basketball never sleeps

Chapter 317 Arrogance
"Tim is undoubtedly the league's top center. He caused us a lot of trouble, but the game is a team effort. One person's ability is ultimately limited. There are some things that even Michael Jordan can't do unless he's Morey."

"The Spurs' loss wasn't due to Tim and Tmac; they're both great guys. Their contract extensions addressed the role player issue. You guys always say Bowen's defense is strong, but who did he guard tonight?"

“I wouldn’t be surprised how many points he scores. If you watch our games last season, you’ll see that even if he scores 30 points, he’s still more selfless than most players in the league. Whether it’s 60 points or 20 points, he’ll do it all for the win.”

Dressed in a suit, Ray Allen answered the reporters' questions one by one with a smile.

Ever since Mo Wen joined the team, he found that post-game interviews had become unusually easy. No matter the topic, just talk about Mo Wen without any questions asked.

There's no need to agonize over the wording, because no matter how exaggerated the embellishment, Mo Wen can handle it.

I don't know why, but he also felt a sense of pleasure when he played Mo Wen, as if... he was playing himself.

Meanwhile, at the Spurs' interview table next door, the men who had been fraternizing before the game now seemed to have their own thoughts.

Popovich reluctantly became a master of praise, attributing the victory to Mo Wen's outburst as the best excuse he could find for today's defeat, and of course, that's also true.

McGrady kept emphasizing that he wasn't in good form today. Although he wasn't in good form, he was quite good at adjusting himself. He has now combined Mo Wen's 60 points with today's victory, hoping that they can win the game next time they meet when Mo Wen doesn't score 60 points.

Duncan was even more sparing with his words than ever before.

Even though we know that Mo Wen's last words were meant to sow discord, the objective facts remain.

The Spurs owner has wanted to re-sign McGrady since they acquired him, but Duncan is not in a hurry to commit to his future.

As a player who warned his endorsers that he would not attend events, Duncan had three joys in life—motorcycles and winning.

Winning counts as two.

If his family was harmonious before, a stable life was also part of his life's pursuit. But now, his past life has been dismantled with the collapse of his family, and the importance of winning the game has been magnified infinitely in the meaning of his life.

I tried hard to stop myself from thinking about the bad outcomes, but my mind became restless without me even realizing it.

……

Mo Wen's first 60-point performance of the new season has brought him back into the spotlight.

Familiar praise and compliments, along with countless cameras and flashes, once again surrounded Mo Wen's life.

Although he was used to it, Mo Wen still reduced the frequency of his public appearances. He hated having to answer those pointless questions over and over again.

The latest issue of People magazine is out, and the list of the 50 most beautiful people in the world has been expanded to 100 this year.

Mo Wen remains in the top ten, ranking 5th, surpassing Beckham for the first time.

However, he wasn't too proud, because the number one was Drew Barrymore, who was only 24 years old, but looked like a 35-year-old single woman, yet Americans still found her attractive.

Because of this ranking, his party invitations surged once again.

If it were the off-season, Mo Wen might be interested in picking a couple to play with, but unfortunately, he basically can't find the time during the regular season.

The weather in Seattle has turned cool, making staying at home a rare treat.

On the weekend, little Catherine and Tina didn't go to school either, but instead stayed close to Mo Wen.

As 2008 approached, Mo Wen had already planned to withdraw his money from the stock market. He had a lot of cash on hand, and considering that he couldn't show favoritism to his two sisters after their engagement, he bought them a lot of jewelry.

Little Catherine also ordered several wedding dresses, which she herself wasn't very satisfied with, but little Tina liked them very much.

Especially when having in-depth conversations with Mo Wen.

Mo Wen originally intended to be a dedicated professional player, but then he saw his younger sister wearing her older sister's wedding dress...

After glancing at her sleeping sister, who was wearing her own first-edition wedding dress, little Catherine punched Mo Wen in embarrassment and anger.

"Just let her do whatever she wants!"

Mo Wen remained silent, but simply put his arm around his fiancée and discussed the wedding arrangements.

The couple plans to get married next summer, which seems like plenty of time, but Mo Wen will be busy with the regular season, playoffs and Olympics, and will also have to find time for training and business activities. So, he doesn't actually have that much free time.

“After we get married, let Tina go. I still want her to have a normal family,” Little Catherine said, hugging Mo Wen’s neck.

"Do you think she can still leave me?" Mo Wen pointed to the ring around Tina's neck.

"Hey, take it easy, you bastard, we sisters owe you something."

……

On November 15th, after a day of rest, Supersonic began its six-day tour.

The team's first stop was Oklahoma City, where they faced the Thunder.

That's right, the SuperSonics versus the Thunder.

What seemed like time travel in the original timeline has become a reality in the present.

The Thunder's name was not chosen by the original team's management, but by a fan vote. Fans in Oklahoma City in this timeline made the same choice in the vote for the new team's name.

Oklahoma City, Durant, and the Thunder are once again intertwined as if by fate.

The only difference is that the Thunder were not relegated to the Northwest Division due to the change in geographical location, but instead retained the Hornets' Southwest Division slot.

This is not good news for the Thunder, because the Mavericks and Spurs are two formidable opponents in the Southwest Division, making it even more difficult for the Thunder to advance.

As the most watched rookie after Oden's season-ending injury, the media is not optimistic about Durant's performance in his rookie season because the Thunder currently have too many big men.

With players like David West, Aldridge, and several other tall forwards the Hornets had accumulated in previous years, Durant could easily be lost in the crowd if he can't stand out from the crowd.

Moreover, his explosive college stats, tall ball-handling and shooting ability, and lack of strength make him easily reminiscent of Adam Morris, the third overall pick who underperformed last season.

But Durant's maturity surprised everyone.

In the past 8 games, this shy boy who usually hunches his shoulders and carries his backpack has scored 20+ points in 5 games. Even in his worst game, he still scored in double figures. His field goal percentage is 47%, his three-point percentage is 30%, and he averages 21 points per game, which is not at the level that a rookie should be able to play.

His ball handling skills are still rough, his shooting is very inconsistent, and his strength issues have led to many embarrassing moments where he was pushed and beaten by smaller players.

But none of that matters, because his model is there.

When a 210cm short-necked player combines a 224cm wingspan with excellent jumping ability and above-average shooting, it's a perfect combination.

You can only describe him on the court in two words—

foul.

Almost every team that has played against the Thunder has given Durant high praise. His future is clear, and he only needs to develop his strengths step by step to become a superstar.

Of course, the fact that the Thunder haven't won a single game in these eight games is not important.

Despite the team's poor record, Oklahoma City fans remain incredibly enthusiastic. The city's advantage of not having other sports is clearly evident in the Thunder's performance. The team doesn't need marketing; the fans' sense of belonging is already at its peak.

As long as the team management doesn't make brain-dead trades like the Doncic trade, they can continue to enjoy the fans' loyalty. The SuperSonics were met with strong boos from their home crowd, and Mo Wen, for the first time in a long time, received countless enthusiastic cheers.

After Bennett acquired the SuperSonics, Oklahoma City fans were hoping the SuperSonics would move there. But then Bennett pulled off a major stunt and led the team to a championship, making them an unattainable force for the Oklahoma City fans.

But eventually, a new team arrived. If they couldn't win over the goddess, couldn't they at least win over her ugly best friend?
What we're saying is, if we turn off the lights and do it passively, who can tell which one is Sister Yu and which one is Jiang Xin?

Today's game should have been a foregone conclusion, but the SuperSonics didn't have an easy time.

David West treated today's game as a grudge match. He was overjoyed when he learned he had the opportunity to join the SuperSonics during the offseason, but it was all for naught, and he ultimately stayed with this terrible team.

He displayed high morale and energy on both offense and defense today, giving Millsap, who is similar in style, a hard time.

Aldridge, on the other hand, was on fire, hitting every shot from mid-range, forcing Tyson Chandler to abandon his rim protection duties and go out to defend.

Meanwhile, on the perimeter, because Mo Wen didn't want the game to end too early, he let JR Smith go in the first half, inadvertently allowing the unpredictable JR Smith to get into form, resulting in the Thunder scoring both inside and outside.

In the final quarter, the SuperSonics trailed the Thunder 89-85.

The Thunder players saw a glimmer of hope for fame. If the tanking team, which had lost eight straight games, beat the championship team, which had won eight straight games, they would definitely be on the front page tomorrow.

Byron Scott, who took over as Thunder coach, waved his arms to encourage the players.

"Next, we need to pay extra attention to their perimeter pressing. Don't overexert yourselves, focus on moving the ball around more, and maintain our previous offensive rhythm. We should still try to attack the paint as much as possible..."

"KD, how are you? Can you keep going?"

Durant wiped his sweat and nodded. He had been targeted and had a tough time earlier, only taking 8 shots and scoring a paltry 6 points, so he still had plenty of energy today.

Adu looked at Mo Wen on the other side, only to see that Mo Wen not only did not show any signs of being under pressure, but was also chatting and laughing with his teammates with great interest.

That calm and confident demeanor made A-Du both envious and annoyed.

Is he really not worried at all that the Thunder might catch up in the end?

The two teams are only 4 points apart, and the Thunder even had a lead at one point. Does that mean they've got the upper hand?

Durant felt it was necessary to teach the current number one player a lesson, to show him that "weakness and ignorance are not obstacles to victory, but arrogance is."

The game restarted, but Adu noticed that the SuperSonics and Mo Wen's momentum seemed to have suddenly changed.

With a blank expression on his face, Mo Wen and Gay made a fake handoff. Taking advantage of JR Smith's momentary lapse in concentration, Mo Wen took a sideways crossover step, pretended to pull back, and then stepped down to break through, leaving the unpredictable Aldridge behind. Aldridge collapsed back to help defend, but Mo Wen decisively passed the ball to Millsap, who was left wide open in the corner, and the three-pointer went in.

Turning around, JR Smith attempted a sudden three-pointer, but Mo Wen blocked his eye in time, causing the shot to miss.

Ray Allen grabbed the rebound and tossed it to Mo Wen, who, without stopping, passed it to Gay in front. Gay took the ball but didn't dribble, ran a couple of steps, and then passed it back to Mo Wen. Mo Wen received the ball, dodged Bobby Jackson's pressure, and seeing Gay run into the three-point line, he immediately slowed down and casually tossed the ball toward the backboard.

Gay scooped up the ball with both hands and slammed it directly towards the unguarded rim.

Meteor Slam Dunk, kid!
Durant, chasing Guy, witnessed the whole scene like an incompetent husband, and even jumped up to get the best view.

Turning around, Durant felt he should step up and proactively called for the ball on the left side of the baseline.

Given that Gay was effective in defending him, he didn't blindly go it alone. Instead, he called for a screen from David West. He ran towards Millsap, who had switched onto him, and then turned around to get past him. But as he turned, a clean, black hand reached out to him.

Snapped!
Neat.

When A-Du realized what was happening and tried to forcefully turn around and chase after him, his cerebellum defied his brain, his left foot tripped over his right foot, and he spiraled to the ground, sitting cross-legged.

Mo Wen noticed that there was no movement behind him, and too lazy to run anymore, he went to the logo dessert area, took a deep breath, jumped a little, and pushed the ball in amidst the cheers of the home fans.

The basketball traced a beautiful arc in the sky and fell perfectly into the embrace of the net.

Baron Davis shouted anxiously, telling his players to calm down and play slowly.

The Thunder players listened to the advice, slowed down, and finally handed the ball to David West, who had already scored 20 points.

Unlike the first three quarters, the SuperSonics immediately tightened their press after David West received the ball.

The Thunder's passing setup was very rough. David West held the ball for a long time but couldn't find anyone. He made a rash pass and was directly hit by Tyson. Mo Wen got possession of the ball, and the SuperSonics made a fast break with great teamwork.

Durant swallowed hard, instinctively running back to defend, instinctively losing track of the ball, and instinctively watching his own basket fall into the air once again.

10:0
In just two minutes, the Supersonics scored a 10-0 run.

Byron Scott called a timeout "just in time," and Durant finally regained his composure after returning to the bench.

His vision was filled with the scoreboard, and his mind was filled with confusion.

What happened?

He didn't remember what the coach said, and fortunately, the coach didn't mention his name either.

The coach replaced David West, whose stamina was declining, with Marvin Williams.

He also tried to change, running plays to catch the ball and shoot, seizing opportunities to force pull-up jumpers, but the results all paid homage to Kobe.

The point difference between the two teams gradually increased from 14 points to 24 points.

Then, he went through the familiar routine: the coach surrendered, both sides substituted their starters, and he returned to the bench to receive comfort from his mother while drinking Gatorade.

Tons tons tons.

That shouldn't be the case. Where did things go wrong?
The buzzer sounded to signal the end of the match, and the score was 127-103.

A-Du looked up and saw the data the director was showing him.

9 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 6 turnovers.

Of course, there was also a nine-game losing streak.

Mo Wen looked at A-Du, who was huddled on the bench with his schoolbag on his back, and felt that he might have gone a bit too far today.

He then took off his jersey and walked over.

"Welcome to the NBA, rookie."

"Fine, you played terribly today, so I won't give you the jersey."

Durant opened his mouth as he watched Mo Wen casually toss the jersey that should have been his "rookie ceremony" to a young fan on the sidelines.

You're a real dog!
Anger dispelled his confusion in an instant, and his fighting spirit returned to him.

"I...I will definitely defeat you! Mo, just you wait!" Adu said solemnly, mustering his courage.

Mo Wen, who had turned around, then looked back and held up one finger.

"LeBron has said this to me more than ten times, but this is the first time for you."

(End of this chapter)