basketball never sleeps

Chapter 340 Fine Bran

"Go ahead and mess things up! Make the smaller teams lose their star players and completely tank; make the world fall into chaos and raise the bar for the playoffs again. I'll just risk my life alongside you!"

The media professionals who stayed up all night writing articles gritted their teeth. These past two days have been a mix of pain and joy. March is almost here, and it should be the time for the NCAA to take center stage. However, several NBA teams have managed to keep the attention of American fans focused on the NBA with a series of blockbuster trades.

The spectacle of star players trading away at the beginning of the season was already a rare sight in North American sports for decades, but no one expected such a stunning aftershock at the trade deadline.

Transaction reports, preliminary transaction analysis, in-depth analysis of the transaction's impact, transaction ratings...

I can't finish writing it all! I simply can't finish writing it all!

With a perimeter playmaker and better defenders, the Mavericks have improved their roster structure and stopped their decline. The Warriors have optimized their roster structure and may need more time to gel. The Bulls have finally found what may be the team's first reliable interior star in 20 years. The Cavaliers have finally found a defensive anchor in the paint that allows LeBron James to unleash his offensive talents.

With the season halfway through, teams that were originally in contention for the championship have begun to differentiate themselves from other teams. However, after two days of trades, the championship race, which had been gradually becoming clearer, has been shrouded in uncertainty again.

The Supersonics, which had made no moves before the trade deadline, made a move the day after the deadline.

They acquired Mutombo, who had been waived by the Rockets, from the free agent market.

According to rumors, "Old Mu" should be over 50 years old this year. His athleticism has further declined with age and no longer meets the basic requirements of Don Nelson. Logically speaking, after acquiring Rasheed, the Warriors' style of play should have slowed down. However, Don Nelson really couldn't stand this old man who couldn't attack and was getting slower and slower. So, after picking up two decent-athletic interior players in the free market, he immediately cut him.

The SuperSonics currently only have one injured center, Francisco. Although his absence reduces the SuperSonics' interior flexibility, it's not a season-ending injury, and he'll definitely be back in April for the playoffs. Therefore, there's not much of a rush to find a backup center. However, Yao Ming proactively called to tell him that "Uncle Mutong" was unemployed and urgently needed a kind person to take him in.

Mo Wen had no way to refuse.

Others may not know, but Mo Wen will never forget that the Rockets originally had 22 wins this year, with Yao Ming playing in the first half, but when Yao Ming was sidelined for the rest of the season, Mutombo stepped up to take his place.

In terms of ability, Dikembe Mutombo is certainly at a level that is almost obsolete in the NBA, but his foundation is still there. He is still a heavy-weight center that the SuperSonics do not have. Against opponents with average athleticism, or given some time occasionally, he can still have a resurgence and play up the remaining power of the four great centers of yesteryear.

However, fans were not satisfied with the team's ineffective management, and the super admin and Bennett once again became the target of criticism from Seattle fans.

Mo Wen doesn't have the habit of letting others take the blame for his decisions. He took the initiative to clarify and take responsibility for Bennett, which prevented the fans from chanting for Bennett's dismissal at the home stadium.

However, while things were not looking up in the east, they were looking up in the west. The experts and commentators then started criticizing Mo Wen.

"Degeneration, this is a shameful degeneration! Mo has become complacent in his past glory and lost his ambition. If he really wants to continue winning championships and perpetuate his greatness, he should seize every opportunity to strengthen his team, instead of being satisfied with the status quo and listening to the management's persuasion." Pippen gave his assessment during a visit to TNT.

"No, it's less about decadence and more about arrogance. I see a Caesar of the new century, who stopped after a brief period of conquest. But I don't understand, other teams are preparing for battle, can't he see that? Or does he have to suffer a crushing defeat to realize the harsh competitive environment of the league now?" Kenny Smith offered his criticism from an external perspective.

The microphone was passed to Barkley, who straightened his collar, slowly picked up the microphone, gave the two people beside him a disdainful look, pouted, and began to speak:

"To hell with your decadence and arrogance. All I know is that Mo has already proven to three teams that he can lead a team to a championship if he has the right teammates. All I know is that the SuperSonics are still number one in the league, or even unshakeable number one. As for the MVP rankings, the outcome was already decided in February, so what else does he need to prove?"

"His life no longer needs to repeat those ordinary successes. Damn, I'm really jealous of him. What he needs to prove now is that he can succeed even when his teammates aren't that strong. And judging from the regular season record, the SuperSonics have the best record in the league, and Mo's MVP is almost unchallenged. Mo is clearly on the right track."

"To put it another way, the fact is that Mo has already proven his dominance with four championships. Now it's everyone else's turn. It's time for Kobe, LeBron, Duncan, Dirk, Yao, and KD to prove they can beat Mo in the playoffs!"

……

The Supersonics' journey continues, and Mo Wen has ignored the inexplicable doubts from the outside world. As long as the team keeps winning, the statistics and results will speak for themselves.

On February 25, the SuperSonics will host the Hawks, who had previously defeated them.

The Hawks haven't made any big moves recently, but their team chemistry is good, with a recent record of 6 wins and 2 losses, and they're on a roll.

Knowing that the previous victory was due to the absence of Mo Wen, head coach Woodson still prepared for this game very seriously.

The Hawks are built around a young core, and while they have plenty of confidence and drive, they lack a solid foundation.

In other words, there is no sufficiently convincing past record to support it.

Building confidence through achievements is a long process, but there are shortcuts.

For example, in the current situation, if they can defeat the SuperSonics twice in the regular season, the confidence that it will give these young players will probably be more than the confidence that the team will gain from making it to the second round.

Roy, who didn't get to play against Mo Wen in the previous game, was also holding his breath, wanting to prove himself in front of his draft peers and his hometown folks.

Mo Wen also showed an unusually serious attitude in today's game.

An MVP's bottom line is that his team cannot be swept twice in a season.

As soon as the game started, Mo Wen took a very serious approach, locking down Roy on both offense and defense. Ray Allen and Guy followed suit, switching to their battle-ready expressions and focusing intently on their opponents.

Roy's impression of Morven was still based on last season, when Morven only regarded him as a rookie. Although he targeted him, he didn't really see him as a star player, but rather as someone educating a junior.

But today, Roy felt what it meant to feel the oppressive aura of a king.

The almost unwavering coverage and aggressive defense, seemingly able to read his game, forced him to adopt more conservative dribbling techniques.

The combination of these two factors made him feel like a bird in a cage, unable to fly or escape.

Only passing the ball can provide some relief.

"Set a screen! Set a screen!" Two minutes into the first quarter, Woodson on the sidelines finally noticed Roy's predicament of being unable to get rid of the ball and loudly directed the forwards.

When Josh Smith came up and separated Mo Wen's defense, Roy finally felt the presence of air. But before he could catch his breath, the familiar shadow wrapped around him from behind.

Snapped!

The ball was knocked away.

The basketball didn't even have a moment to enjoy its freedom before it was deftly but irresistibly flicked towards the Hawks' backcourt.

Roy, who had turned around, still wanted to make amends and call for his teammates to return to defense, but Mo Wen's footsteps had already crossed the center line.

Childress, who had been observing from the wing, noticed what was happening and chased after him. However, Mo Wen did not drive straight to the basket as he had expected. Instead, he stopped a step in front of the three-point line, made a sudden stop, aimed at the basket, and shot.

Swish! The basketball went through the net cleanly.

The cheers of Seattle fans resounded throughout KeyArena.

Last season, local fans applauded Roy, who dedicated his youth to the University of Washington. But just one year later, that love is gone.

Roy gritted his teeth. Woodson had planned for Josh Smith, a talented player, to guard Mo Wen, but Roy stubbornly took the initiative to go after Mo Wen in the next defensive round.

Seeing Roy's solid stance, Mo Wen did not underestimate him.

After halftime, he started his bad luck, using his past experience of hitting three-pointers from far away and a few glances at the basket to force Roy to step forward.

As Roy closed in, Mo Wen suddenly lowered his center of gravity and changed direction with a crossover. When Roy moved closer to defend, he immediately shook his shoulders to make a feint to pull back and change direction.

Roy hesitated for a moment, his foot unconsciously retracting. Mo Wen immediately passed the ball back to his right hand from between his legs, using his left shoulder to clear a path with his left hand, and stepped past Roy's defense to face the vast sky.

Seeing that Joe Johnson was about to leave Ray Allen behind and head towards him, Mo Wen didn't stop abruptly beyond the three-point line. Instead, he accelerated by pushing off the ground, changing his footwork only as Jiong Sen arrived. He spun around, his weight shifting smoothly from his toes to his heels, his upper body moving with the grace of a ballerina, leaving Jiong Sen's defense behind. Facing an open free-throw line, Mo Wen didn't even consider Ray Allen's potential openness beyond the three-point line. He jumped up, without any unnecessary lean back, and released the ball with a perfectly standard shooting motion.

Two points, and it went in cleanly again.

12: 4.

The score was already widening at the very beginning of the first quarter.

"Brandon (Roy) has improved a lot since last season, but he still needs to learn to be smarter and learn to avoid matchups with Mo, which is a skill that every star player must master."

SuperSonics' home commentator, Calabro, noticed Roy's expression. He was happy to see Roy had the courage to challenge Chao Mowen, but still gave him his advice bluntly.

"I still admire the drive Roy showed. He reminds me of Allen Iverson when he faced the Lakers in the Finals. That's youth."

Another commentator, David Locke, praised Roy's actions.

Calabro glanced at his partner. On the surface, what he said seemed reasonable, but in reality, this guy was just looking for trouble.

Roy was still not convinced. After a successful defensive play, Roy luckily grabbed the long rebound. He wanted to follow Mo Wen's example and quickly launch a fast break to shoot a three-pointer.

But Mo Wen saw through his thoughts and didn't squeeze in to contest the shot. Instead, when Roy suddenly stopped and jumped at the three-point line, Mo Wen descended from the sky behind Roy and blocked the shot with a slap.

"Your top priority right now is to get your body in shape," Mo Wen earnestly advised, looking at Roy who had lost his balance and fallen to the ground.

"You mean you need to have enough talent to beat me?" Roy bit his lip in frustration. He knew those media outlets were unreliable, saying that Mo Wen was some kind of genius who grew up with ordinary talent. Just now, he could clearly feel that the point of force of the blocked basketball was directly above him when he raised the basketball.

"No, what I mean is, if you can stay in this league long enough, maybe you can wait until the day I retire." Mo Wen revealed what he thought was a very sunny and sincere smile.

Roy's lips twitched slightly: "...I've seen your registered birth date, and I think I'm actually older than you."

"Azhe..."

……

At the end of the first quarter, the score was 38-19.

With Mo Wen exerting his full strength, the Supersonics almost killed the game in the first quarter.

Woodson called two timeouts in the first quarter and, unusually, criticized Roy for his earlier outburst, shifting the tactical focus back to Woodson.

But in the end, his struggles were ineffective.

Supersonic's powerful outside rotation is a great counter to Jiong Jiong Sen, who relies more on technique in mid-range shots due to his lack of natural talent.

With both of their key outside shooters contained, the Hawks were completely unable to break through.

The Hawks' perimeter defense, which Woodson was so proud of, seemed somewhat ineffective when the SuperSonics opened up their outside shooting.

The tenacious Roy didn't want to give up too quickly, so he and Jonghyun played the full amount of time, staying on the court in the second quarter to find their rhythm during off-peak hours.

He did find some form of rhythm against rookie Ramon Sessions, but when Mo Wen returned with the starting lineup in the second half, even though he stopped stubbornly trying to avoid Mo Wen, his rhythm cooled down at lightning speed.

Fortunately, before halftime, Roy's shot, which was no longer heavily guarded by Mo Wen, allowed him to make a three-pointer, saving him some face.

At this point, the score was 68-41, the outcome was still uncertain, but the winner had already been decided.

Mo Wen insisted on playing at least three quarters at home, and played for most of the third quarter, bringing his personal stats to a triple-double of 35 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds before leaving the court.

In the final quarter, Roy did not return to the court and remained on the bench with his head down.

Joe Johnson, who was not good with words, wanted to comfort his younger brother, but didn't know what to say.

He had initially considered confronting Mo Wen directly to stand up for his little brother, but instead ended up giving Mo Wen a block and two steals. Of course, it wasn't entirely without reward; at least Mo Wen thanked him...

The game ended with the score at 124-91, and the small KeyArena erupted in thunderous cheers once again.

Because he didn't arrive at the player tunnel early, Roy not only received a hug from Morwen and got Morwen's jersey, but also received Morwen's recognition award.

“I don’t regret challenging Mo on the court. He helped me realize my shortcomings and areas for improvement. Did I fail? Maybe, but I learned a lot more.”

"Mob is undoubtedly the best player in the league right now. I feel like he can see right through me, no matter what I do, if I need his help. I've never felt that kind of pressure from anyone else. Ah, LeBron? Him? He's pretty strong too, yeah, really strong."

"What trash talk Mo said to me in the middle? Don't be ridiculous. Mo is a perfect gentleman. He was just wishing me good health."

……

As the SuperSonics secured a resounding victory, the Cavaliers in Cleveland were also celebrating their fourth consecutive win.

The Cavaliers' previous acquisition of Ben Wallace might seem a bit foolish from a futuristic perspective, but its immediate effects are undeniable.

Ben Wallace integrated into the Cavaliers with almost no adjustment period and quickly improved the team's overall defensive situation. LeBron James, freed up on the defensive end, also shone like a few infantrymen in a cavalry army – adding another point to his tally.

Finally getting to eat expensive hot pot broth, Ah Zhan realized that Mo Wen had been eating nothing but chaff and bran before.

In his excitement, he didn't forget to call his good friend Wade to share the good news.

Seeing his brother drive a Land Rover, Wade could only congratulate LeBron with a sour expression, while inwardly thinking, "You've really never had a good life. You can even make Ben Wallace's haphazardly rubbed whitewash look like a minimalist industrial style. If it were Shaq from two years ago..."

Thinking about Shaq, who tried so hard to leave but ultimately failed, Wade couldn't help but sigh. When will this ever end...?

Wade suddenly had a flash of inspiration: if his good brother could even treat Ben Wallace like trash, then…

"Xikang? Then you still underestimate Mo. Think about it carefully. Among the centers who have worked with Mo, Ben can only be considered a...loli."

A-Zhan, on the other end of the phone, paused in his breathing.

Think of Shaq's accolades, and Darko Milicic's 40 points in the Finals...

He seemed to finally understand where the gap lay between himself and Mo Wen.

So, the inside game is the key?

He realized it too late.

But looking at the upcoming "fair match" on the calendar, it doesn't seem that late... (End of Chapter)