game.

However, Mo Wen had no intention of letting him go.

Aside from the necessary ball sharing, Mo Wen would come to McGrady almost every possession to try and help him "reminisce about his youth".

A swift first step, a mesmerizing scissor kick, a nimble half-turn retreat...

Faced with this humiliating tribute, the anger and jealousy that McGrady had been suppressing did not burn even brighter; instead, they began to cool down and diminish.

Duncan and Parker were very efficient today, and the two almost combined to break through the SuperSonics' interior defense, but the point difference between the two teams did not narrow.

He seemed to understand something, and he understood why Mo Wen called this the most difficult road.

(End of this chapter)