basketball never sleeps

Chapter 23 Give it to me - pull away!

After the game, Mo Wen was unexpectedly called to attend the press conference.

He has played thousands of games in the dungeon, but has never attended a press conference. In front of the camera, Mo Wen behaves like a young and meek boy.

Of course, he was just pretending!

The NBA is a mature business league. If you want to be successful, you must have a suitable personality.

In terms of business character design, Mo Wen learned from A Zhan before he won the championship. He acted in a high profile and behaved in a low profile. He was humble when he was not sure about internal matters and praised others when he was not sure about external matters.

Judging from how modest and shy Mo Wen was at the press conference, the U.S. media even ignored Mo Wen's previous conflict with Francis and praised Mo Wen as another "Chinese gentleman".

Several Chinese media present were also very satisfied with Mo Wen's humble attitude as the rookie Yao, and in subsequent reports, they also called him Yao Ming's "gentle, courteous, and thrifty younger brother."

Coupled with Mo Wen's green and gentle smile at the press conference.

This image should not be too realistic.

"Hahahaha, didn't those reporters watch the game? They actually said that you are a gentleman and you deserve to be a gentleman, hahaha!"

Billups held the newspaper and mocked Mo Wen.

"Chauncy, do you want to see who you're talking to?"

Mo Wen had the same warm smile on his face as in the newspaper, but his fingers made a clicking sound.

"Others are afraid of you, but I'm not afraid...cough cough...wait a minute...relax, I'm going to be out of breath!"

Back in the Rockets in the West, Francis was stepping hard on the newspaper with Mo Wen's face on it.

"Stop, stop, stop, my avatar is on it too." Dayao became anxious when he saw the photo of the machine hanging next to Mo Wen, and hugged Boss Fu again, just like in yesterday's game.

.

"Yao, don't stop me, my lungs are about to explode... ah what, there is your profile picture, wait a minute." Francis tore Yao's photo from the newspaper, then threw the newspaper to the ground and stepped on it

.

"Fake news! Idiot reporters, do you know what those idiot reporters say about your compatriots? Chinese gentlemen! I am a fake of their whole family, blind men without eyes!"

"And that despicable compatriot of yours, I will definitely expose his hypocritical mask next time I meet him."

······

After winning against the Rockets, the Pistons, who had won three consecutive games, seemed to have escaped the quagmire of four consecutive losses, but most basketball experts were not very optimistic about them.

The Pistons' three consecutive victories have all been at home, and none of the teams they faced were the weak teams that made the playoffs last season. In addition, the game was also very difficult at one point.

Overall, it doesn't have the temperament of a strong team.

The Pistons did not disappoint the basketball experts. They won one of the two games before Christmas, and the one they lost was against the Bucks, who had a worse record.

After Christmas, the Pistons lost to the Nets, the team that swept them in the playoffs last year.

Seeing that the winning rate is about to drop again.

The coaching staff, who had learned from the painful experience, analyzed the past game videos and finally found the reason for the Pistons' loss-Campbell started.

Elden Campbell is 35 years old this year. The shelf life of an inside player is inherently short. Both the burst and reaction of a 35-year-old inside player have declined a lot compared to when he was younger.

Although Campbell is very experienced, the inside line is not the outside line. The outside line has space for you to display your skills and give you room to pull. The collisions on the inside line are real physical combat.

Experience cannot help you withstand being hit from behind, nor can it help you jump higher.

When Billups and Mo Wen were chatting, they complained about Larry Brown's employment more than once. Okur's athletic ability is not strong, but he is much better than the 35-year-old Campbell.

Larry Brown just stubbornly believes that Campbell, who has 12 years of experience but his legs and feet are getting slower and slower, is better than Okur, who is young, energetic and has range.

It wasn't until he hit the wall that he decided to turn back and help Okur to the starting position.

And Mo Wen, after the "Chinese Derby", also used his mature and steady performance to get back the playing time he deserved after the preseason. His playing time was stable at 12 minutes, averaging 8.2 points, 2 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.2 assists per game.

The outstanding data of stealing 0.6 blocks.

Dumars also wanted to increase Mo Wen's playing time, but Brown refused to do so. If you let him use a rookie in some cases, you might as well kill him. In these 12 minutes, Brown was still at the 2nd and 3rd positions.

It took a lot of squeezing together to get the time.

After Okur was promoted to the starting lineup and Mo Wen became a regular rotation substitute, the Pistons' chemical reaction came as expected.

Just when everyone was focusing on the Big Four Lakers and the Pacers with the highest winning percentage, the Pistons secretly held their breath and went on to win 13 consecutive games, directly getting behind the Pacers.

The media and commentators who were originally not optimistic about the Pistons also changed their perspective——

"I knew Larry Brown would bring success to the Pistons!"

"After experiencing the pain at the beginning of the season, the Pistons now have a vague image of a king."

"Who else in the East can stop the Pistons?"

The longest winning streak this season is the Lakers' 10-game winning streak. Even if these 13-game winning streak is only achieved in the Eastern Conference, which is generally weaker, it should not be underestimated.

But the Pistons did not indulge in the sweet praise around them. Instead, they prepared for the next game as if they were facing an abyss.

Because of this game, the Pistons will face the Pacers, currently No. 1 in the Eastern Conference and No. 1 in the league, as well as coach Rick Carlisle, who has single-handedly built the current Pistons' basic lineup.

They are really going to give the Pacers a butt...

The Pacers are now 32 wins and 11 losses, and the Pistons are 30 wins and 12 losses. The two teams have played against each other twice before - the Pistons were double-killed.

The Pistons, their old club, would have their faces slapped to pieces by Carlisle.

Regardless of the momentum after the two teams met in the playoffs, even the team owner couldn't sit still. He was the one who drove Carlisle away in the first place. This slap was not so much a slap to the Pistons, but a slap to the Pistons.

on his face.

Therefore, the management and coaching staff gave orders to win this game!

···

"Mo, have you become stronger recently? Why do I feel that you are becoming more and more difficult to guard against?"

Looking at the basketball falling into the net bag, Billups, who was sweating profusely, signaled not to play.

"This kid's first step is to become faster, and his physical strength has also improved a lot. He is still young, compared to how he looked when he first came here. The speed of progress is scary when you think about it." Hamilton also said next to him.

"There's no point in making progress. In the eyes of the old man, he's just destined to be a substitute."

Mo Wen shrugged. He had long regarded real-life games as games, and the basketball copy every night was his main focus now.

User: Mo Wen ***Age: 20 years old

Height: 198cm ***Weight: 101Kg ***Armspan: 210

[Body attributes]

Upper body strength: 64↑(72); Lower body strength: 63↑(72); Coordination: 79↑(86)

Explosive power: 66↑(80); Straight line speed: 67↑(69); Lateral agility: 71↑(75)

Physical strength: 69↑(80); Recovery: 70(72); Injury resistance: 70(72)

[Offensive attributes]

Dunks: 64 (65); layups: 72 (79)

Close shot: 72 (73); mid-range shot: 74 (75); free throw: 82 (82)

Long-range shot: 64 (65); three-point shot: 67 (68); super long shot: 50 (65)

Breakthroughs: 69 (70); Post-ups: 66 (66); Movements without the ball: 78 (78)

Ball handling: 74 (74); Passing: 77 (77); Vision: 76 (79)

[Defensive attribute]

Defensive rebounds: 70 (71); Offensive rebounds: 62 (62)

Interior defense: 64 (65); outside defense: 80 (82)

Blocks: 67 (67); Interference: 82 (85)

Steals: 85 (88); Pass Insights: 81 (83)

Single defense: 80 (80); Assisted defense: 70 (70)

【Badge Column】

"Defensive Shock" (low level): Interfering with shooting will slightly reduce the opponent's shooting percentage, and the holder will slightly increase the probability of the ball holder making a mistake after defending closely.

"Circus Three-Point" (Low Level): Slightly increases the ability to step back for three-pointers

"Ten Cents" (low level): During half-court offense and defense, the carrier passing the ball can increase the shooting percentage of open shooters.

*****

Under the training of various copies, his offensive and defensive skills have improved the fastest, and his potential is about to be completely exhausted. In contrast, the progress of his physical talents in reality is extremely slow.

During the regular season, he doesn't have so much time to work alone, and the team's trainer will not give the players heavy training tasks. After all, Pat Riley treats players as "consumables" and has to train before the big game.

He is the only one in the league who has high-intensity training.

Mo Wen himself felt that he was slow, but his teammates who worked with him day and night felt that Mo Wen's progress was a bit outrageous.

Everyone's training time is similar. Mo Wen usually works out in the gym, and when running, Ben, Billups and Hamilton are also there.

How come Mo Wen can grow up so fast when everyone has the same amount of training?! Just because he is young?

Milicic has been following Mo Wen for a long time. He feels that he is a parallel import, which is not wrong at all.

How else to explain that Mo Wen, the last player in the draft, was not only stronger than him, but also improved faster than him.

"No more practice, no more practice, save some energy, we will play against the Pacers tomorrow night." Billups took a sip of water, with a hint of melancholy in his tone.

"Yeah, we have to face Miller's bad mouth again. It would be great if Larry went to coach the Pacers. With their personalities, only one of them can survive." Hamilton also recalled the pain in previous games.

experience.

There is no star guard in the league who is willing to meet Reggie Miller in a game. He is not strong but also has a bad mouth. He likes to play dirty but is arrogant. His dirty moves can still get a whistle.

He is a cancer on the court, as good as Larry Brown, a cancer on the training ground.

"Don't think about it. Carlisle can't come back. As he said before, we have to walk our own way in the future. Although Larry is too stubborn in some places, he is generally a qualified coach."

Ben also sat down on the bench here, his expression showing some nostalgia.

None of the old Pistons players will not miss the days when Carlisle coached. Although Carlisle was also strict, he would treat the players as players. He knew how to respect the players and also knew how to be reasonable.

But Larry Brown is different. The Pistons' performance has improved recently, but Larry Brown's attitude within the team is still bad. Players don't feel much respect when playing under him. They are like slave laborers. If they play well

That's right. If you don't play well, it's because the players don't work hard enough.

Even a player like Ben, who is deeply loved by Larry Brown, is the same.

······

It's night, and the Acegundo Training Center in Los Santos on the west coast is brightly lit.

Several "old men" who had nothing to do and a young man who didn't want to go home because of something had not left yet. They were watching the game in the players' lounge with another real old man.

"It's a pity that Jason (Kidd) and Scott (Nets head coach) had a falling out recently. Otherwise, I guess I would still play the Nets this year. If I play the Nets, it would be basically stable and there would be no need to study them.

."

The big shark was lying on the sofa muttering.

Several people in this room are officially the Lakers' "Big Five," four superstar players and the Zen Master in the middle.

"Don't think about that good thing. No team can maintain fighting spirit after losing to the finals twice in a row... This is our... experience that year."

Ma Long said bitterly, glancing at the Zen master next to him.

Zen Master was speechless and just stared at the TV. He also wanted to play the Nets again. This year, both the Pacers and the Pistons will be much more difficult to deal with than the Nets last year.

It is said that Jackson used the triangle offense to win 9 championships, created the Bulls twice, and the Lakers three dynasties once. However, people in the industry know that the triangle offense is only one aspect, and the basis for the Jackson team to win is defense.

When he was with the Bulls, Jordan's personal ability was so dazzling that it overshadowed their team's league-leading defensive level. The Lakers dynasty was also created by the "OK combination" who scored steadily and the whole team worked hard to defend.

The underlying law of defense winning championships has never changed from beginning to end.

Although the defenses of the two teams in front of him still have flaws, they are already very difficult to deal with. What's more, the Lakers have not integrated as he expected after half a season. Although the Big Four are scary, the Lakers have not yet.

The ability to crush everything.

"Would you like to bet on who will win this game?"

Gary Payton suddenly became interested.

"I'll bet a bunch of bananas, Pacers." O'Neal took out a banana from the fruit plate in front of him.

"I'd also bet on the Pacers on that bunch of grapes." Malone pointed to the grapes in the fruit plate and said. He was very optimistic about O'Neill. In fact, many people also said that O'Neill will be Malone's successor.

"Then I'll bet on the Pistons, so as not to choose the Pacers." Gary Payton said calmly. He took out the apples from the fruit bowl and placed them in front of him.

"I bet on the piston, emm, let's make the bet in the morning the day after tomorrow." There is no fruit in the fruit plate, but the unexpected Zen Master actually made the bet during the holiday.

Now the only "young people" on the other side of the room are left with no sense of participation.

"I'll bet you a bag of donuts, Detroit," he said coldly.

"What, you actually have donuts!" O'Neal's eyes widened and he slapped the table. If he didn't make this bet, someone would be eating alone.

(It was revealed that Shaq also had sex in August 2004, and the two have not completely broken up yet.)

"If you can train until 9 o'clock on non-game days, the nutritionist will also prepare donuts for you." Kobe said in a mocking tone.

O'Neal rolled his eyes and spread his hands forward.

"Take it out, Shaq can't wait to enjoy the victory donut now."

"Haha." Kobe gave O'Neal a blank look in response.

"Tch, stupid guy, you don't know that the name O'Neal represents a born winner. Only O'Neal can beat O'Neal." Shaq even rapped with a rhythm, but his rebellious little brother couldn't stand it anymore.

, just turned his head away and responded to him with silence.

Fortunately, the game has started on the screen, which alleviates the awkward atmosphere in the room.

At Conseco Arena in Indiana's Great Cornfield, the Pistons players received a warm welcome from the home fans.

Shh~~~

The coaches on both sides of the court looked at each other from afar. When the two teams are similar in strength, the game is their battlefield.

Pacers starting lineup: Ou, Jeff Foster, Artest, Reggie Miller, Jamal Tinsley.

The Pistons' starting lineup is still the same: Ben, Okur, Prince, Hamilton, and Billups.

After the start of the game, O'Neill pushed Oku to get the ball. Tinsley took the ball and waited for O'Neill to get into position before passing it over.

Big Ben fought hard against O'Brien, trying to push Little O'clock out of the perimeter, but still couldn't protect all the space when Little O's back hit. Little O found an opportunity to turn around and cut in, and sent the ball to the ball despite Big Ben's interference.

Got in.

At this time, O'Brien is worthy of being in the top three on the MVP list, and his singles steps inside have become quite skillful.

Looking back, it was difficult for the Pacers to guard against the Pistons' attack from the outside. Although Miller could still run, his 38-year-old body obviously couldn't compare with Hamilton's 25-year-old body.

Hamilton used Okur's screen to run out of a gap, received the pass from Billups in time, and hit a jumper.

Although both teams play team basketball and defensive basketball, the focus of this game is different.

The offense and defense in the first round were like a microcosm of the two teams in the first quarter, with the Pacers playing O'Brien and the Pistons playing Hamilton.

But the result is——

"The Pistons should make adjustments. Their main perimeter attack in the first quarter did not achieve very good results. Billups and Hamilton combined for 8 shots in the first quarter and only hit 2 of them. They didn't find anything at all.

Status. Haha”

The announcer at the Pacers' home court could hardly stand watching the score between the two teams in the first quarter.

"Of course, focusing on the inside might not be a wise choice for the Pistons. Ben Wallace and Okur made 1 of 5 shots in the first quarter, which is probably why Coach Brown was at his wits' end."

"The Pistons' defense did a really good job. They allowed the Pacers to only score 20 points in the first quarter. But unfortunately, they seemed to have defended themselves easily. They scored 9 points in a single quarter. I think this should be the lowest score in a single quarter this year.

Is it recorded?"

"Oh, of course, the Pistons still have wing attacks that they can try. Let's take a bet on whether Artest's defense on the second team last season is strong enough."

After the first quarter, Larry Brown's face turned black and he was blowing back and forth to the starting players who were coming off the field.

He was not angry about why the Pistons only scored 9 points in the first quarter, but he was angry about why the Pacers were not defended by the Pistons and only scored 9 points.

Of course, after getting angry, Larry Brown still forced himself to calm down. The Pistons must change now. If they do this again in the next quarter, there will be a big accident.

Prince, who didn't make a single shot in the first quarter, was shot first by Larry Brown.

"Mo, prepare yourself for when you go on the court later. Prince should reflect on it off the court first."

Prince lowered his head and said nothing. Under his defense in the first quarter, Artest made an efficient 3-of-5 shooting performance. His performance was indeed poor.

"You think Larry is blaming you for your poor defense, kid?"

Herb Brown is helping Larry Brown wipe his ass again.

Looking at Prince raising his head in confusion, Herb Brown turned his attention to the court again.

"What Larry blames is your fear, your avoidance."

"Everyone has tried, but you are the only one who has evaded your responsibility. If you still don't understand, you should take a closer look."

When Prince turned his attention to the court again, Mo Wen was already standing in a high position with the ball, and then made a gesture towards his teammates that they rarely used.

Here, pull it open!

(End of chapter)