It was late January 2006.

The home of the Philadelphia 76ers, in the Wachovia Center arena, was full of people.

After performing brilliantly in the game against the Houston Rockets, and winning a 20+10 performance in his first appearance for the team, Chen Mu became the team's invisible starter and played an increasingly important role in the team.

In the following week, Chen Mu's playing time continued to increase, and after the Suns averaged only 17 minutes per game, Chen Mu who came to the 76ers continued his magical journey.

Under the trust of the coaching staff, although Chen Mu still sat on the bench and did not become the team's starting candidate, all fans and commentators are very clear that with Chen Mu's influence and strength in the team, he has actually surpassed the role of ordinary substitutes and has become the most important member of the rotation lineup.

"Playing an average of 24 minutes per game, every game is like a panda seeing bamboo, crazy to grab 13 rebounds, including 6 frontcourt rebounds, the team's new recruit Chen's performance has become more and more eye-catching, surpassing Chris Webb, becoming the rebounding king of the 76ers!"

On the courtside commentary bench, the veteran local commentators are still impassioned, and after watching several home games, this old fan who has accompanied the 76ers for many years has completely become Chen Mu's "fan", and in addition to focusing on Iverson as always, there are more and more content about Chen Mu in every game.

"In addition to rebounding, we also got a huge surprise: Chen, who had a poor performance on the offensive end of the Suns before, actually kept shooting beautiful mid-range shots, and the scoring efficiency was very high, and his shooting rate outside the paint area and inside the three-point line exceeded 60%!"

"Although most of these shots were assisted by teammates and hit without defense, with such a big man with accurate shots, our 76ers' combat effectiveness has reached a new level, and the team's tactics have been greatly enriched!"

The commentator looked at the information given by the team's official, including the analysis of some conventional tactics, and said excitedly: "We noticed that the team is creating more and more opportunities for Chen Mu to shoot, and all kinds of covers are emerging in endlessly. And Chen Mu did not disappoint us, this Chinese kid's continuous hit and mid-range shooting proved that the performance in the first game was not just a flash in the pan, but a true embodiment of his strength! ”

Chen Mu went around the baseline to the weak side, on the one hand, he made way for Iverson to attack the basketball area, on the other hand, he involved the defense, looked for opportunities to shoot in the open position, and did not hesitate to shoot the moment he received the basketball.

This set of tactics has become the standard configuration of the 76ers, and in the positional battle, Chen Mu used elegant movements to hit jump shots again and again. Some fans have made a collection of his shots in several games, named "The Art of Big Man Shot", and put them on the Internet for people to watch.

This video collection is accompanied by the most popular hip-hop music of the moment, which looks dynamic and energetic, and has been clicked and watched by countless people in just a few days, and even topped the homepage of basketball-related websites.

In fact, since Nowitzki's debut, the question of "how big men can change the game with their incomparably accurate mid-range shots" has been increasingly brought to the table.

Although in the long years of the NBA before, there have been big forward mid-range shooters like Malone, but players who can use mid-range shooting as the main means of scoring and change the game have gradually emerged in the NBA in recent years and become one of the mainstream configurations.

As the pace of the game increases, the role of the small man becomes more and more prominent. And in order to pull the inside line away and give the little man enough space to break through, all the major interior players have also begun to practice shooting.

Nowitzki, Garnett, Webb, Rasheed Wallace, and even Duncan, who played at center for a while in the middle of his career, began to change the game with his shooting skills. The space on the pitch was further expanded, the pace of the game continued to increase, and the trend of "small raids, big shots in the middle and long range" began to sweep the league.

And Chen Mu, who appeared at such an excellent point in time, used his shooting ability to bring a strong boost to the 76ers and became a small symbol of the new generation of interior players.

"This is just the beginning......"

Chen Mu knew very well in his heart that speeding up, opening up space, and making a big shot were just the beginning of everything. Soon, when a group of Mesozoic stars mature and focus on small forwards and point guards to lead the offense, and big men become more and more versatile and mobile, there will be more interior players who learn to shoot and excel in mid-range shots.

In a few seasons, there will be more interior players who will practice a stable three-point shot, and at that time, the entire NBA will gradually get rid of the iron-blooded brand of the 90s of the last century, and develop rapidly in the direction of "offense determines life and death".

"In modern basketball, the most important thing is the word 'space', only mid-range shooting is not enough, after the end of this season, or after the end of this contract, I have to find a way to improve my ability to respond. In addition, the ability to play singles is also very important. ”

Chen Mu secretly decided in his heart that he had a lot to do besides continuing to enhance his rebounding ability.

"When I receive the ball in the middle distance, I can shoot, I can pass the ball, I can attack the basket directly with my back, my era will really come......!"

"Beep, beep!"

The referee's whistle blew and another game was over, and the 76ers played four consecutive home games to make it a rare four-game winning streak. Although there is still some way to go of a 50% win rate, the good chemistry of the team still makes the fans happy.

In particular, Chen Mu's performance has become the key.

“CHEN！ CHEN！ CHEN！ CHEN！ ”

Inside the stadium, the fans began to shout the name of Chen Mu, a player who had been signed a few days ago as a precautionary addition, and who had become a hero in the hearts of the fans.

Although he is not a starter, Chen Mu, as the team's ironclad sixth man, can contribute rebounds and offensive power as soon as he gets on the court, and there was also a game during which he had a poor shooting feeling. However, Chen Mu's positive performance in rebounding still makes the team and fans full of confidence in him.

“NO.5…… CHENMU！！！ ”

On the big screen in the center of the arena, Chen Mu's wonderful pictures are constantly replayed, rebounding in the front and back courts, shooting in the middle of the ball, and violently dunking...... Every shot elicited cheers and screams from the fans.

After a wonderful reel, a close-up freeze-frame picture of Chen Mu running on the field appeared on the screen, the jersey fluttered slightly, and his face was full of confidence, looking very energetic.

"In this game: played 26 minutes, made 7 of 10 shots, 2 of 4 free throws, scored 16 points."

Chen Mu's technical statistics began to appear on the screen, and with the cheers of the fans, Chen Mu got up and waved to the fans.

Beside him, Iverson smiled indifferently, looking at this partner who had come from afar from a foreign country, and didn't know what he was thinking.

"Grabbed 14 rebounds, including five in the frontcourt and dished out one assist."

Chen Mu contributes double-double data day after day, from the absolute blue-collar who only has rebounds and will have a double-double in the Suns, and the score is extremely miserable. Now a mainstay who can contribute 14 points and 13 rebounds per game, Chen Mu has completed his transformation in just one season and has become a hot topic among fans.

"Click, click, click"

At the post-match press conference, Chen Mu and Iverson participated as the player's representative. Half of the reporters' films were given to Iverson, and the other half was given to Chen Mu, although all this is partly because of Chen Mu's youth and Chinese background, but being able to get recognition and attention at least proves that Chen Mu's strength has reached a new level.

"Frontcourt rebounding ability 82, stamina 63, strength 59......"

In the game, he continued to score SP points, and Chen Mu still added all of them to the offensive rebounds. And the training with the team has also increased his physical strength and strength, and Chen Mu's total rating has reached 58 points.

It stands to reason that this kind of overall evaluation value is still quite low in the NBA, and it is unlikely that Chen Mu will get the status and data he has today.

But due to the existence of the rebounding point plug-in and his accurate positioning, Chen Mu still played a great role beside Iverson. With superstars as firepower, Chen Mu is like a fish in water in the 76ers' system, and naturally becomes the focus of media attention.

"Cinderella's fairy tale"

This is a media's comment on Chen Mu's performance in the past period of time, although it sounds a bit girly, but Chen Mu still accepted it peacefully.

"Chen, it's another double, and it's a violent buckle and a mid-pitch."

A reporter stood up and asked, "Where is your limit?" Is there anything else in your arsenal that you haven't shown? ”

"Extreme ......?"

Chen Mu smiled slightly and responded: "I don't know if the sky is my limit, but if it is, I will break the sky to show you the ......!" ”

Chen Mu's domineering response caused the reporters to laugh out loud, and Iverson also laughed on the side, seemingly very satisfied with this big Chinese man.

"You and Allen are getting better and better, the team is getting wins, do you think you still have a chance to make the playoffs this season?"

"Hmm......" Facing this reporter's question, Chen Mu pondered for a moment and said: "There are too many things that we can't control, so I can't give you a packing ticket." But ......"

Chen Mu's eyes flashed, he glanced at Iverson sideways, and saw the same look in the latter's eyes, and said: "Whether it is Allen or me, or all the players of the 76ers, they will definitely do their best to shed the last drop of sweat on the court......!" ”

"Chen, I heard that the team management is considering renewing your contract until the end of the season, but whether to renew your contract depends on the performance of the next game, which is your last game under contract."

A veteran reporter who has been with the 76ers for many years asked: "In the next game, against 'that guy' away, how sure are you that win?" ”

"That guy ......"

Chen Mu fell into deep thought when he heard this, and he didn't remember much about how he answered later.

Because by this time, his mind had drifted to distant San Antonio, the man who would hold the basketball in his hands before the game and stare at him in thought, had dominated the league for long enough......