basketball never sleeps

Chapter 229: If I can’t beat the foreigners, can I beat you?
In the Northwest Division where there are no tigers in the mountains, the Nuggets who selected Melo have not been able to break through the second round, but their stable results are enough to make fans hold their heads high with pride in the division.

The Nuggets were very active this summer - the contract extensions of Melo and Nene; the trade storm caused by the conflict between Martin and coach George Karl; the team's pursuit of Iverson; the trade of "Kobe Terminator" Reuben Patterson and Joe Smith; the trade back of Posey who had been in the Grizzlies for three years...

However, in terms of reinforcement results, it is almost the same as last season.

Nuggets fans are still quite optimistic. In the second half of last season, they had a record of 32 wins and 8 losses. There were objective reasons for their defeat in the playoffs. Nene was unable to return, and Martin had a conflict with coach George Karl at halftime of the second game, resulting in his suspension from the team for the following games. If it weren't for this, the Nuggets might have gone further.

In the new season, Anthony has become more mature this year, Nene's knee injury has fully recovered, and Coach Martin and Coach Karl have reconciled. It is another most promising year.

"I dare say we can win at least 50 games this season!" George Karl confidently predicted in front of reporters.

50 games may not sound like a lot, as the Nuggets won 44 games last season, but if you really look at the entire season, just 6 games are enough to separate a team.

"So what do you think of your opening game opponent?" the reporter continued to ask Coach Carl.

"As for the SuperSonics, I believe with Mo joining them, they will grow into a very strong team, but now, they still need to work together." In front of the camera, old Carl maintained a confident attitude, and both his eyes and tone revealed confidence.

After the pre-match interview, old Carl returned to the locker room and then put on a serious expression and appeared in front of the players.

"Okay, guys, the small talk is over. Now think back to what I told you this morning. Pay close attention when you get on the field. The opponent is not easy to beat. Don't let the fans down in the opening game. Got it?"

"Understood!" With anticipation for the new season still on their faces, the morale of the Nuggets players was high.

Turning his gaze to Melo, old Carl wanted to give Melo a few more words of advice, but before he could open his mouth, Melo nodded heavily to him.

Melo has taken this game more seriously than anyone else on the Nuggets.

A flame called revenge danced in his eyes.

Three years, three whole years. Do you know how he spent these three years?!

Every time when facing Mo Wen, Black Hand couldn't compare with him in terms of black hand, battle record, and even personal data.

But when it comes to basketball skills, he always thinks he is the better one. It is because of the gap between his teammates that he has never beaten Mo Wen once.

Now when most people talk about the 03 draft, it is hard to say who is ranked first between LeBron and Mo Wen, but it is always above him.

Damn it!
Jealousy towards Mo Wen’s three championships, dissatisfaction with the evaluation of their strength, and most importantly, hatred towards 3!
There is a saying: Love and hatred will last forever!
Starting today, he will also let Mo Wen taste the feeling of being ruled!

When the view shifts to the visiting team's locker room, the air is much lighter.

Coach Hill really wanted the players to be serious and solemn, but Mo Wen didn't like that kind of atmosphere.

For the newly assembled lineup, high-pressure management can improve the level of tactical execution and player discipline more quickly, but it will also limit the players' autonomy and flexibility. It is fine to play like this with ordinary teams, but with a mature core like Mo Wen, this management model is not so suitable and efficient.

When his teammates saw Mo Wen's relaxed and confident appearance, they also felt more at ease unconsciously.

"Old man, why do you smell like cigarettes again? Didn't you quit smoking before?" Mo Wen fanned his nose and looked at Peyton with disgust.

"Before, my doctor told me the disadvantages of smoking from a medical perspective, so I quit. But later, a friend of mine told me from another subject that smoking has more benefits than quitting, so--" Payton shrugged helplessly.

"What subject?"

“Relationship science.”

"I've heard of this. What's the saying, 'Smoking can bring people closer together, but it can also drive people further apart.' Right?" Guy next to him interrupted.

"No, no, no. To be precise, you can easily find a common topic with people who smoke with you, and that is - health issues." After saying this, Payton sighed with a bit of melancholy.

Mo Wen and the other teammates couldn't help but laugh.

On the coaching team side, Schrempf approached old Hill with a little worry on his face.

“Is it really okay for them to relax like this?”

Old Hill glanced at Mo Wen, who looked like he was in a training match, put on a forced smile and pinched his nose.

"Leave it to him. You have to have confidence in him."

……

With the DJ's drawn-out calls and the spotlight on, Anthony, who was the last to appear, raised his hands and swam to the center of the court amid a sea of ​​cheers.

The lights came on, the two teams got into formation, and Melon made two shooting gestures to Mo Wen without any concealment.

Mo Wen didn't say anything, he just stretched out the index finger of his right hand and pointed downwards.

The big screen above the stadium popped up the list of starting players for both teams.

SuperSonics: Mo Wen, Ray Allen, Damien Wilkins, Milicic, Tyson Chandler;

Nuggets: Andre Miller, Posey, Melo, Kenyon Martin, Camby;
Gay failed to make it to the starting small forward position. During team training, he still showed irritability and impulsiveness, and his mentality was not mature enough. Mo Wen and Old Hill both thought that he should play as a substitute first to get used to it.

Damien Wilkins, who replaced Gay, is the nephew of the famous "Human Highlight Movie" Wilkins, but he does not have the outstanding explosiveness and jumping ability of the elder Wilkins. He was not selected in the draft and had the opportunity to try out for the Supersonics because of the elder Wilkins' connections. However, after playing four years in college and two years in the NBA, Damien's level is already good enough to be a starter. He is good at three-pointers and his defense is historically at a level that can help coach Durant clean up his mess. He can barely be a 3D.

"New season, new faces. Just looking at the young faces of the Sonics players, you can feel a different vitality than the Heat before."

In the CCTV commentary room, coach Zhang, who has been in the news for two months, can still feel from his tone the joy he felt when the national team won the World Championships in the summer.

"Yes, Mo Wen's new teammates are not as famous as those in the Heat, but their drive and vigor are very exciting. In the preseason, the Sonics won most of the games when Mo Wen was just playing. Now that they are in the main season, I wonder what kind of style they can show us."

Comrade Zhengping also narrowed his eyes and explained to the fans in front of the TV with great anticipation.

Both sides took their positions, and as the referee threw the ball into the air, the game officially began.

Tyson Chandler lived up to expectations and grabbed the ball with an advantage of half a palm over Camby.

Snapped--

With the basketball in hand, Mo Wen dribbled away from Andre Miller and rushed to the frontcourt.

Looking at his teammates charging towards the opposite side, Mo Wen suddenly felt a lump in his throat. He finally didn't have to endure the almost 100% defensive start when he was partnered with O'Neal.

Tears.

Seeing that he had lost the chance of stealing the ball, Andre Miller gave up his position to James Posey and turned to face off against the less famous Damien.

It is a consensus among most coaches to use swingmen to defend Mo Wen. Mo Wen's shooting speed is too fast. If a small player defends him, he will not be able to provide much interference if he is shaken off by a little space. As for breakthroughs, it is difficult for a small player to provide enough blocking for a player like Mo Wen who is very good at using his physical advantage.

Whenever faced with this kind of choice, the coaches of each team can't help but complain: [Damn No handcheck! ]

Posey did not go to the Heat as he did in history. He continued to stay in the Grizzlies and his statistics looked much better. However, this year is his contract year. If he doesn't play well this year, the previous statistics will be wasted. He had no choice but to be serious. He followed Mo Wen with his eyes, and his outstretched arms and small steps while retreating were also very professional.

But on the first attack of the game, it is not a good choice to focus too much on the person holding the ball and ignore the changes around him.

Without Mo Wen's command, Milicic stood impartially in the position where he formulated tactics before the game, and took a horse stance in front of the elbow area.

The simple pick-and-roll with a crouching waist and explosive pass produced a solid effect. Seeing Posey and Milicic collided head-on, Kenyon Martin had to rush up to provide defense in a hurry.

He stopped and bowed to the Buddha, and the simple change of rhythm deceived Kenyon Martin into responding most enthusiastically. However, his calves, trying their best to exert force, still failed to prevent Kenyon Martin from leaving the ground.

Melo, who was chasing Ray Allen from the side, had no choice but to block him. All three of them were pulled to a high position. Ray Allen found the right opportunity and cut in diagonally and headed straight for the basket.

After seeing Mo Wen's intention to pass the ball, Melon was unable to make a timely blocking move and could only hope that he could block it with his body. However, Melon's slender limbs, which had not yet gained weight, were all space in Mo Wen's eyes.

With a flick of his hand, the basketball with backspin appeared comfortably in Ray Allen's palm.

boom--

The shaking basket made Coach Karl seem to see the time when he coached Ray Allen in the Bucks.

The gentle Ray Allen was once a talented athlete. He always hoped to train Ray Allen to become a warrior who kept charging, but Ray Allen preferred to solve problems in a simpler and gentlemanly way. The two had no idea how many times they had quarreled about this. As the Bucks chose to rebuild, the master and apprentice left the Bucks one after another.

He once thought that Ray Allen was "ruined", but reality told him that nothing seemed to have changed.

There was no time for reminiscing on the court.

The Nuggets players who were shown off their personal strength by Mo Wen were not much affected.

No matter how good you are, it's just a ball.

Camby, who was always late but never absent, scooped up the ball and looked up to see the backs of both teams.

The basketball flew in an almost straight line, like the flower in the annual meeting. It didn't slow down at all and "seemed" to have passed through Andre Miller's hands and then reached Melo's hands in an instant.

Melo must get back at the fact that he missed a defender and allowed Ray Allen to dunk.

This is his horse!

Without waiting for Melon to choose his own route, Mo Wen blocked him in front like a ghost, and his stealing move was so slow that Melon had to dribble with his back to slow down and protect the ball.

The best option when the rhythm is interrupted is to give the ball to your teammates.

But facing the face in front of him, he had no reason to retreat.

Knowing that Mo Wen was the gangster in front of him, Melon took advantage of his ankle's inattention, suddenly turned around and passed the ball, facing the enemy from behind.

Melo, who is only in his fourth year and has not made any breakthroughs in the playoffs, has not yet been dubbed the "offensive kaleidoscope", but his famous "Washing Machine" has been used quite skillfully.

The back-to-the-basket attack is a very rogue skill, which requires perfect ball protection, offensive misdirection, and multiple offensive paths. If the technique is proficient enough and the strength is advantageous, even Mo Wen, who has rich defensive experience, cannot gain much advantage against this technique.

But you can't get much advantage. In other words, you can still get some advantage.

The shoulders, hips, and footwork of the post-up player will perform differently when making different choices. Ordinary people can observe these details, but it is difficult to analyze his real next move in a very short time through these details.

Mo Wen...can't do that either.

Even if you use 10,000 pesticides, your brain is still a human brain. The same is true for Mo Wen.

But he has experience.

Follow your feeling and hold the melon tightly.

You may not remember it after suffering a loss once, but if you suffer a loss dozens of times, your love-brain will remember it.

Looking at Mo Wen, who was blocking his way to breakthrough smoothly as if he had predicted the future.

Melon's breathing was still disordered.

Within two or three times when the basketball touched the ground, the Nuggets players were in position and ready.

Melon stopped being willful and threw the ball to Andre Miller who was waiting nearby, then ran away with a gloomy look on his face.

Mo Wen did not choose to closely follow Melon's defense, but instead kept a certain distance.

Facing the Nuggets who are trapped in a defensive position, shrinking the defense is definitely the only choice.

The Nuggets were one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the league last season. If they were ranked among the playoff teams, the "one of" could be removed.

Last season, the Nuggets had a starting lineup that played 20 games. The five starting players averaged 3.1 three-pointers per game and made 0.9 of them, which was even better than when Larry Brown was in the Pistons. In terms of three-pointers alone, they were about equal to 0.8 of LeBron James.

Melo has not really developed his three-point shooting during his time with the Nuggets. Last season, his three-point shooting percentage was less than 25%. To put it bluntly, his three-point shooting is not yet qualified to be blocked by Karl.

Andre Miller is also aware of his team's weaknesses. Fortunately, after the team traded for Posey, there is finally a reliable space point in the starting lineup.

Camby and Martin provided screens at the two corners of the free throw line. Posey and Melo made two alternating runs at the baseline, but they were unable to create an open space, so they decisively pulled out. Miller and Anthony bypassed Martin from both sides. While Mo Wen and Ray Allen were chasing their targets, Miller secretly passed the ball to Martin.

Martin took the ball and rushed, pushing away the distracted Milicic and rushed to the inside.

Facing the retreating Tyson Chandler, he did not force the ball, but passed it to Camby who was left open.

Camby was surprised but didn't prepare for the shot. Facing Milicic who was rushing towards him, he was a little anxious and shot a half-court shot hastily. The ball hit the inside edge and finally flew out.

The rebound was protected by Milicic who was in a better position. Mo Wen ran to the side to receive the ball and started a counterattack without stopping.

When approaching the three-point line, Mo Wen used Damien's pick-and-roll to block Posey, who was blind behind his head, and made him stagger. Melon was forced to switch in front of Mo Wen again. Seeing that Mo Wen was slowing down and adjusting, he had to brake and change gears, preparing to move forward for a three-pointer.

But Mo Wen had no intention of rushing to shoot. He kept moving and pushed the ball diagonally forward with his backhand, palm out.

It was too late for Melon to retreat, and there was a blank space in front of Mo Wen again.

Martin, who rushed over, also felt the discomfort that Melon felt in the last round.

The basketball flew under his armpit, and Milicic caught the ball and easily shot it off the backboard.

4: 0!

Before the Denver fans could even start shouting, Mo Wen stuffed a mouthful of words into their mouths.

Especially when seeing Mo Wen smiling and shaking his head while returning to defense, the fans felt an inexplicable sense of humiliation.

What are the players doing? After all the big talk, this is how they defend on the court?

"Focus! Focus!" George Karl yelled twice on the sidelines, "What are you doing? Even if it's a foul, don't give them such an easy chance to score!"

It cannot be said that the team’s players are not in good shape, it can only be said that Mo Wen is in very good shape.

That sense of control over the game while strolling leisurely is like never having experienced an offseason.

In the Nuggets' turn, the most talented forward running and jumping team in the Western Conference also showed their real stuff.

There is a reason why the Nuggets can consistently enter the playoffs despite their poor three-point shooting. When their strong forwards charge, people naturally don't want to stop them.

Fans all hope that their players can defend toughly and block every attack.

But at the end of the day, players are just workers, and there is no point in trying hard during ordinary moments in the regular season.

(Of course, I'm talking about fighting hard here. Normal defense is what every paid player should do.)
Mo Wen was able to block Melo from attacking with the ball by blocking and harassing with his hands, but he did not expect his teammates to keep a close eye on his target.

Ray Allen failed to stop Miller, allowing him to break through. Before rushing to the basket, he passed the ball to Martin. Milicic was not easy to defend against the rushing Martin, so he could only chase him symbolically and had to be careful to avoid hitting him.

Martin made a layup, finally giving the Nuggets fans a chance to cheer

"When running with them, try to maintain confrontation and don't trip them, but don't hesitate to use your arms and shoulders. Once the person you are defending tends to slow down to catch the ball, if you can't stop him, use your butt to disrupt their balance."

Mo Wen did not choose to continue running for the next round after getting the ball, but slowed down and said a few words to Milicic.

In terms of attitude, Milicic is already qualified, but the Supersonics did not play defense in the past two years, and this aspect has been neglected for too long.

If you can't keep up with the technology, then be a little rude, there's nothing to be embarrassed about.

No matter how wonderful the words are, defense in this era has nothing to do with gentlemanliness and cleanliness.

Later, Kawhi Leonard could be called clean because his static talent was so outstanding. To say he was clean was mostly to praise his ability to steal and rob the ball. When facing fast breaks, he had to rely on confrontation and perform some dangerous moves to effectively block them.

Standing in front of Mo Wen again, Percy had learned his lesson. He no longer focused his eyes on Mo Wen, but observed the surrounding environment with his peripheral vision from time to time.

In Coach Karl's pre-match defensive arrangement, Ray Allen cannot be released, Milicic cannot be released, and the defense under the basket cannot be released either. Only the player defending Damien can be responsible for the backup defense on Mo Wen.

But every time Damien landed on the field, he would go to the bottom corner on the opposite side of Mo Wen to smoke, and it was not easy for Miller to cross such a long distance to double-team and assist in defense.

However, the current situation is that we have to make certain trade-offs.

Andre Miller moved to a relatively forward position this time, leaving certain defensive issues to Camby.

It's normal that problems on the outside put more burden on the inside, right?
It's just a matter of taking care of the bottom corner while defending the basket. I should be able to catch up by running two more steps...right?

With Andre Miller's position, the Nuggets' perimeter defense has become sufficient.

In this round, when Ray Allen saw Mo Wen's gesture, he did not rush inside, but started running and pulling along the three-point line.

Mo Wen prepared to challenge Anthony with the ball, and when Ray Allen brought Anthony a little further away, he immediately changed direction and broke through.

Miller took over the defensive task of Ray Allen, and after being freed, Melon immediately pounced on Mo Wen again.

After becoming famous for his strength, Melon has never been very interested in defense, but his offense was disrupted by Mo Wen for two consecutive rounds, and he got really angry.

If you don't let me attack, you can't play!
Mo Wen had just gotten around Milicic's pick-and-roll when Martin and Melo stood side by side in front of him.

Now he could lob the ball to Damien who was left open, but such a long pass distance would also give Camby, who was watching, a chance to react.

In a flash, Mo Wen thought of a countermeasure. He pushed and faked a pass to divert Martin's attention back to Milicic. Then Mo Wen retracted his hand and took a big step towards the bottom corner. Before Melo could reach out to hook the ball, he turned his back to the basket and made a back-to-the-basket posture.

Welcome to the Big Dream Guessing session.

If you guess correctly, you will be rewarded with a random rebound, and if you guess wrong, you will be rewarded with a Camby serve.

Everyone thought that Mo Wen would dribble a few times and then turn around and shoot a jump shot, or turn around and layup in one step.

Melon was mentally prepared to be hit by Mo Wen's elbow, and Camby also got into position and was ready to grab the rebound.

bang——

The basketball passed between Mo Wen and Melon's crotch and bounced lightly to the other side under the gaze of the centers of both teams. Camby's action of holding Tyson also became his shackles.

Faced with a shooting environment that was even more spacious than a training ground, Damien even had the opportunity to adjust his breathing and body direction.

Swah——

The shooting training of an "ordinary person" in the basketball world day and night bears fruit at this moment.

Mo Wen and the coaching staff's requirement for him on the offensive end is to shoot well from the three-pointers in the bottom corners on both sides. As long as he can perform at the level he performed at in training, the Supersonics can do 4V4 on the court. With three offensive stars in the Supersonics, there are opportunities no matter how they play.

Old Carl was getting a little restless.

When the corner three-pointer cannot be taken, and there are stars like Mo Wen who must be double-teamed, it is very difficult to defend.

The key is that the three supersonics stars all have shooting range, and Milicic also has a three-point shooting rate of nearly 40%.

They are all on the outside. If you dare to double-team them, they will leave open space. You can't ignore the basket either. Tyson Chandler, a 2-meter tall guy, doesn't have butter hands.

Turning around, it seems that defending the Supersonics is not much easier than defending the Heat before.

The players on the field didn't think that much.

Melon couldn't help himself when he saw Mo Wen easily got 3 assists while his revenge plan was still unsuccessful. He activated the superstar's special effect of asking for the ball (staring), and Miller had no choice but to hand over the ball.

Triple threat with the ball, and probing step with the foot extended!
He had already written the rest of the script - hold your breath as the breeze blows by, bend your body and chop down Mount Huashan.

But Mo Wen, who was standing in front of him, was not moved at all. He still kept a distance of more than half a step, with his center of gravity stable and motionless, waiting for Melon's move.

Melon wanted to wait for Mo Wen to get closer so that he could break through, but he raised the ball again and again and was about to shoot, but Mo Wen didn't come forward.

"I'm going to throw this three-pointer over your head right here!" Melon suddenly had an idea and taunted Mo Wen.

“There are 18 seconds left...17...16..." Mo Wen was unmoved.

The reason Bird dared to pretend was because he was the three-point king. Don’t you know what your level is?
Listening to Mo Wen's countdown, Melon couldn't hold back his expression.

Do you really think he can't shoot an open three-pointer? He trained in the summer!

whoosh-

boom--

The high-jumping rebound perfectly demonstrated the results of his special training.

Relying on his experience, Mo Wen was the first to grab the ball, thanks to his old friend for the rebound!

Looking back, Mo Wen, who never forgot the well digger, glanced at the melon and said, "Thank you!"
Melon, who was so angry that he was full of energy, didn't care about any defensive discipline and took the initiative to move towards Mo Wen.

Seeing Mo Wen using the same old trick of slowing down and pretending to shoot, Melon sneered and said he was not fooled. He would definitely not fall in the same place twice!
But the rapid sound of the soles of his shoes rubbing against each other told him that Mo Wen was serious this time.

It's only one step away, and Melon's center of gravity is still moving forward, which is enough.

Melon was filled with regret as soon as he pounced on it, because Mo Wen had already finished it.

The only value of him coming here now is to become the background of the top five goals tonight.

Swah——

10:2
"Do you understand? The most important thing about three-pointers is not to hesitate."

Patting Melon's shoulder, Mo Wen chuckled and turned back to defense.

"Carmelo's condition today is quite different from Mo. They don't even look like players of the same level." Barkley frowned in the TNT commentary room, somewhat worried about the Nuggets' game today.

"Let's wait and see. Both Carmelo and the Nuggets need to find their form. Excluding Carmelo's three-pointer, the Nuggets played well in the first two rounds." Kenny Smith shook his head, trying to smooth things over for the Nuggets.

As the Nuggets pushed past half court, Karl had already put his hands on his hips on the sidelines. The score difference had already reached his killing line.

If the Nuggets can't maintain their rhythm in this round, he will definitely call a timeout.

Although Melon was very angry, he regained his senses when he saw Old Carl's dark face. After all, he was a fourth grader and would not lose Litchi so easily.

Everyone has their own strengths, and the same applies to the team.

The advantage of the Supersonics is their three-point shooting, while the advantage of the Nuggets is their impact and control of the frontcourt boards. There is really no need to compare your own weaknesses with the opponent's strengths.

Seeing that Anthony was no longer impatient for the ball, Andre Miller breathed a sigh of relief.

In this round, Percy, who received the ball at the front, was blocked by Damien's single defense. Pocy did not force the shot, but turned around and sent the ball again.

Miller held the ball on the outside, waited for his teammates to set up a double pick-and-roll at the free throw line, and immediately started running according to the tactics.

Posey ran out of the open space with the help of a screen and received the ball. When he saw Mo Wen switching defense, he immediately passed the ball to Melo on the other side.

Looking at Ray Allen who switched defense in front of him, Melon regained his confidence.

If I can’t beat the foreigners, can I still beat you?
Brother Ni, die!

Historically, after Ray Allen moved from the Supersonics to the Celtics and began to focus on defense, there was a leap forward in defense. The defensive efficiency jumped from over 200th in the league to 30th in the league (all positions), which shows how great his potential is.

But potential is just potential after all. It is only the beginning of the season, and the only area where Ray Allen can show obvious improvement is his defensive attitude.

But for the holding-your-breath Anthony, lack of ability and a serious attitude would not be enough.

The back-to-the-basket attack that was ineffective on Mo Wen turned out to be surprisingly effective on Ray Allen. After just shaking his shoulders twice and turning around, Ray Allen had already lost his defensive position on him.

Facing Tyson's backup defense, Melo was not afraid. He used his waist and abdomen to make a beautiful pull-up shot to avoid the block, twisted his body and spun the ball into the basket.

After all, this is the first season that Melo is close to the scoring title. You can doubt that he is not efficient enough, but you cannot doubt his strength.

"Hmm?" Melon, who thought he was very handsome, raised his chin towards Mo Wen.

Mo Wen raised his eyelids but didn't say anything. Who would want an adult to compete with a child?

In this round, Mo Wen did not give any instructions. Milicic and Tyson Chandler completed an inside screen in the paint area and created an open space in the mid-range, and Mo Wen passed the ball in.

Milicic is not only capable of catching dunks and shooting. After faking a shot to trick Martin and Camby out, he used a ground pass to send the ball to Tyson under the basket.

Tyson easily ate the ball without any pressure, and even added some fancy moves, such as a back dunk.

12:4
Just as Tyson was beating his chest excitedly, old Carl finally couldn't help but call a timeout.

On the offensive end, the Nuggets can use the excuse of finding their form and touch, but on the defensive end, they have no excuse for allowing the Supersonics to score easily in a row. Even if he is not the kind of coach who likes to focus on defense, he can't stand losing points in such a simple way.

He repeatedly reminded the players to stay focused before the game, but within less than 3 minutes, the Nuggets made mistakes one after another and did not behave like an NBA team against the SuperSonics.

"Is this the magic of FMVP? I really can't believe that we can play so easily in the Nuggets' home court." Sonics radio commentator Calabro exclaimed, "Everything seems to have become simple. There are no crazy three-pointers and fast breaks that make people worry. Almost every ball is shot in an open position. When did the Nuggets' defense become so fragile?"

The Nuggets' defense is not that strong. Last season, their team's defensive efficiency ranked 18th in the league. But if you say they can't defend three-pointers, it's okay. No one can stand their inside line being penetrated again and again.

After the timeout, there were no personnel changes, but after being baptized by Karl's saliva, the Nuggets players became visibly serious.

After Andre Miller dribbled the ball forward again, without waiting for other teammates, he made a cross-run with Melo and found Mo Wen in a "mismatch".

Miller attacked Mo Wen for several consecutive rounds until he was forced to the baseline by Mo Wen. He then passed the ball to Melo who was circling with Ray Allen.

Melo had an absolute advantage over Ray Allen in terms of height and weight, and it didn't take much effort for him to throw Ray Allen to the side, then made a "horse-riding archery" shot before Tyson could make up for it.

Back on the defensive end, the Nuggets still used man-to-man defense tactics, but the distance was half a step larger than before, and from the perspective of space, it looked like a double team defense.

But when chasing the pick-and-roll, both the rotation speed and the speed around the pick-and-roll are a bit faster.

Old Carl grasped the key point. He would rather let Mo Wen make a relatively easy top shot than let him help his teammates create that kind of simple offensive opportunity.

Mo Wen also saw the intention of Old Carl's arrangement.

To put it bluntly, this tactical approach is a milder version of the Jordan Rule.

Don't let Mo Wen lead his teammates, and then bet that Mo Wen alone cannot kill the game.

However, with the Mavericks' tragic finals experience before them, they didn't dare let Mo Wen really fight one-on-one to the end.

After all, it is the opening game at home. Regardless of the outcome, it would be a loss of face if the stars of other teams could score high points at home.

The result was reflected in the first half of the first quarter, when they let Posey defend Mo Wen one-on-one, and only took a shot to help delay the game when Posey failed to catch up with the pick-and-roll.

Posey is an excellent defender, but both in terms of talent and experience in matching up with top players, he still has a certain gap with defensive-level defenders. Even if the referee gave him a more lenient whistle allowing him to use larger-scale moves against Mo Wen, it couldn't make up for it.

Mo Wenxia insists on exercising not to maintain his condition, but because he really has room for improvement physically.

After last season, his physical potential has been fully tapped, and the offseason training is to realize his talent, although it is very slow and the progress is smaller than in previous seasons, but progress is progress.

In terms of physique, he is no worse than the young James during the draft, but he is used to the technical style of play, and in order to avoid injuries, he has always been low-key.

Unless Percy displays the defensive intensity of a "bad boy," he will be nothing more than a dish that requires two more processing steps.

When Mo Wen scored 10 points in the second half, the Nuggets players started to double-team him again, using a one-on-many defense method to rotate and defend his teammates.

In terms of effectiveness, the Nuggets' defense in the second half was a little more successful.

First, it limited Mo Wen's scoring. Second, the Sonics players did not have such a deep understanding of each other before. When the ball was transferred to them, they would still make mistakes or fail to convert the 2-to-1 advantage into opportunities. Delaying for a while would allow the Nuggets to complete the rotation and re-establish defense.

Moreover, the Nuggets' problem is not only on defense, the most important thing is that their offense is not as sharp as expected.

It is true that the speed is faster than the speed of sound. As long as you can keep up, it can have a harassing effect.

Melon can get rid of Mo Wen's defense through pick-and-roll, but the problem is that the pick-and-roll is performed when the speed is slowing down and the position is getting into position. He can't get the benefits of fast breaks and can only grind in the position.

Andre Miller's nickname is Karen Mok, and his name is very similar to Mo Wen, but he is not Mo Wen after all.

Coach Carl has not sat down since the first timeout. He can't wait to leave the coaching area and guide the players like a referee.

But as active as he was, he still couldn't prevent the Nuggets from falling behind by 11 points in the first quarter.

Supersonics 36:25 Nuggets.

On the other hand, Coach Hill has been cosplaying as a Zen Master since the beginning of the game... Oh no, now it should be more appropriate to call him Big Van.

Watching the Sonics' orderly performance on the court, Hill felt gratified but also a little lost because he couldn't find his own sense of existence.

[Should I do something?]

[No, it's good enough now. If the effect is not good after the change, it will definitely be my fault! ]

[What should I say during the timeout? Seeing that every time the players made a mistake, Mo Wen would give them some advice, so what else could he say? ]

[Do I have too many timeouts? If I don't call a timeout, will the fans and the boss think I'm incompetent? ]

Not to mention, the way old Hill looks in front of the camera with his brows frowning and deep in thought really looks like a famous coach.

"Please arrange the second quarter, coach."

The score difference was quite large, and in order to avoid entering garbage time before the fourth quarter, Mo Wen planned to take it easy, giving his teammates more training opportunities and also saving face for Carmelo.

In terms of physical strength, he would have no problem playing the entire game at this intensity.

With his experience in dungeons, he can play the game with tacit cooperation appropriately, which can provide his teammates with a better training environment while giving himself more playing time.

If the score difference is widened too much at once, it is easy to destroy the opponent's morale and enter garbage time. Giving them a little hope of resistance and letting them maintain the fighting spirit to catch up can maximize their value.

Mo Wen is a very real person. After the torture of the copy, he may not love basketball so much, but he still likes data.

Who doesn’t like to have others admire their greatness?
On the Nuggets bench, Anthony had a towel covering his head, looking a little depressed.

It seemed like he lost again, and again without an excuse.

Although there were still three quarters left in the game, based on the skills and abilities shown by Mo Wen, no matter how hard he tried to be stubborn, he had to admit that Mo Wen was indeed better than him.

But 58’s family feud and national hatred cannot be let go.

He could accept that he was slightly worse than Mo Wen, but he could not accept that Mo Wen would lose to him after going solo.

"Let's fight them, let's focus on offense. Anyway, this is our home court and we have the advantage." Melo couldn't help but interrupt when Carl was explaining the tactics.

George Karl frowned, thought for a moment, and nodded.

If old Nelson just likes to conduct offensive experiments, then he really likes crazy offense.

If it weren't for the few simple goals scored by the Supersonics at the beginning that raised his blood pressure, his main consideration now would definitely be the offensive confrontation.

Back in the second quarter, the Supersonics made a four-man rotation, with Earl Watson replacing Mo Wen, Gay replacing Damien, Francisco replacing Tyson, and Millsap replacing Milicic.

The Nuggets simply replaced Martin with Nene and Boykins with Karen Mok.

"How much does the Sonics' rotation look down on the Nuggets? Four players are replaced and four are replaced, including two this year's rookies and a marginal player." Barkley was also amused when looking at the Sonics' rotation. It was the Nuggets' opening game, so you at least kept one more main player to show your respect. Isn't it a slap in the face to keep only Ray Allen?
The Nuggets players couldn't help but feel angry when looking at their opponents. They were going too far.

The score difference is 11 points after the first quarter, do you think it is stable?

The game resumed and the Nuggets took the lead soon after. After a breakthrough and attracting the defense, Melo passed the ball to Nene. Nene took advantage of his height advantage and scored a layup over Millsap.

The Sonics' bench lineup seemed to have found the fast break key that was suppressed by Mo Wen, and they started a fast break in the first round.

The talent of the players on the Supersonics field is definitely worse than that of the Nuggets, but except for a few centers in the team, almost all players wearing Supersonics jerseys can shoot three-pointers. Even Gay, who is famous for his talent and one-on-one plays, has three-pointers in his original system.

Not to mention the taboo technique of "chasing three-pointer", ordinary three-pointer can also play a great pulling role in fast break.

When defending against a fast break, people will usually subconsciously go to the basket, but if a three-point shooter avoids the crowd and rushes to the bottom corner, should the defender follow him or not?

If you don't follow, you may be penetrated by the three-pointer in the corner. If you follow, it will leave space for the main breakthrough player.

But the gap in strength still exists after all.

Even though the substitutes failed to make accurate three-pointers, the score difference was still narrowed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

With 5 minutes left in the second quarter, the Nuggets finally managed to overtake.

The fans at the scene burst into warm cheers. It was hope. They saw hope!

Mo Wen had a smile on his face and patted the people next to him who had been resting for a long time.

"Have you rested enough? It's time to let them experience disappointment again."

Coach Hill also breathed a sigh of relief. When the score difference narrowed to 5 points just now, he wanted to change the starting lineup. However, Mo Wen insisted on delaying for another two minutes and waited until the opponent was overtaken and the momentum was rising before he was willing to play again.

Is this a challenge that you like?

When George Karl saw the Sonics' starting lineup return to the court, he quickly replaced them with Martin and Miller, using the entire lineup against the entire lineup.

But Mo Wen did not keep Ray Allen, but kept Gay on the court. Although it was Gay's first appearance, he did not have the nervousness of a rookie.

Historically, Gay played three overtimes against the Knicks in his first game of his career, and he also had a good performance in the last overtime, which shows that he has a big heart.

Looking at Mo Wen's gentle and confident smile, the Nuggets players quickly came out of their excitement.

Although Anthony was very tired, he still urged the referee to start the game quickly.

Because when he looked into Mo Wen's eyes, he could clearly feel the Nuggets' morale fading.

Just when the home fans were expecting the home team to make a strong effort and take down the Sonics' starting lineup -

"I'm sorry to tell Nuggets fans that the pace of the game is back in the hands of the SuperSonics. They played well against the Sonics' substitutes, but they were still helpless against the Sonics' starters."

"Carmelo broke through the restricted area. Oh, be careful, Tyson Chandler rushed out from the side and blocked his shot. What a pity. If this shot had been made, they still had a chance to keep the point difference within double digits before the end of the half."

"The first half is over, let's take a break and watch a commercial - gooooooal! Oh my god, Mo's long three-pointer at the buzzer actually went in. Wait for the commercial, director, I want a replay! I remember this shot was made before the buzzer, let's confirm it again..."

After the halftime break, Mo Wen played for half the game with the starting lineup, widening the score difference to 18 points, and then replaced the substitutes as usual to help the Nuggets catch up to 12 points. Finally, in the fourth quarter, Mo Wen came on the court again, leading the team to widen the score difference to 20 points, and raised his own score to 40 points before leaving the game satisfied.

At the end of the game, the Nuggets finally narrowed the gap to within 10 points.

此役莫闻22投16中，三分7中5，罚球3中3，高效砍下40分12助攻7篮板2抢断；

同队的雷阿伦18投9中，三分8中4，加罚球4中3，拿下25分5助攻4篮板；而米利西奇也砍下了20分9篮板，差一个篮板就能完成两双，剩下的人中，泰森靠着吃饼拿下了11分12篮板2盖帽，达米恩8分5篮板；盖伊6分2篮板……

On the Nuggets team, Melo's stats were also impressive, with 32 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block and 1 steal, but Melo didn't look happy at all. Instead, he followed James' example and didn't participate in the post-match handshake. He was anxious to go home and watch the game video.

But Mo Wen had no intention of letting him go and chased him all the way to the Nuggets home locker room.

I'm in a favorable situation, why are you not letting me take advantage of you?
What? Like a child.

What do you know? This is called a childlike innocence, a pure heart!
"Hey, Carmelo, I'm here to exchange jerseys with you. Where were you just now? Your teammates said you were in the locker room. Are you hiding in the locker room crying...eh?"

When Mo Wen stuck his head out, he saw a familiar scene.

Melo was wearing boxing gloves and punching like crazy in front of a sandbag with his portrait on it.

Noticing someone coming behind the door, Melon stopped what he was doing.

Look back slowly.

Those were a pair of red eyes.

"You actually dare to come to me?!" Melon said word by word from between his teeth.

"No... calm down, Carmelo... I just came to exchange jerseys with you." Mo Wen raised the jersey in his hand to show his innocence.

"Fuck you, once you enter this door today, don't even think about getting out." Melon bumped his boxing gloves, his anger already building up.

bang——

The door was shut tightly, but it was Mo Wen who shut it.

"If you have a face protector, I suggest you wear it. If you have a second pair of boxing gloves, I suggest you give them to me. If you don't have insurance, I suggest you buy one over the phone now... Also, you can call the hospital to reserve a bed."

click-

Mo Wen turned around and locked the door from the inside.

"Okay, I'll give you five minutes to prepare. As long as you beat me, I'll let you out. I don't know why you want to fight me, but I'm happy that there's finally someone other than Dake to play with me."

As Mo Wen spoke, a perverted and excited smile appeared on his face.

"No...you you you you." Melo felt as confused as he was on the court. Isn't this his home court? How did he get into your rhythm again?

And what's with that perverted smile on your face? Stop smiling, I'm a little scared...

Suddenly, Melon finally remembered the difference in fighting power between the two.

"What are you doing? Don't come over here. If you come over here again, I'm going to scream. I'm going to call someone!!!"

"Fuck, fuck, I don't want to play anymore, I want to go home, let me out!!!"

j
(End of this chapter)