basketball never sleeps

Chapter 83 Let the storm come more violently.

Watching Mo Wen cut through the Raptors defense with ease on the court.

Fans on the sidelines began to chant "Babcock out" sporadically.

Raptors fans can't figure out how Babcock thought of using the bargaining chip that could be exchanged for the talented Mo Wen in front of him to exchange for a high-paid veteran who was already in the decline period. The most annoying thing is the veteran who was exchanged.

Or as a substitute.

They also couldn't figure out why Carter, who signed a high-paying long-term contract with the team two years ago and declared that he would stay with the Raptors forever, was forced to trade by the management in just one offseason.

Mo Wen: "It's too soft. It's too soft. Can you be tougher? With such a tall body, you can play on the outside. No wonder your draft pick is lower than Dwyane's."

Bosh: "Bichi, if you can, just dunk on my head. If you can't, don't say anything. You are a clown who only hides behind your teammates!"

Mo Wen: "Idiot, I didn't go in because my teammates' offensive range was inside, and you didn't go in because you were afraid of Shaq, you coward!"

Bosh: "Fake, let's challenge each other."

Seeing the two people on the court talking trash to each other even though they were thousands of miles apart, the players on the court all showed slightly embarrassed smiles.

What was originally a good game atmosphere suddenly turned into a training match amidst the trash talk between the two.

However, if you look at the form on the field, it does look like a training match.

Halfway through the third quarter, the score between the two teams had already reached 20 points.

In fact, in the first half of the game, when Mo Wen defended the healthy Carter, who was still in his prime, on 2-for-8, the suspense was lost.

Carter, who has been determined to use negative games to fight against the management, started to mess up early, from 23+5+5 last season to 16+3+3 in the first ten games of this season.

At the end of the game, Carter, who played 30 minutes, made 3 of 10 shots, no free throws, and only scored 6 points.

Really scary.

It can't be said that it was an act. At least after losing the game, Mo Wen didn't see the slightest bit of unwillingness from Carter. It has to be said that Carter chose the stupidest way to force himself into the palace.

······

While the Heat won the game easily, there was also a strong and weak game going on in New Jersey.

The three Musketeers of the Wizards easily won this game, but Mourning, who played 35 minutes for the Nets, could only accept the fact that the team had lost seven consecutive games angrily and helplessly on the bench.

"You obviously don't have to play, Alonzo." Jefferson, wearing a suit, whispered to Mourning.

"Jason (Kidd) still needs two games to come back, and your body..."

"My body is fine!" Mourning said with a firm voice.

But after he finished speaking, he closed his eyes again.

He didn't want others to see the pain in his eyes.

Pain does not mean physical illness, but mental torture.

Long before the kidney transplant, the doctor issued a "death notice" to his career, but Mourning did not give up. Before the operation and anesthesia, he even begged the doctor:

"Please try your best to protect my body, I still want to win the championship."

Mourning does not believe in fate, because he is not the first to take the path of kidney transplantation and recovery.

In 1999, Sean Elliott reappeared on the court after undergoing a kidney transplant and helped the Spurs win the championship in the same year.

He wanted to replicate Elliott's path, but unfortunately, he picked the wrong team.

In the summer of 2003, he signed a four-year contract with the Nets, which had just lost the Finals, but who could have imagined that the Nets would decline so quickly.

Counting this game, the Nets have lost 10 games this season, with 1 win and 10 losses. The win in that game was still against the Bobcats who had just established the team.

This is not the scariest thing, because the Nets' core players Kidd and Jefferson are out of action due to injuries, so the Nets' poor performance is actually expected by everyone.

The scary thing is that Kidd, the real core of the Nets, already wants to leave because of the team's inaction.

Kenyon Martin, who worked best with Kidd, was traded by the team for three first-round picks, and it is still far away whether Carter, who the team promised to trade, can come. For a player chasing a championship, the Nets' behavior is

It seems like he's wasting his precious prime years.

Mourning has asked his agent to apply for a buyout with the Nets management team.

The Nets general manager agreed, but has yet to fulfill the contract and keeps hanging on him.

But Mourning did not play poorly or play passively. He still maintained a strong fighting spirit just like when he was playing with the Heat.

In the first few games, he dragged the patient's body to play like an iron man. His playing time was never less than 30 minutes, and the most playing time even exceeded 40 minutes.

He only has one kidney, which was a replacement from his cousin. No one would blame him if he wanted to paddle, or if he complained of illness even if he didn't play, but Mourning's professionalism and fighting spirit did not allow him to mess up on the court, nor did he.

I want to sit in front of the court wearing a suit like a sick coward.

He still played as hard as he did with the Heat, and he still suffered from multiple injuries like the Heat did.

After returning home in the middle of the night, Mourning's wife Tracy looked at the disappointed Mourning and sighed.

She didn't want to persuade him anymore. Mourning's family and friends had tried to persuade him countless times before he came back.

Before going to bed, Tracy, who was giving Mourning a massage as usual, was full of hesitation.

She had a piece of news in her hand, news that Mourning might find hard to refuse, but she didn't want Mourning to come into contact with that person or go back to that place again.

Mourning didn't notice anything strange about his wife. After chatting with her for a while, he stared blankly at his wife's fingers.

Or the ring on the wife's finger that symbolizes their marriage.

Tracy looked at Mourning, who seemed to be in a sluggish state, and felt a sore nose.

"It's just a ring, do you want it that much?"

"If I have 3 months left in my life, I will stay with you and the children, but if I have 30 years left in my life, I want to fight again. Forgive my selfishness, Tracy." Mo.

Ning touched his wife's hand and gave her an apologetic smile.

"That old bastard called home today, huh... ha..." Tracy took a deep breath, trying to suppress her complicated emotions.

"What did he say?"

"He said, Miami will always be your home." She gritted her teeth and finished the sentence almost the whole time.

The room was quiet for a few seconds.

"Ha...haha...hahahaha!"

"I knew it, I knew he would call me."

A big smile appeared on Mourning's face, and tremendous strength emerged from his tired body. He turned over and reached out towards the penetrating phone.

"It's already 23 o'clock." Tracy wanted to stop Mourning.

"He won't sleep. He won't sleep until he gets my reply. I know him too well." Mourning said confidently.

The call was answered almost three seconds after the broadcast.

"I thought you wouldn't call again tonight. You know, I've already consumed two cigars waiting for your call." Riley on the other end of the phone said in a rare humorous tone.

"You know, you're not supposed to call my home phone number," Mourning said.

"Maybe." Riley didn't explain anything. "How is your health lately?"

"Didn't you watch tonight's game? It was 16 points. Although we still lost in the end...after all, it was not as good as before." There was a little regret in Mourning's voice, but also a little bit of pride.

After all, Elliott averaged only 6 points per game when he came back, which was far worse than he does now.

"The Heat also have a game tonight...but I didn't watch it, but I watched your game all the way. You know, now that the Heat are playing teams in the Eastern Conference, I don't need to keep an eye on them." Riley was not nervous on the other end of the phone.

Said slowly.

"So you're waiting for my call just to show off to me?" Mourning said with a snort.

"Of course...no."

"That's enough! When did you become such a mother-in-law? Tell me what I should do, just like before!" Mo Ning finally couldn't help but shouted loudly.

"Wait, and then stay healthy as much as possible. If possible, I would like you to rest for a while. Being too dedicated when it is not necessary is actually not a smart decision." Riley said, with a smile on his face.

This may be the rare time in his life when he advises others to take a rest.

"The Nets won't let you go now because of the deal they have to complete recently, and they don't have many big contracts left that can be traded," Riley explained for Mourning.

"That's enough! Prepare the locker room for me!"

Mourning hung up the phone without saying anything more.

The next day, Mourning put on a suit and joined the Nets' injury team like Kidd and Jefferson.

"Right now, my body seems to be failing. For me, the only way to get better is to rest. My knees, my hips, my hands are all preventing me from performing normally. This

It has nothing to do with the kidneys, just an injury."

In front of the reporter's interview camera, Mourning said righteously.

He doesn't allow himself to mess up on the court, but he doesn't have to play.

······

Entering December, the Heat are continuing their dominance in the Eastern Conference.

The cooperation between O'Neal, Wade and Mo Wen became more and more tacit. Their division of labor was more reasonable than that of the Green Army's Big Three.

Historically, Wade played more of a point guard position this season. Although the self-proclaimed "first shooter in the universe" Damon Jones became a nominal point guard in the second half, he was limited by his slower speed.

, he basically has no ability to create opportunities to attract defenses. His presence can open up space, but it is limited.

Mo Wen was responsible for opening up the mid-to-long distance, and O'Neal was responsible for opening up the inside, and Wade's offensive talent was fully unleashed.

After three consecutive matchups between the Bucks, Bulls, and Grizzlies against weak teams, the Heat's record has reached its best 10-game winning streak in recent years.

On the other side, the Suns also won 8 consecutive victories with great vigor.

In the NBA commissioner's office on the 20th floor of a Manhattan building, Stern looked at the thunderclouds outside the window and licked his lips.

Let the storm come more violently.

(End of chapter)