Chapter 10: As if crossing a morning street!
During the halftime break between the Thunder and the Heat,
at the American Airlines Arena...
The warm-up activities between the Suns and the Hornets had reached their conclusion.
In the commentator's booth...
Mark Jackson, running his hands through his hair, exclaimed, "The Hornets, sitting at seventh place in the West, are a playoff-caliber team. Beating the thirteenth-ranked Suns should be no problem."
"No, no, no!"
Jon Barry shook his head repeatedly, looking surprised. "Mark, don't you know? The Suns have a highly talented rookie center named Carlos. Last night... in just half a quarter, he led the Suns to a 22-point comeback against the Wizards, even hitting the game-winning shot. I think, with Carlos, the overall strength of the Suns will rise significantly. No, it's not an easy task for the Hornets to win."
"What?!"
Mark Jackson widened his eyes, displaying an incredulous expression.
Busy with renovating his new house the previous night, he hadn't paid attention to basketball news. Now, hearing this... he was astounded by the formidable skills Carlos had demonstrated.
"My god!"
"Jon, you're saying a center who can drive and shoot from outside with impressive accuracy? That's incredible. I can't wait to watch Carlos play."
Mark loudly spoke into the microphone.
"Me too..."
Jon Barry nodded with a smile, then pointed to the court. "Here we go, the main game is about to begin."
As the warm-up concluded...
Both teams' starting lineups took the court.
Phoenix Suns starting lineup: Point guard Steve Nash, 191 cm tall; Shooting guard Jason Richardson, 198 cm; Small forward Grant Hill, 203 cm; Power forward Channing Frye, 211 cm; Center Carlos, 215 cm.
New Orleans Hornets starting lineup: Point guard Chris Paul, 183 cm; Shooting guard Marco Belinelli, 196 cm; Small forward Trevor Ariza, 203 cm; Power forward David West, 206 cm; Center Emeka Okafor, 208 cm.
"Jon, is that Carlos, the center wearing the '0' jersey for the Suns?" Mark asked.
"Yes, that's him. With just one game, he made a stunning debut, jumping from the water cooler to a starting position."
"He looks somewhat Mexican?"
"Exactly, Carlos is a center from Mexico. Just based on the last game, the talents he displayed are on par with Tyronn Jamar from the Rockets."
Jon exclaimed.
And in the midst of commentator discussions, the game began.
"Jump ball!"
A contest between Carlos and Okafor.
The referee tossed the basketball into the air, and both jumped simultaneously. However, Carlos's arm, like that of an orangutan, magically surpassed Okafor's with astonishing speed, reaching a full hand's height above.
"Smack!"
The basketball went flying...
"This!!"
Okafor was stunned.
"Carlos's jump ball this time exceeded Okafor by a full hand's height. This reaction, this bounce, is truly amazing," Mark marveled.
Jon Barry widened his eyes and exclaimed, "Not just the bounce, Carlos's arm length is also remarkable. With both factors, Okafor stands no chance against Carlos."
The Suns gained possession of the ball.
Nash dribbled it up, initiating the first full-court attack, arriving at the top of the arc, calling for a screen, feinting an attack on the left wing, and passing to Richardson in the left corner.
"Swoosh!"
A three-pointer.
"Bang!"
The shot was a bit too strong, but fortunately, Frye secured the rebound. He passed it back to Nash on the perimeter for a reset. Nash saw Carlos calling for the ball and passed it over.
"Smack!"
From the left high post...
Carlos received the ball; David West stepped up to defend. At only 206 cm, West was noticeably shorter than Carlos by half a head. However...
Facing a rookie, a center holding the ball outside, West, a two-time All-Star at the peak of his career at 30, was brimming with confidence.
Carlos slightly lowered his center of gravity, preparing for a strong attack.
"Hey, rookie center, you want to drive on me from the outside? Are you serious?" West said as he closed in.
Carlos glanced at the paint, shrugged, and said, "Of course, even though I'm a center, but... the outside suits me better."
Shaking his head, West obviously didn't agree. "Come on, toss the basketball into the hoop behind me if you can."
"Here it comes!"
The sound fell...
Carlos hesitated for a moment, swiftly darting to the right, just one step, as fast as the wind, too quick to defend, easily getting past West in one step.
"Wow!"
Front-row spectators couldn't help but gasp in amazement.
"Swoosh!"
Carlos stopped abruptly and took a mid-range shot, reminiscent of "Anthony's jump shot." With an open jump shot this time, there was no reason to miss, swishing through the net for 2 points.
"Good... so fast!"
West was dumbfounded; he couldn't believe a center could move so quickly.
"Is this a joke? I must not have been paying attention to let him get past me."
Self-consoling, West found Carlos again for the next play, glaring at him, fully focused on defending this center in front of him.
However... he couldn't do it.
"Swoosh!"
No fancy moves, just the ultimate speed and accurate jump shot. Carlos got past West once again, completing the jump shot.
Suns (4): (0) Hornets.
"Hahaha!"
Nash laughed, running over to give Carlos a high five. Carlos's lightning-fast speed amazed and excited him. In any case, he was very happy.
"Amazing!"
In the commentator's booth...
Mark Jackson leaned forward, staring at Carlos as if he had seen a monster, exclaiming, "What is this? Are you sure this is a center on the attack? Not a guard?!"
"Hahaha!"
Jon Barry laughed and said, "Have you ever seen a 215 cm tall guard?"
"Tsk tsk..."
Mark Jackson couldn't help but click his tongue. "Carlos is too surprising. No, his talent is terrifying. A center who can drive and shoot like a guard. West has no way to deal with him."
"Yes..."
"Carlos passed West, a two-time All-Star, as if crossing a morning street!"
On the court...
West's face looked quite grim.
A bona fide All-Star power forward, being driven twice from the perimeter and scored upon consecutively on jump shots by a rookie center, was simply embarrassing.
"Darn it!"
West, feeling ashamed and angry, gritted his teeth, staring at Carlos. He seemed to want to pin him to the ground and give him a beating, as if only that could save face.
The game continued...
Paul dribbled up, faced Nash at the top of the arc, changed rhythm with consecutive crossovers, appearing to drive against Nash's defense. Suddenly, he executed a behind-the-back pass, delivering the ball to West in the left low post.
Wide open...
"Splash!"
Known for his precise mid-range shooting, West's open mid-range shot missed, hitting the rim and rebounding into Carlos's hands.
"This shot didn't go in?"
West clenched his fist, feeling frustrated. After being scored on twice by Carlos, he felt a bit mentally broken, and his own performance declined.
He quickly shook his head to calm himself down, retreated to defend the frontcourt, and faced Carlos again at the free-throw line.
"Bam bam bam!"
Carlos executed consecutive front body feints, lowering his body and center of gravity, dribbling with his left hand to feint a drive, then suddenly pulled up for a jump shot. West lunged forward with full force.
But Carlos jumped too high.
"Splash!"
The basketball flew over West's head, as if equipped with GPS navigation, heading straight for the basket and swishing through the net.
"S...t!"
West cursed loudly, angered by Carlos's facial dunk.
In the next possession, Carlos faced West again, still at the free-throw line, still with the same offensive approach, and once again, he took a jump shot.
"Ah ah ah!"
West roared, leaping forward with all his might, but in the next instant, his pupils suddenly shrank because... Carlos didn't jump at all. He collided head-on.
"Beep beep!"
The whistle blew...
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