basketball never sleeps

Chapter 352 Pinky Promise

At two in the morning, Los Angeles outside the window was shrouded in darkness.

After turning off the TV, Kobe sat silently with his arms around the back of the sofa for a long time.

He has watched the replay of Mo Wen's 100% shooting percentage and 50 points more than a dozen times, but he still can't figure out how Mo Wen did it.

Almost two weeks have passed since he scored 85 points, but the media's praise for him has not stopped.

After he led the Lakers to victory against the SuperSonics last week, the local media in the United States went into a frenzy of celebration.

They surrounded him, singing hymns of praise, just like the villagers who had witnessed a hero pull the sword from the stone.

He also became the savior of American basketball.

Yes, savior.

Kobe has been referred to as such in more than one media outlet.

Kobe himself would laugh if he thought about it. When did the birthplace and flourishing place of basketball, the great American basketball, need a savior to save it?

He hated it because it was a title that implied a challenger, and he would much rather be a big comeback winner.

However, after seeing the video of Morven's 51-point performance, which defied common sense, Kobe hesitated.

The last time he felt this way was last season.

Last season, Mo Wen set a record by winning three statistical titles and also left behind an unbeatable legend with 88 points.

At that time, not only were outsiders judging that Kobe was no longer the best scorer or the most lethal scorer in the league, but Kobe himself also had similar doubts.

Whether it's comparing stats, accuracy, or even head-to-head matchups, he couldn't beat Mo Wen.

Even with his deep understanding of American stubbornness and confidence, Kobe had to admit that he was temporarily lagging behind in his strongest area.

Therefore, he trained even more intensely during the offseason, working with video editors to analyze why Mo Wen was so strong, and simulating matchups against Mo Wen with trainers.

With the formation of the team's Big Three, he inevitably had to share the ball, causing his stats to decline instead of rise. However, Kobe keenly sensed that he had a greater control over the game, and his shooting percentage also reached a career high.

But these are things that can only be understood intuitively and cannot be quantified. Jordan would call to congratulate him on his improvement, but the media would only say that Kobe's stats had declined.

Until that day, he announced his return with the best performance of his life.

A return to center stage.

I am the back!

What excited him even more was that he discovered he could do it too.

Even though it wasn't easy and involved a significant amount of luck, and his efficiency still couldn't match Mo Wen's, he had indeed reached that level.

However, this feeling of euphoria lasted for three days, ending when Yu Mowen made the final free throw in the Celtics game.

51 points is not a particularly impressive score.

Because Kobe's offense doesn't rely on pick-and-rolls and doesn't consume much tactical resources, unless the opposing team has a top-tier swingman defensive specialist, against most teams, if Kobe wants to, he can take a crazy number of shots regardless of winning or losing, and scoring 50+ points is not an unattainable goal.

But they won 51 without conceding a single goal.

As a fellow top scorer, Kobe understood even better the difficulty and significance of this achievement.

He can't.

When he's on fire, he can hit 80% accuracy; with a bit of luck, he might get close to 90%.

But like Mo Wen, who could freely operate from the paint to the mid-range to the three-point line, he still managed to score despite the relentless attacks from Pierce and Carter.

There was certainly an element of luck involved, but Kobe honestly admitted that he wasn't confident he could do it with his current skills.

He asked the guy with the logo, the magician, Bird, and Egg.

The answers I received were all either luck, coincidence, or the favor of fate.

However, in the video, there were occasional close-up shots of Mo Wen's face, and his relaxed and indifferent appearance made it hard for him to convince himself that the miracle was all just luck.

The bald Black Mamba could only scratch his scalp again.

"Maybe I should really do what Vanessa suggested and see a therapist?"

Kobe didn't want to rest, but the anxiety brought on by the feeling of being out of control made it impossible for him to fall asleep peacefully.

Perhaps he should try going to the gym to work up a sweat and release some energy?

A flash of inspiration struck Kobe, and he suddenly realized who else he could ask.

Tim Grover.

As Jordan's former trainer, Grover gradually took over his personal training starting last year.

When the call connected, Grover's voice sounded a little groggy.

"What's urgent, Kobe, that you're calling at this hour?"

"I just watched that 51-point game of Mo's again," Kobe said, organizing his thoughts. "I remember you mentioned something about 'white-hot space.' If I could get into that state, stay in that position for the whole court, could I do that?"

Grover was silent for a long time on the other end of the phone.

"You piece of shit, don't tell me you spent the whole night watching videos when you should have been in deep sleep, and then you came here to make me anxious along with you?"

"I'm not anxious, I'm just doing research, and I've always enjoyed doing research," Kobe stubbornly insisted.

"Okay, you research-loving high school student, I wish you good luck getting into college. If I remember correctly, Shaq already has a master's degree, right?" Grover retorted irritably.

"I'm talking about basketball, basketball, you know? I'm your employer, f***ing, I'm going to dock your pay!" Kobe, upon hearing someone's name, reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, hissing through the phone.

"Alright, alright, let's talk about basketball... To be honest, I'm not sure either. Entering the White Zone will make your reactions more agile and quicker, and you'll have better control over your body, but you won't be able to overcome the randomness of shooting. This requires your shooting ability to evolve further, along with a little bit of luck. I remember Michael Jordan had several games where he only missed one or two shots, but that's too difficult..."

"To be honest, you don't need to be anxious about this kind of miracle. I'll tell you that Mo's success is because he has technology far beyond the current era, not the bullshit luck that the media talks about. But I also have to admit that Mo is sometimes just incredibly lucky..."

Kobe frowned deeply, clearly dissatisfied with Grover's answer.

“You should go watch the game later. I saw Mo’s expression, and all I could read in it was that he was in complete control. I don’t think he got there by luck.”

"..."

Grover didn't know what else to say. In his mind, Jordan was the limit, the end. His 51 points with a 100% shooting percentage had already exceeded the boundaries of his imagination.

"I will try my best to help you later. If even I can't do it, then there is only one other person who can help you. I will send you his phone number via text message in a while. If you really have no other choice, you can try contacting him."

After saying that, Grover hung up the phone, and a text message with an unfamiliar number quickly appeared on Kobe's personal phone.

Kobe's eyes lit up when he received the text message. Grover was already the top trainer in the basketball world, bar none.

He was better than Grover, and even made Grover feel inferior. The key point was that he didn't know that Kobe's mind was filled with the image of an old professor with gray hair.

Could this person be an authoritative coach from the last century, like Old Winter?

Although it was somewhat presumptuous, Kobe eagerly and with a touch of reverence dialed the number. "Hello, this is the Missionary Station of the Archangel Gabriel. May I ask who you are?"

The standard opening line on the other end of the phone left Kobe completely stunned.

Grover, more than ten kilometers away, chuckled and put his phone on Do Not Disturb.

"How do you get 50 points on every shot? Pray to God!"

……

In April, the SuperSonics unexpectedly lost to the Rockets in a back-to-back game.

The team hadn't really taken the tanking Rockets seriously, but that long-haired man suddenly stepped up.

Manu Ginobili, who reached the peak of his career in the original timeline, experienced an expected leap forward in his career after being traded to the Rockets and given the right to play football.

He has evolved from a super sixth man averaging 16 points per game to an outside star averaging 24+ points per game, and his efficiency has basically not decreased. He has basically secured the Most Improved Player award this year.

Considering that McGrady only averaged 27 points per game last season, many media outlets are jokingly saying that Popovich's all-in approach last summer only resulted in an improvement in his three-point shooting ability.

In this game, Ginobili took on the task of going head-to-head with Mo Wen on the perimeter, while Bynum, who came to the Rockets in the paint, also showed amazing strength. He seized the opportunity when Tyson was in foul trouble, scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Although some fans say that Bynum matured late and was just a filler among the three big men, only developing into a star after 10 years, Bynum actually already has considerable immediate impact this year.

Historically, when Kobe threatened to leave in the summer of 07, what calmed Kobe's anger was not the trade a few months later, but Bynum's growth shown at the beginning of the season. At that time, the media said that Bynum already had the potential to be an All-Star.

If Bynum hadn't suffered an unexpected season-ending injury, and Kobe hadn't been on the verge of despair, it's hard to say whether the Lakers' management would have actively pursued the acquisition of Gasol...

The SuperSonics dug themselves a 14-point hole in the first half, and it seemed like they could easily bounce back in the second half. But the Rockets, seeing a glimmer of hope for victory, held on tightly and maintained their lead.

The team was disappointed by the loss, as it meant that their hopes of matching last season's winning record were completely dashed.

Mo Wen, however, was not upset.

His MVP award this year is practically a done deal, but Stern and the American media certainly don't want to see him win his third consecutive MVP award next season.

A three-time MVP is an achievement that even Jordan couldn't accomplish.

The last three-time MVP was Bird, when Stern had just taken office and the league was in dire straits. The rivalry between black and white was the only interesting thing in the league at that time.

Bird was able to defend his title for three terms thanks to a combination of favorable timing (the league's promotional needs), advantageous location (historic teammates), and strong personal connections (his individual ability).

The loss of Dan Zi to Barkley in 93 was somewhat understandable, given that the Bulls' performance declined that year, not only falling behind the Suns but also being outperformed by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference. However, the loss to Malone in 97 was quite ridiculous.

Twenty years later, American media outlets, in order to demonstrate their knowledge of football, basically vote based on advanced statistics. But in the current environment, these idiots prefer to spout so-called narratives.

Just like Nash's second MVP in history, his stats that year weren't particularly impressive, and could even be described as average, but he won a lot of votes by emphasizing how the team maintained its record after Stoudemire's season-ending injury.

Mo Wen can ensure that his data remains impactful as always, but he cannot guarantee that the American media will not create suspense again under the pretext of aesthetic fatigue.

Therefore, Mo Wen has focused on the team's performance next season.

Perfect timing! After two years of development, Gay and Millsap should be reaching their peak. If the team doesn't suffer any major injuries, the next two years will be the strongest for the SuperSonics' overall roster.

Actually, Mo Wen didn't necessarily want to compete for the MVP award. The main reason was that his good friend A-Zhan was also growing steadily.

They finally managed to create a significant gap in quality with LeBron James. If he were to steal another one, they would likely be targeted by marketing tactics to exploit the situation.

……

With five games remaining in the regular season, the SuperSonics have already secured first place in the regular season standings and, at Mo Wen's suggestion, have begun a rotation-based preparation mode.

Los Angeles media outlets are still tirelessly campaigning for Kobe's MVP nomination, but it's only the Los Angeles media that's making such a fuss.

Media outlets in other regions also wanted to cause trouble for Mo Wen, but they had been promoting the "supersonic collapse theory" for half a year, which helped Mo Wen create a great personal narrative.

Moreover, the SuperSonics' record is still better than the Lakers' record even without their Big Three, an objective fact that is generally undeniable except by Lakers media.

Besides the SuperSonics, the Lakers and Spurs have also essentially secured their positions as the top teams in their respective divisions.

The Lakers need no introduction, and the Spurs also had a very impressive regular season this year.

With Duncan providing the defensive foundation, McGrady maintaining the offensive foundation, and Parker taking over key plays and game-winning shots, the Spurs' margin for error was undeniably high.

If it weren't for McGrady's recurring injury that kept him out for more than ten games, the Spurs would have had a real chance to overtake the Lakers.

McGrady had a smile on his face during his recent interviews. After a decade of struggling with bad teams, he finally got some good opportunities in his eleventh year in the league.

The only regret is that the competition is too fierce now. The team is expected to win 60 games, which would have been the best record in the division in other years, but now it can only be ranked third. His 25+7 stat line is not enough to make the All-NBA First Team with the help of players like Mo Wen, Kobe, and LeBron.

Duncan, however, felt the exact opposite.

McGrady was indeed a stronger, better, and more reliable player than Manu, but he did not fundamentally evolve the Spurs' game logic. At the same time, McGrady's huge salary completely blocked the Spurs' possibility of strengthening and adjusting.

With the SuperSonics having promising young players and the Lakers having a breakout star like Paul, if the Spurs can't contend for the championship this year, the pressure on them will only increase in the future.

Aside from the top three teams, the Jazz, Mavericks, and Suns followed closely behind with similar records.

Surprisingly, the Jazz are still in the lead for the time being.

Last season, they were easily swept by the Spurs in the first round. Sloan studied the problem for most of the season but still couldn't find a solution - unless Boozer could learn from his predecessor and fly up in the game to kick that goofball in the neck.

However, it is objectively unlikely, because Malone does not like to jump, while Boozer is a true floor-based player.

However, towards the end of the season, Sloan suddenly realized that they didn't seem to need to solve any problems anymore. As long as they didn't fall to sixth place, they wouldn't face the Spurs in the first round.

If they maintain their fourth and fifth positions, they'll have to reach the Western Conference Finals to face the Spurs.

What if we make it to the Western Conference Finals?

I appreciate your kind words.

Competition in the Eastern Conference is relatively mild, with the rankings of each team largely determined.

The Celtics' record fluctuated due to Harden's absence, but fortunately, the Cavaliers, who are second in the East, were also missing their key players. Under the leadership of LeBron James, who was suffering from a groin injury, they barely maintained a 50/50 winning percentage.

It's worth mentioning that just two days after the SuperSonics lost to the Rockets, they had to play the Celtics again. Despite being placed on day-to-day observation by the team doctor, Harden insisted on returning to the game despite the pressure.

Although the out-of-form Hardt couldn't lead the team to victory, he did a good job of limiting Mo Wen.

This directly caused Mo Wen's shooting percentage to plummet from the previous level by a 1/2 psi... back to normal.

Losing the game was a normal thing, but Rivers was so moved he almost cried when he saw Mo Wen only score 38 points. So this is still a normal world after all!

On April 14, the SuperSonics played their final game of the season.

Facing a tanking Grizzlies team, there were no surprises. Mo Wen played his best at home, scoring 30+10 in just three quarters and preparing to open up the next game.

The home fans chanted "MVP" for a long time, and then, led by the DJ, chanted slogans for the next two months.

"Back to back!" (Back-to-back champions)

Mo Wen appropriately raised one hand in the camera's view, then clasped his fingers one by one from his thumb until only his little finger remained, forming a gesture used by both China and the United States.

Pinky promise. (End of Chapter)