FWF Chapter 328 Now is the time for a fierce battle!
Chapter 328 Now is the time for a fierce battle!
General Johnson paced back and forth on the sidelines, trying to use his quick reflexes as usual to direct the players' defensive setup.
The speed of sound is certainly faster than Mo Wen's speed, but the Mavericks players are not simple remote-controlled cars that can perform corresponding actions simply by issuing commands. Moreover, under Mo Wen's high pressure, it is questionable whether they can even hear and understand the general's commands.
Josh Howard unsurprisingly replaced Devin Harris in front of Mo Wen. He has been in good form recently. In the game against the Jazz a few days ago, he played superhumanly, scoring 47 points on 14-of-19 shooting and 17-of-17 free throws, breaking his own career scoring record, when Nowitzki turned into an ice-cold shooter.
The relationship between offensive and defensive states is like that between a Big Mac and No. 42 concrete – they are mostly irrelevant.
Facing Howard, Mo Wen stopped taking a barrage of three-pointers and instead increased the frequency of his dramatic changes of direction, to the point that Howard couldn't keep up even without a screen.
Looking at the erratic center of gravity, the nimble twisting wrists, and the ankles whose direction was always unpredictable, Chou Huo felt no sense of the beauty that Mo Mi admired; he only saw instruments of torture.
On TV, fans only saw Mo Wen perform two between-the-legs dribbles to break through and successfully get past his opponent.
Howard's actual experience was this: a lateral move to pull the ball in, a crossover dribble, a sudden stop, a spin move, a backheel turn, and a straight drive – incidentally, he only figured this out after reviewing the game.
Seeing that Mo Wen was in top form, the home referee also wanted to control (balance) the situation on the court. Both Harris and Ugly Howard were given the right to touch, but against top-level ball control, touching only made Mo Wen more sensitive and clear about their defense.
As for competition, Mo Wen is least afraid of competition now. The arrival of his mother and mother-in-law has turned Mo Wen's villa into a model home. The excitement of becoming a father, abstinence, and the deep sleep mechanism have made Mo Wen's physical strength more abundant than ever before. Not to mention, he has also begun to regain some of his passion for playing ball.
Fortunately, Harris didn't completely leave him to face Mo Wen alone after the switch, and Mo Wen didn't have the idea of destroying the Mavericks by himself, so the rest of the SuperSonics started to play.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was SuperSonics 42-24 Mavericks.
The scores on the scoreboard were very symmetrical, and the atmosphere between the two teams was like night and day.
The joy of the previous victory was quickly forgotten, and the Mavericks players recalled the fear of being dominated by Mo Wen. Cuban, who always liked to participate in the team's work, seemed to have matured and become a qualified, silent boss.
"That damn guy is probably going to score 50 points again," Harris muttered under his breath during the break.
“No!” Terry said in a low but firm voice.
Ugly Huo, standing next to him, glanced at him sideways, his eyes filled with displeasure. "Next time you're talking big, go and defend yourself against him for a couple of rounds first."
“I have a feeling we won’t make it to that point.” Terry’s firm tone turned into a wry smile.
All of the young generals' pre-match research and planning were rendered useless by Mo Wen's outburst, leaving them with no choice but to rely on basic tactics and instinct to deal with the current situation.
In the second quarter, Mo Wen only played half the game, scoring 21 points in the first quarter but only 12 points and 2 assists in the second quarter.
Before Mo Wen left the court, the gap between the two teams had reached 30 points. Fortunately, when the substitutes from both sides clashed, Terry broke out again and narrowed the gap to 20 points.
Many fans watching the game in China cheered for Terry, and the commentators even gave him the nickname "timely rain."
When Mo Wen left the court, they were genuinely worried that the Mavericks would be completely outmatched. It was rare for Mo Wen to be in such good form and still have the desire to shoot. If he were to score 40 points in the first half or three quarters and then call it a day, lunch would be really tasteless.
With 7 minutes left in the third quarter, Mo Wen asked Tyson for a screen and then called out Egg Skin again.
Having already been shot three times, Eggshell dared not gamble on whether Mo Wen's gun was loaded with bullets again, and stepped out defensively with wooden strides.
Josh Howard gritted his teeth and shoved Tyson to prevent him from cutting into the paint, but he breathed a sigh of relief and his feet followed Tyson to the side.
Mo Wen made no attempt to conceal his shot, executing a series of horizontal dribbles. Eggpi could see it clearly and simultaneously slid across the court while calling for Finley on the baseline to come and help defend.
Having played with Mo Wen for a year, Finley was experienced and didn't rush over rashly. Instead, he aimed at Mo Wen's possible passing routes and moved closer in small steps.
Before they could surround him, Mo Wen braced himself against Danpi, immediately used a spinning top to turn around, shaking off Danpi while also having Danpi provide cover for him.
Finley was completely blocked, while Mo Wen was already airborne in the paint, facing Nowitzki who was retreating, he changed his dunk into a twist, made a jelly layup, and scored off the backboard.
“47, Dirk,” Mo Wen reminded Nowitzki.
"Believe it or not, I was just kidding, bro." Nowitzki forced a smile.
"Are you kidding me?" Mo Wen feigned realization, then suddenly turned cold.
"Then I want to beat you guys up even more."
Mo Wen only accepts the seemingly stupid but actually malicious excuse of "it's just a joke" on April Fool's Day.
Even if he knew that Novus was just making his usual threats or that it was just a joke, he was too lazy to distinguish, understand, or communicate.
The strong don't necessarily have to humiliate the weak, but the weak must respect the strong.
The statement "You must respect me!" is not problematic; the problem is that those who have the right to say it don't need to.
Turning around, Nowitzki faced a double team and passed the ball to Terry. Terry shook off Ray Allen, took a half-step space, and made a floater that missed. The rebound was tipped out by Eggsy and was grabbed by Mo Wen.
The other four members of Supersonic rushed along the four lines, while Mo Wen did not rush forward. Instead, he slowed down at the center line.
The Mavericks got back on defense too quickly, and this time Terry, who was in front of him, even gave him three steps of space.
"Get back to defense, Jason! What are you doing?!" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the young general of Mo Wen's operation waving his arm vigorously.
Terry was a little confused when he heard the sound. He was quick to get back on defense, so why was he in such a hurry to get back when Mo Wen hadn't pushed the ball over?
By the time Terry came to his senses, Mo Wen was already standing at the Mavericks' logo.
The solid feel of Wilson's custom-made North American hard maple court floor forced a calming of his rapid breathing, and the feel honed through countless experiences was slowly released from Mo Wen's fingertips.
Terry stood there, stunned.
No matter how many times, his basketball philosophy couldn't understand this crazy choice.
There was still so much time to organize an attack, and his teammates were all working so hard to find opportunities, so why did you make such a hasty and hateful move!
Swish!
Not important anymore.
Mo Wen retreated to the center line, standing in the very center of the court. He first waved his hands, then spread them out, his expression becoming both helpless and amused.
It might seem a bit cheap, but right now, it's quite impactful.
The SuperSonics' substitutes on the sidelines all jumped up, while the Dallas fans in the stands looked like a movie that had been paused, with all sorts of poses and expressions of utter disarray.
The director on the sidelines adjusted the camera focus and switched to a wide shot at the right time.
The scoreboard shows 50 points, Mo Wen stands with his arms outstretched, the Mavericks logo is at his feet, and the home fans strike the classic inverted triangle pose.
At this moment, art has been created.
"God, why? Did you send him to punish us?"
"This is so fake, am I watching some kind of movie?"
"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!"
"Screw it, I'm not watching this game anymore!"
Meanwhile, Seattle fans and fans in China who were watching the live broadcast on TV felt like they were about to fly away.
"Oh my gosh!" Xu Jicheng exclaimed as if he had tasted the most exquisite delicacy. "Coach Zhang, what I'm saying is, was this play reasonable?"
"To be honest, it's unreasonable, but at Mo Wen's level, he no longer needs to worry about whether it's reasonable or not. He just needs to have fun. Whether it's the NBA or anything else, basketball games are no longer a competition for him; they're purely for entertainment!"
He's still in the commentary room now; if he were watching the game at home, he'd probably have a couple of drinks.
Having played basketball and watched games for so many years, he has a clear understanding of the gap in basketball skills between domestic and foreign players. He used to think that he would be satisfied if there was a player like Yao Ming who could establish himself in the NBA. He naturally had to catch up with the gap in all aspects slowly.
Who would have thought that Mo Wen, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, would appear? The Jade Emperor couldn't control the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses, and God couldn't control Mo Wen.
Yes, that makes sense!
Cuban, standing on the sidelines, grimaced. If there was anything worse than the second-place team in the Western Conference falling in the first round last season, it was now.
Painful memories from the past surfaced in his mind, and he finally realized one thing: as long as Mo Wen wanted, he could get any points he wanted from the calf.
This feeling of being controlled created an unprecedented sense of frustration and shame for the owner, who was used to being deeply involved in team affairs and controlling everything.
Even if this Mavericks team makes the playoffs, can they really beat this man in front of them?
He invested so much money and effort into the team not to show off in the regular season, but to win the championship.
If the current team composition is destined not to win the championship, what should he do?
In despair, a murderous intent surfaced in his eyes, and the dark-skinned little general on the sidelines seemed to be glowing with red light.
Ugly Huo called a timeout. The guilt of not being able to stop Mo Wen had long been buried in his heart because he was used to it. Now he was more resentful, resenting the coaching staff's shitty defensive arrangements. Why did they arrange for me, a piece of trash, to face the MVP? Couldn't you have changed someone or assigned more people to defend him?
Under the watchful eyes of many, the young general lowered his brows and slightly raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile that suggested a life of hardship.
“Okay, I think we need to change our tactics… I need you guys to keep up your usual offensive style, and then, no matter how many people you use or what methods you use, stop that damn guy.”
Looking at his proud five-point offense on the tactics board—five starters taking turns attacking one-on-one—he suddenly realized he was wrong, terribly wrong.
Basketball requires five players to start a game, but it doesn't require five players to attack. Having one dominant offensive player is far more feasible than having everyone be a force to be reckoned with.
After the timeout, the last suspense of the game finally dissipated. Mo Wen was like an oxygen atom in a water molecule, always surrounded by two hydrogen atoms. Whether he had the ball or not, his scoring was temporarily suspended, but the other SuperSonics players entered training mode.
Ray Allen, enjoying the wide-open shot, complained to Terry, who was chasing him down, "You guys have let him score 50 points before, why are you reacting so strongly?"
Terry's lips twitched; he wished he could punch Bangbang a couple of times.
You think you're so great, so high and mighty? You should at least look at the time. The third quarter isn't even over yet.
In the final score, the SuperSonics won 96-122, a narrow victory of 26 points, successfully avenging their loss to the Mavericks.
而莫闻独得57分10助攻7篮板，将自己快要跌出30的场均得分重新拉回到场均31分，继续领跑全联盟。
The main reason he didn't force himself to reach 60 points was that before the end of the third quarter, the Mavericks seemed to give up, giving him an absolutely wide-open three-pointer.
As it turns out, lying flat is indeed an extremely effective coping mechanism for Mo Wen. Once the fun of interaction is lost, Mo Wen's excitement level will drop quickly and he will lose his desire to participate.
He's been fed a lot of games every night, and then he's faced with a completely unresponsive, lifeless game, so he really needs to rest.
"I don't think we did badly. Mo scored 57 points tonight just because he wanted those points. It's cruel, but that's the fact, an unchangeable fact."
"Can you tell me which team in the league can limit Mo's scoring? No one. How many points Mo gets depends entirely on how many points he wants to score tonight. If we don't do that, then it becomes a situation where the SuperSonics can win as many points as they want."
"Although we lost, the team actually gained a lot. I think I have found a direction to further promote the team's evolution. Our goal is the championship. Wins and losses in the regular season are only temporary."
"If you're really from Dallas media, stop asking me if we're confident of winning next time. You need to show respect to the strong. At the very least, we will never give him a reason to be angry again."
After the game, the young general spoke into the microphone with an unprecedentedly gentle tone.
Cuban didn't immediately "kill" him, because it was just a regular season game, and 57 points was within the team's acceptable range. However, the patience he had gained from being runner-up two years ago had been completely exhausted.
……
After finishing his away game, Mo Wen returned home to find that his mother-in-law, Maria, had already left. She still had a lot of work to do at the TV station. After spending two days in Seattle explaining her experiences during her pregnancy to her daughter, she decided not to disturb the young couple's life.
To put it another way, a mother-in-law who has lived a life of luxury since childhood and is almost 50 years old still needs a nanny and assistant to take care of her daily life. If she really wanted to take care of people with her own actions, she would probably do more harm than good.
On Paul Allen's recommendation, Mo Wen signed a contract with a professional nanny company, which provided a one-stop service including a professional butler, nanny, and private hospital, so he didn't have to worry about those trivial matters.
Mo's mother, who had flown in from afar, was still there. As an only child, Mo Wen could only obediently follow her lead. In the end, he could only go home a few times a year, and Mo Wen still felt quite guilty.
Fortunately, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law get along quite well. Both of them have good tempers, and their extreme wealth also prevents many trivial problems from arising.
On the contrary, Mo's mother had quite a few complaints about Mo Wen.
This guy is such a nice guy, his fiancée is pregnant, and he's keeping three other women at home.
Forget about the younger sister-in-law, but the sexy and alluring figures of the older sister-in-law, Catherine and Ruth, paired with their usual yoga clothes at home, made Mo's mother very worried.
Although Mo Wen usually keeps a close watch on things, the atmosphere at home isn't a place where one can always be on guard.
The day after they returned, before going to school, Tina, as usual, asked Mo Wen for a kiss after breakfast. Mo Wen, as usual, responded. Mo's mother, who was not yet used to eating with a knife and fork, stared wide-eyed for a long time before realizing that she hadn't seen wrong.
That's right, the good daughter-in-law who is acting as the older sister is still calmly eating across from her, while the one kissing her eldest son is the younger sister!
The people in the room quickly realized something was wrong. Fortunately, they were all high-class people, and after a brief pause, they continued their previous actions as if nothing had happened.
Mo Wen even pinched his half of his buttocks, just like he always did.
Back at the dining table, Mother Mo calmly and serenely inquired in Chinese.
"You bastard, do you even know what you're doing? Is this how I raised you? How can you expect me to live like this?! This ridiculous mess is so bad I wouldn't even watch it in a TV drama. Don't expect me to clean up your mess. I'll just have to put the family first."
“That’s your youngest daughter-in-law, Catherine knows that.” Mo Wen showed no remorse on his face, but rather a relaxed and open-minded attitude after confessing.
“I know, Mother,” little Catherine, sitting opposite her, replied in broken Chinese, her face slightly flushed.
"You, you...do you know what you're doing?" Mother Mo's eyes widened again.
“The three of us have a very good relationship and are truly in love, so you don’t need to worry.”
"...Do your father-in-law and his family know about this?"
“I will tell them when Tina comes of age,” Mo Wen replied.
"Huh? Good! Good! Good!" Mo's mother didn't know what to say. She had previously thought it was a pity that Mo Wen hadn't been found in China, but now it seemed that it was good that he was sent abroad and didn't harm his own compatriots.
He dares to play around like this when he's dating the governor's daughter; he can't even imagine how much money a grown man would have to spend back home.
"After the baby is born and a little older, if it doesn't work out, you can leave him in China, right?" Thinking about the governor's past films and his current status, Mo's mother felt pessimistic about her son's future.
“You don’t need to worry about that. I have a nanny, so you don’t need to bother taking care of the children… But if you want to take care of the children, there are opportunities.” Thinking this, Mo Wen glanced at Catherine and Ruth.
Noticing Mo Wen's gaze, Mo's mother felt a sudden darkness engulf her.
I'm tired. Let's destroy it, quickly.
……
On December 23, the SuperSonics will host the Warriors.
The Warriors finished the game 112-89, with 18 turnovers helping the SuperSonics secure an easy victory.
Yao Ming continued his consistent performance, scoring 24 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, leaving Tyson feeling utterly helpless. However, Baron Davis's absence due to a shoulder injury left the Warriors' perimeter defense leaderless, unable to organize a coherent offense and forced to rely solely on Yao Ming's isolation plays.
The Warriors' forwards are generally capable of handling the ball, but none of them can solve problems through isolation plays or connect the team effectively. Monta Ellis can execute plays methodically when he doesn't have much ball possession, but he starts to "Mamba-ize" when he has a lot of ball possession as a starter.
Mo Wen led the team in a full-court press, which the Warriors couldn't handle and kept losing possession. As the Warriors lost possession more often, they became nervous and their passing became clumsy.
Yao Ming kept running back and forth with the team, which not only exhausted his energy but also caused the score to fall further and further behind. He was anxious, angry and helpless.
After the game, Mo Wen was about to advise Yao Ming to take care of his health and not to push himself too hard in the regular season, but Yao Ming spoke first.
"Xiao Mo, you really need to take care of your health and avoid getting injured. It's too much of a hardship for the team if we don't have a good guard."
"My buddy plays every single game every year without a ban. But you, if you're not feeling well, you should rest. If you suffer another serious injury like the one you had two years ago, you might as well go to the Olympics, but you'll be crying then."
Mo Wen recalls that Yao Ming suffered a season-ending injury this year, and then the Rockets inherited Yao Ming's "legacy" and achieved an incredible 22-game winning streak.
Yao Ming has lost weight and played fewer games for the national team, which has reduced his risk of injury, but problems still exist.
Both Yi Jianlian and Wang Zhizhi are capable, but if he really wants to win glory for the country, he can't do without Yao Ming's assistance.
"Don't worry about that, I know what I'm doing." Yao Ming patted Mo Wen on the shoulder.
Yao Ming trains very professionally and diligently, but the NBA is just a profession; the 08 Olympics is his dream.
This year, he intentionally reduced his inside shots and increased his field goal attempts, aiming to reduce physical contact and stay healthy.
……
On December 25th, the warm California sunshine dispelled the winter chill, Christmas decorations adorned the streets and alleys, and Mariah Carey's singing voice flashed by as a passing taxi drove by.
Large promotional photos of the Christmas game were hung up outside the Staples Center early on, and Kobe unconsciously stepped on the gas and sped past as he passed by.
On the poster, Kobe's portrait is still the largest, but the one at the very front of the Lakers players has been replaced by the cunning young man with a charming smile.
But he didn't have time to dwell on those minor details today.
Mo Wen, a four-time champion, three-time Finals MVP, last year's scoring champion, assist champion, MVP, and Finals MVP grand slam, this season's league leader, and the biggest favorite for MVP.
As one title after another flashed by, Kobe felt a surge of heat throughout his body.
Compared to the pure hatred he felt when he faced Shaq in the Christmas game a few years ago, his current feelings are more complex.
A mix of emotions—appreciation, envy, jealousy, and longing—has kept him from calming down for the past few days.
He knew that today was just a regular season game, and whether he won or lost wouldn't have much impact on the final championship, but he just wanted to win, even more so than when he faced Shaq.
In a pre-match interview, Black Mamba looked serious as reporters handed him the microphone.
"This is a game we have to win. We have Jermaine, we have Chris, and we have the Black Mamba. We have no excuses for losing."
"It has nothing to do with MVP or All-Star status. I've lost to him too many times, and he's won too many championships. That's my reason: there can only be one winner in the league. That's the most important reason."
"Now is the time to fight!"
Meanwhile, a reporter raised a microphone and asked the same question to Mo Wen, who looked relaxed.
"Oh, I hope everyone has a great time tonight and a wonderful Christmas, that's all." (End of Chapter)