basketball never sleeps

Chapter 247 Do you really think we are players of the same level?
"Dear Mr. Zero?" Someone was knocking on the door in the corridor.

"No." The man in the room responded crisply. The people in the corridor were not surprised. They turned around and left with laughter, arm in arm.

Soon the surroundings returned to silence, except for the faint sound of a man's heavy breathing.

"301...302...303..."

In the room, Arenas gritted his teeth and did sit-ups. Every movement was very straight and he didn't show any sign of being lazy.

The hotel's floor-to-ceiling windows bring the bright lights and bustling metropolis into the room, and those temptations that ordinary people find hard to resist have rarely lost their charm.

It seems that only sweat and muscle soreness can fascinate this man.

Self-discipline is a story that most players are pursuing, whether it is true or false - Kobe at 20 a.m., James who has not taken drugs for years, Simmons who turns into a welfare girl in the offseason, and even Ray Allen has the legend of being a raw meat expert for years.

Most of the players in the circle know how much truth there is in those stories that amaze fans. In fact, most players need coaches to whip them up in order to motivate them to be professional.

Even the Chinese people, who are known for their hard work and tenacity, are no exception - if you dare to post 3 sets of jogging and 300 shots as recovery training, you deserve a beating!
Ordinary people can stick to the two-point-one-line study/work routine because objective conditions do not allow it (no money).

For the player group, except for those on the minimum salary margin, they can basically be regarded as winners in life with money, leisure and energy. If they have to suffer to become the best, then my success would be in vain.

But there are always some "fools" in this world. Their definition of success is different and their goals are different from those of ordinary people.

Arenas is known as a "great stubborn guy" in the eyes of his teammates. Except when he is in his hometown of Los Angeles, he never leaves the game hotel during non-game time on the road, and his entertainment activities are limited to watching DVDs and playing XBOX.

It is hard to imagine that Arenas, who will be like most black people in the future and play with abstract things, is still an "abstinence boy" at this point in time.

The power of self-discipline is also strong enough. After a brief period of confusion at the beginning, the Wizards relied on Arenas' superb performance all the way and now have a record of 12 wins and 4 losses, ranking all the way up to second in the Eastern Conference.

In the four games last week, Arenas averaged 4 points, 37 assists and 5 rebounds, leading the Wizards to a 4-3 record. The games they won were also very impressive, including the Heat, Nets and Cavaliers.

The situation was so hot that anyone who saw it would have to say it was terrifying.

Many people are paying attention to this game, especially several strong teams in the Western Conference. Everyone hopes that Arenas can break the Sonics' momentum at home, otherwise it would be too scary to let the Sonics continue to win like this.

The performance of the Supersonics this season easily reminds people of the time when the Heat were on a winning streak. The Heat players don't know how much pressure they were under during that time, but other teams will feel a lot of pressure just thinking about meeting the Heat.

Before leaving the hotel, Arenas took out a note full of creases and sweat stains from his luggage.

The note had the crooked names of players who were drafted higher than him. Five years had passed, and most of them had already left the league and their names had been crossed out.

On the back of the note were a few new names he had added. It was the player ranking given by ESPN, with 13 names on it.

"This time, I won't lose to you again." Arenas murmured, scratching a white mark on the name at the top with his fingernail.

……

The KeyArena is still packed tonight.

The team has done little marketing, but that can't stop the league's resources from flowing in.

The team that had rejected Mo Wen's outrageous proposal is now in a state of panic. If they had known that Mo Wen could achieve such results, let alone participating in the draft, they would have no problem using the boss's office as a locker room.

Several owners have expressed their intention to replace the team to Bennett, but Bennett has rejected them all.

Although he knew that the current development situation was getting further and further away from his dream of moving the Supersonics to Oklahoma.

However, he still couldn't get over the idea of ​​exchanging high-quality assets for low-quality assets.

He can lose money, but others cannot make money from him.

Old Hill prepared a lot of things for today's game, and emphasized and confirmed them with the players over and over again in the locker room.

It's ridiculous that the Supersonics broke the team's record with their winning streak at the start of the season, but Hill's reputation has deteriorated recently.

It wasn't that there was a problem with Hill's tactical arrangement, but the reason was actually on the Heat's side.

Because the Heat's record has not improved, the voices calling for Davis to be fired are getting louder and louder. Everyone thinks that Davis was able to become a championship coach purely because of Mo Wen, so much so that this suspicion has also spread to all the coaches who have coached Mo Wen.

Even Larry Brown, who had already retired, was dragged out to be beaten, and old Hill was also implicated.

Although old Hill is aware of his own weight and knows who is responsible for the current performance of the Supersonics, he still can't help but get annoyed when he sees people saying that O'Neal's grandmother is on the same level as himself.

Can O'Neal's grandmother remember the names of all the Sonics players on the same level as him?
Mo Wen cooperated very well and took the lead in listening to Old Hill's arrangements.

Information preparation, video analysis, and data statistics are definitely valuable. In Mo Wen's eyes, Old Hill does have the qualities to be a championship coach (second-generation Van Gaal).

Before the game, Arenas took the initiative to find Mo Wen and say hello.

Arenas: "You shouldn't have come to the West. Iverson is gone. You deserters have left me with few rivals in the East!"

Mo Wen: “…”

[Is it possible that I am just too boring in the East? ]

Arenas: "I heard that you are the favorite for MVP now. If I beat you today, will I have a chance to win this year's MVP?"

Mo Wen: “…”

[You still dare to covet MVP, I will not let you go. 】

Arenas: "Why don't you say anything? Let me tell you, I have studied your three-point shot and technique thoroughly. Your little tricks are quite useful. Today I will let you experience the feeling of being defeated by yourself, hahahaha!"

Mo Wen: “…”

【It turns out he is a fool. 】

As a kind reminder, Mo Wen shook his head and pinched Arenas in front of his eyes.

"See? This is the gap between you and me."

"So you also know that there's not much difference between us now." Arenas put his hands on his hips with a bit of pride. "It's okay, you left Dwyane, and Ray is not here today, so we can have a fair fight!"

I'm missing a teammate and you said it's a fair fight... Did you study journalism?

The players on both sides are in place, and the Wizards' lineup looks good at first glance.

Arenas, Larry Hughes, Peterson, Jamison, Brendan Haywood;
Except for center Brandon Haywood who is a bit "uncommon", all the other players are well-known heroes.

At the beginning of the game, Mo Wen also felt Arenas' improvement on the offensive end.

Before this, there were no strong enough three-point shooters in the league, and Arenas himself was already at the top level, so his subsequent technical improvements were all explored by himself. After Mo Wen's performance, it was equivalent to giving the world a template example, allowing Arenas to see the possibilities of the future.

Hill did not assign Mo Wen the task of defending Arenas. Now the Sonics' offensive organization is still relying on him. If he is asked to defend the opponent's offensive spearhead, he would really have no need to be a coach.

During the jump ball, Tyson was anxious to dribble the ball, and the Wizards center seized the opportunity and got the ball first.

Facing Earl Watson, Arenas, who had the height advantage, played quite decisively and concisely.

He started with a triple threat with the ball, and when he saw Watson's center of gravity change, he just pulled up and shot.

Arenas' three-point shooting has evolved to the point where he averages 9 shots per game this season, with a hit rate of 38%. He seems to have really learned something from Mo Wen last season.

The Supersonics are facing the Wizards' defense, and the challenge that Mo Wen has to accept is also very exciting.

Larry Hughes, who did not get injured and became a CBA teammate, plus Peterson, who is also known as a defensive expert, the Wizards are not inferior to the Pistons in terms of perimeter defense.

However, Mo Wen had no plan to continue shooting three-pointers from the outside with Arenas today.

The three-point thing is like the special effects in movies and TV shows. Special effects will definitely look better than normal low-level martial arts movies, but with too many special effects, the fight becomes a bunch of people making gestures - it's better to watch Ultraman, at least Ultraman knows how to really fight.

The Wizards' problem on the defensive end has always been the lack of good enough inside rim protectors and the overall lack of height.

Haywood is a blue-collar center of adequate size, but he is too heavy to run fast breaks, and doesn't match well with the other Wizards starters. When Mo Wen looked at the Wizards' information, he knew that his hips were going to be a big hit tonight.

I originally wanted to use two tactics as a team, but the Wizards used man-to-man defense, so Mo Wen could only start his own performance.

Seeing that it was Laricius defending in front of him, Mo Wen smiled evilly, picked up the ball and started fighting.

Mo Wen used his shoulder, back and hip to push the opponent. He didn't do anything tricky in this ball. He just relied on the skillful use of his body to push the opponent forward.

Not to mention that Larry Hughes weighs only 85 kilograms, which is 10 kilograms lighter than Mo Wen. In terms of muscle strength, the top potential obtained from the copy space and his years of physical training are enough to support him to compete with those geniuses who are born with supernatural powers.

Larry Hughes slid all the way to the basket, and finally watched Mo Wen's simple hook shot fly across the sky and through the net, feeling very confused.

No, this is a point guard?
Can this strength defeat a center?
Larry Hughes suddenly understood the sorrow of the outside players of the same generation as Magic Johnson: How could small players defend against players with the strength of a center?

Could it be that the so-called flashy style of play by Magic Johnson is actually the space created because everyone doesn't want him to use force?

After all, if you are beaten by a flashy style of play you can say that you are not as skilled as your opponent, but if you are crushed by a body then that is not a problem that can be solved by technology.

Larry Hughes looked helplessly at coach Eddie Jordan on the sidelines.

Eddie Jordan didn't say anything, but pointed at Peterson.

Peterson has 100 kilograms, the tonnage is sufficient.

But the problem is that Peterson's pace is much slower than Larry Hughes.

The Wizards had no chance for a fast break, and Arenas did not play a direct one-on-one. The ball was passed to his teammates, wasting some time. Then, at the 30-degree position at the baseline, he used a tentative step to break through and then back-to-back to get his first iron point in a cool way.

Mo Wen held the ball in a high position, and moved his left and right hands alternately under his crotch twice. Peterson felt beads of sweat on his forehead.

Because he and Bosh were teammates in the Raptors, he and Mo Wen had known each other for a long time.

At that time, Mo Wen, who had only played one summer league, was able to match him on equal terms in dribbling rhythm, not to mention that Mo Wen is now a recognized MVP-level player.

Peterson's steps were solid and there were no flaws. Mo Wen did not waste time either. He swayed his body and suddenly changed direction with a explosive ball. When Peterson's whole body was tense, Mo Wen paused for a moment while hanging the ball. Peterson felt as if he had entered bullet time and his consciousness stagnated.

bang bang-

Before Peterson could even take his second breath, Mo Wen had already crossed steps and rushed to the basket.

Facing the chasing Peterson and the recovered Brandon Haywood, Mo Wen changed speed again, like an old man strolling in the park, braked in two steps, and at a distance of two meters, he lifted his arm and wrist gently with his fingertips.

The ball also flew lightly into the clouds.

嗉！
Even the sound of the falling net became a little softer and slower.

"Isn't basketball a rough sport that involves punching and punching? Why do I feel like I'm watching ballet?"

"Don't confuse Mo with those rough guys. Mo doesn't play basketball, he plays art!"

"What Seattle people love is never basketball, but Mo, you know!"

The audience on the sidelines burst into exclamations.

Arenas' face turned a little dark. If the ball was dunked in, he would have regarded it as Mo Wen's answerball, but this kind of light and fluttery lob, like that of an old man in the park, made him feel that it was somewhat ignoring the humiliation.

The Wizards quickly pushed back, and Arenas didn't pretend to jump shot from the outside, but rushed inside again.

Milicic retreated in time, but Arenas also faked the ball. He grabbed the ball with both hands and pretended to pass it to Jamison, but actually took advantage of the time difference and jumped to hit the rebound.

Arenas pouted his lips and pounded his chest, looking as tough as if he had just completed a slam dunk.

Earl Watson helplessly raised his hands to his teammates to indicate that it was his own problem.

Mo Wen and Old Hill didn't mean to blame him.

At the 190cm tall combo guard position, in terms of offensive threat alone, Arenas and the future Coach Lee are at the same level. Arenas' back-to-the-basket and breakthroughs are better than Coach Lee's, while Coach Lee's long shots and pick-and-rolls are better than him. If they were in the same era, Arenas would undoubtedly be even stronger.

After all, Arenas doesn't need pick-and-roll. He can beat people with his hard penetration and back-to-the-basket tactics. Mid-range shots are the most valued ability in this era.

Old Hill frowned on the sidelines. Does that mean Mo Wen has to clean up the mess on the defensive end again?

Gay can't defend against Arenas' level of offense. Another small forward, Damien, is not as good as Gay in terms of footwork. And at the guard position, there is only Atkins, who is thinner.

"Three-two zone defense, double-team No. 0!"

After thinking about it, old Hill decided to give Arenas enough respect and shouted on the sidelines.

If Arenas had Mo Wen's organizational ability, he would accept losing.

The Wizards returned to the defensive end and served Mo Wen the meat sandwich amid Eddie Jordan's shouts.

Mo Wen performed a few seconds of single dribbling in the high position, and suddenly passed the ball directly to Milicic who successfully positioned himself in the inside.

Milicic leaned on Jamison, turned around and made a jump shot, relying on his height to succeed.

Turning around and facing the Sonics' double team defense, Arenas did not give up. He played an inside-out combination and passed the ball to Peterson who was smoking in the corner, who made a three-pointer.

In the next round, Mo Wen played pick-and-roll with Tyson Chandler in the middle, called on Haywood, and used a change of rhythm to break into the inside.

There was an empty inside lane, with only Mo Wen dancing alone. He made a three-step back dunk, and the score difference between the two sides was evened again, 8:8.

"Mo played very old-school today. I thought he was going to compete with Arenas in three-point shooting again." Kenny Smith laughed.

"Mo's three-point shooting ability doesn't need to be proven. His strength is not based on any weapon or offensive mode. If there is a chance, I would like to see him use mid-range shots to solve the game like Michael Dunk. However, with his shooting percentage, I estimate he will still be able to shoot from long range even if the league cancels the three-point line." Barkley sighed helplessly.

The competition on the court is still going on. Of course, Mo Wen cannot completely solve the problem with mid-range shots as Barkley expected. That would be too inefficient for him.

The Supersonics clearly scored one more goal just now, but the Wizards still tied with them thanks to their two three-point advantage.

Of course, 2-point shots are indispensable tonight. The advantage of the Sonics' lineup on the field still lies in the charge. They can charge on fast breaks and go to the basket in positional battles. Milicic has a height advantage, and Tyson also has jumping and wingspan advantages over Haywood.

Feeling that his teammates were beginning to get into the game, Mo Wen began to spur his horse.

Unreasonable long passes, alley-oops, and induced passes were a wanton waste of teammates' energy.

Arenas did not slow down the pace either, because fast break is also the Wizards' strength. Although Haywood may not be able to keep up, fast break does not require so many people.

It’s just that I don’t know who the Wizards learned this three-pointer from, but their hit rate is quite good. Even though the Supersonics had a clear inside advantage, they were still able to keep up the score.

It was not until the halftime that the Supersonics widened the gap to 3 points thanks to Mo Wen's buzzer-beating 10-pointer.

The score between the two sides was an exaggerated 60:70.
Arenas, who scored 26 points in the first half, looked at Mo Wen on the other side, feeling somewhat unconvinced and confused.

Why was it suppressed again?

The Wizards were very accurate in their three-point shooting in the first half, making 16 of 7 shots, but they still couldn't withstand the impact of the Supersonics.

Mo Wen noticed Arenas's eyes and twisted his mouth.

Even in the future small ball era, when three-point shots account for one-third of the total shots of many teams, the truth that whoever controls the inside controls the world has never been shaken.

It doesn't matter if the center can't attack, but if he can't protect the rim well, then even the gods can't help. In the future, if the men's basketball team can allow opponents to hit 80% of the shots at the basket, it would be a miracle if they can achieve any results.

He played very well as a team in the first half, and only scored 18 points despite a good touch, mainly to save some energy as he wanted to focus on Arenas in the second half.

He didn't even want to give Arenas a chance to compete with him. Iverson was able to explode in front of him before because he really had trouble defending small players, but the little Arenas was still within his comfort zone.

If I don't give you a good beating, do you really think we are players of the same level?
(End of this chapter)