"Truth! Truth! Truth! Truth! ”

The enthusiasm at the North Shore Garden Arena was ignited by Pierce's all-important two-plus-one, and fans all stood up from their seats and shouted the hero's nickname.

“ONE-ON-ONE？ It's really fun~"

Pierce looked at Chen Mu and chewed gum to shoot a free throw, although he failed to hit the free throw, but he had already forced the 76ers to the edge of the cliff.

72 to 66, the difference of 6 points is not big, but the whole 76ers team knows that it is time for substitutions.

“TIMEOUT！”

After another failed attack, Cheeks called a timeout, all the starters were off the field, and the players on the bench began to warm up.

"Alas......!"

Iguodala let out a long sigh, received the towel from the staff, wiped the sweat, and couldn't help but slam it to the floor.

"Four fouls, Andre can't play for the time being."

Cheeks maintained the calmness that a coach should have, and said with a sinking face: "Chen's playing time is already too long, and then the full bench lineup, find a way to attack the opponent, and see if you can find some points difference!" ”

"Hoo ......"

Sitting back in his seat, Chen Mu was also depressed, looking back at Iguodala, wanting to comfort but not knowing what to say, but in the end he didn't say anything, just reached out and patted his good brother's shoulder.

"The current lineup will stay until midway through the fourth quarter, and until then, the main players will have a good rest." Cheeks continued: "I know you're all anxious and want to get on the pitch as soon as possible to win for the team, but it's a tough game to play, so let's see how many points the bench can recover and then decide what the next game is. ”

Although there was an infinite flame in his heart, and he wanted to turn into Jordan and go on a killing spree immediately, Chen Mu knew that Cheeks' decision was correct.

The road trip was already very difficult, and although there were not many real strong teams against the opponents, the journey was too much of a toss-up. After this game, the team will fly to Indiana for back-to-back away games.

Even if the team can cross the "bones" of Indiana, there are Atlanta and Orlando waiting for these lads. Getting out of this road trip is almost an impossible task.

Soon after, the timeout ended, the game continued, and the 76ers bench without Chen Mu was no match for the Celtics. Perhaps at halftime, after drinking Reeves' "Chicken Soup for the Soul", the Celtics bench burst out with amazing vitality, and the young people who were originally disturbed by Chen Mu with targeted blows began to play orthodox team basketball.

From the perspective of offensive firepower, the firepower of the benches of the two teams is comparable, both have masters of chaos, and both the inside and outside lines also have enough scoring points against the substitutes.

But on the defensive end, the gap between the two teams' benches is too big.

Louis Williams, Willie Green, Carney, Bobby Jones, Amondson, most of these players are hairy boys, and three of them are rookies who just entered the NBA this year. Recalling his poor defensive performance in the first few games of his rookie season, Chen Mu really didn't have the right to ask these players to do more.

On the Celtics' side, Telfair, Scala Bryan and the like are not good defenders, but there are also physical maniacs like Gerard Green, who are expected to become top defenders, and Tony Allen, who is obsessed with defense and has a rather poor offensive means, roaming around, and his control on the defensive end is a cut above the 76ers.

"Are you going to lose this game......?"

Although before going to the away game this time, Chen Mu didn't think about how many victories he could win in the away trip, but every time he faced a loss, it always made him a little difficult to accept.

The game went on very quickly, and the fourth quarter was about to pass the halfway point, and the margin on the court had been stretched to 15 points, and the Celtics had a clear home advantage, and after Cheeks sent the starters to make some efforts, the difference did not narrow much.

Pierce was still unstoppable, and Jefferson found his groove in the slowing pace, scoring points for the team by eating Hunter in a row.

During this period, Iguodala even suffered another foul, and he was replaced by Cheeks without any suspense after five fouls.

With only two minutes left in the game and the margin still around 15 points, Cheeks chose to give up.

"It's all my ......!"

As soon as he returned to the bench, Iguodala stomped on the floor, his face full of remorse, and shook his head: "If I hadn't committed four fouls so early, maybe ......"

"It's useless."

Hearing Ai Jiang's self-blame, Cheeks sighed and shook his head: "Even if you don't have four fouls, it will be difficult for us to win, and I don't blame you for losing this game." ”

Watching Pierce make another mid-range shot on the court, ready to be replaced by Reaves amid the cheers of the fans, Cheeks said helplessly: "In this game, we lost on the point of not scoring consistently. ”

This sentence instantly woke up Chen Mu, who was comforting Iguodala, and raised his eyes to look at Cheeks, Chen Mu knew very well that the coach was not criticizing him, but just ......

It's just a little nostalgic for Iverson.

yes, it would be nice if Allen Iverson was still in the lineup!

If there is Iverson, Chen Mu will not be alone, the team will have more options for attack, and someone can use the speed of lightning in the scorching stage to compete with the kaleidoscope chewing gum and fight for the lead for the team.

How nice it would be if there was Iverson......

If there is Iverson......

"Chen, do you feel it?"

Chen Mu was immersed in the nostalgia for Iverson, but Cheeks spoke again.

"Feel the gap between you and the real core of the team?"

“…… Well? ”

Chen Mu was stunned for a moment, raised his eyes to look at Pierce, who was cheered by the audience, and the hero generally returned to the bench, replaced a chewing gum and continued to chew, and after a while, he nodded thoughtfully.

"It's good to feel it."

Cheeks turned his head to look at Chen Mu, his eyes were like looking at his own child, he was anxious, he couldn't bear to see the child grow into a superhero immediately, it seemed that the young man in front of him was too young to take on such a heavy responsibility.

"Judging from the data, you are definitely the core of our team now, maybe the core of the defensive end is still Andre, but on the offensive end, you are undoubtedly the absolute core."

Cheeks' words were echoed by the rest of the team, with many nodding their heads in agreement.

Old teammates such as Iguodala, Korver, Hunt and others, who have been by Chen Mu's side for a year, have deeply felt the magical potential of this Chinese boy, with Chen Mu as the core, they have no objections.

As for Carney, Armondson and others, they were specially "taken care of" by Chen Mu as soon as they entered the team, and even the first point in their careers came from Chen Mu's assists, even if several of them were actually older than Chen Mu, but they had no opinion on the argument that Chen Mu was the core of the team.

"I don't know if there will be any trades in the future, if there will be stars coming in and playing with us. But I'm sure Billikin, no matter how stupid he is, won't trade you away. It's fair to say that both from the perspective of the team management and from the perspective of me, the team coach, have tacitly agreed that you are the core of the future of Philadelphia, and there will be no wavering. ”

Cheeks continued: "So I'm going to put all kinds of tactics in place just to get the most out of you, so Cheeks will pick a player like Rodney in the draft to partner with you, supplement the wing strength and athleticism, and form your 'wingman group'." From these perspectives, you become the centerpiece and lead Philadelphia forward without any problems. ”

"The problem lies with you."

Cheeks' eyes flashed with a rare look of determination, and instead of watching the game on the court that had entered garbage time, he continued: "Chen, yourself, are you ready to become a superstar?" ”

Cheeks's words made Chen Mu silent, thinking of what the team and the coaching staff, and even his teammates had done for him, he really felt the team's trust in him.

Almost unlimited firing rights, every attack can use his own vision and attack power to open a gap for the team, Chen Mu's influence on the game process is increasing day by day, especially after having a certain ability to play alone, he has become the real leader of the team.

But does the current self really have the strength to support everything in Philadelphia?

Pierce has already chatted with his teammates on the bench, and Chen Mu can be sure that this season, the Celtics will return again, and they will not even have a chance to enter the playoffs, falling into the deepest abyss in recent years.

But a year later, the big deal will happen, and Pierce will have two superstar-level stars next to him to work with him. At that time, it will be the time to really test Pierce, whether he can still play his full strength and win for the team's gamble despite the reduction of ball possession, which is the biggest challenge in front of Pierce.

And I, Chen Mu from China, would I have such strength and confidence if I faced a similar situation?

won the MVP within three years, and the rhetoric has been released, but can you really do it?

In what areas do you need to improve, and how many days and nights of desperate hard work will it take to completely transform yourself and become the "absolute core" that all Philadelphia fans can trust?

How big is the gap between himself and Pierce?

In Chen's contemplation, the game was over, with the Celtics winning at home and the 76ers suffering their second loss on the road.

With 21 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks, Chen Mu's statistics are still gorgeous. Although Pierce scored 37 points on the opposite side, he was a big step behind Chen Mu in terms of rebounds and assists. Looking at the data alone, it's hard to see how much of a gap there is between the two sides.

But Pierce's domineering spirit on the court, the super courage exuded every one-on-one heads-up, and the unrelenting decisiveness at critical moments remained deeply in Chen Mu's mind and could not be erased for a long time.

"Chen, you played well."

The players on both sides shook hands and hugged each other on the field, and when they came to Pierce, Chen Mu heard the other party say such a sentence.

Looking up, Pierce's face was not that stinky look, and the gum in his mouth seemed to have been thrown away, with a serious face.

"Haha, don't be nervous, I'm serious, you played very well."

Feeling Chen Mu's sense of distrust, Pierce laughed and said: "With such strength at the age of 20, you can compete with me to this extent, and your future is limitless." ”

"It's not even close to you." Feeling Pierce's kindness, Chen Mu smiled bitterly: "If my offensive means are more abundant, I can be more energetic with you." ”

"That's not going to work~"

Pierce smiled: "I've played very well today, you forced the strongest me out, I haven't played like this for a long time." ”

Pierce pointed to his legs and continued: "You know, I'm injured, and you've seen our lineup this season, the playoffs or something, there's probably no hope. ”

"If I hadn't met you and Andre today, I'm afraid I wouldn't have fully played my full strength and played even one game so seriously this whole season. So, I have to thank you. ”

After some greetings, Pierce waved his hand and was about to leave, Chen Mu hesitated for a moment, and said loudly: "Paul, I have a question for you!" ”

"Oh?" Pierce turned his head, looked at Chen Mu lazily and asked, "What's the problem?" ”

"You're the core of the Celtics, I'm the core of the 76ers, you can score, I can grab rebounds, I can do a lot of things. Where is the gap between us? ”

Hearing Chen Mu's question, Pierce was stunned for a moment, then opened his mouth with a smile, looked Chen Mu up and down, and thought for a while before replying: "It's probably in the question you just asked, haha~!" ”

With that, Pierce turned around again, shook his head and walked towards the players' tunnel, and continued: "If it were me, I wouldn't ask such a stupid question." The core is the core, the real core, and there is no need to ask any questions. This is the kind of question that is asked by people who are not ready to be the core, who do not have the absolute confidence and conviction to prop the team forward in the darkest of times. ”

There was a flash of fire in Pierce's eyes, but this brilliance was not seen by anyone, but it was fleeting in those languid eyes, and it did not last long.

"The real core, as long as you wait for the opportunity, hone yourself, and wait until the moment when fate favors you, burst out all your abilities, and win that damn gold cup, it's enough."

With that, Pierce swooped into the players' tunnel and disappeared after a while.

"Wait until the moment fate favors you, burst out all your abilities and take the damn gold cup......"

Repeating Pierce's words, Chen Mu seemed to understand something, nodded slightly, a long-lost smile rose at the corner of his mouth, looked at Pierce's back, nodded and said, "Thank you, Paul." ”

"I think I get it!"

Meanwhile, distant Arizona.

Phoenix.

"Alas......!"

In the electrical appliance store, two fans, an old man and a young man, were sitting in front of the TV, and as the whistle sounded at the end of the game, Boss Su slapped his thigh fiercely, shook his head and sighed.

"Dad, don't be too angry, it's just a loss, Brother Mu will definitely have a way."

Su Yin comforted his father on the side, looked at the child-like father with some amusement, and said with a smile: "Look at you like this, you are more anxious than Brother Mu himself, can you do it~"

"What's not to do? This kid is the hope of our future in China! ”

Boss Su choked Su Yin, and then sighed: "It's not okay to go on like this, your brother Mu won't be able to enter the playoffs if it goes on like this!" ”

"If you can't get in, you can't get in." Su Yin pretended to be indifferent and pouted: "Anyway, the 76ers have a very young lineup now, and it doesn't matter if they don't produce results in one or two seasons, when the players have grown up, they will enter the playoffs sooner or later." ”

"Yo, I'm quite knowledgeable~" Boss Su couldn't help but laugh and said: "It seems that my baby daughter Su has put a lot of effort into it, and even the age structure of the team has been considered, haha~"

"Of course~" Su Yin's "provocative" head raised and said: "I also know that Brother Mu's contract is a poison contract!" ”

"Haha, not bad~" Boss Su smiled and pinched his daughter's little face, and just wanted to say something more, when his expression suddenly changed, and he said, "By the way, you have that kid's phone number, right?" Call him one, I've got something to say to him! ”

"Dad, what kind of trouble are you making here?" Boss Su Yin reluctantly took out his mobile phone and said: "You still have to interview or something after the game, you don't know, call now, isn't this adding to the chaos!" Can't you fight again tomorrow? ”

"It's going to be late tomorrow!" Boss Su grabbed Su Yin's mobile phone, operated indiscriminately for a while, and found that he couldn't find Chen Mu's number, so he reluctantly handed the phone back to his daughter and said: "Call quickly, they will go to Indiana tomorrow, if you don't tell him, this kid will be played to death by little O'Neill!" ”

"Cut, snatch my daughter's mobile phone, what a 'man'~"

Su Yin playfully stuck out his tongue and complained, and then carefully found Chen Mu's mobile phone number, looked at the word "Brother Mu", and pressed the call button.

"Yo, it's 'Brother Mu', I said why can't I find it!" Boss Su took the phone and said with a smile: "I thought it was 'dear' or something, I haven't found it for a long time in Q, it turns out that it is so simple, haha!" ”

"Dad~!"

Su Yin stomped his feet angrily, then got up and walked away: "I'm going to pack my things, let's go home after the fight." ”

"Why don't you say a word to your 'dear'?" Boss Su squinted his eyes and smiled tentatively: "I see that you haven't talked on the phone much recently, and the little two have quarreled?" ”

Su Yin turned around and threw a pillow and smashed it at Boss Su in response.

"Boy, answer the phone!"

Ignoring his daughter's dissatisfaction, Boss Su was anxious, staring at the 76ers' schedule with his eyes, and said to himself: "Jermaine O'Neal, it's simply a 'nemesis' ...... 'tailor-made' for you!" (To be continued.) )