Capítulo 156: All exploded
"Oh!"
"Oh my God, Carlos hits a logo three as well, a regular release logo three-pointer, that's… that's just incredible!"
"Back-to-back logo threes."
"Ha-ha… That's the Suns for you, the team with an impressive 22-game winning streak. Who can stop them now? Who can stop them?!"
"That's fierce!"
"Carlos… awesome!"
In the stands, as if they've been holding their breath, the Suns fans raise their hands in celebration as Carlos sinks that logo three-pointer.
"Wow—Carlos following up on Curry's lucky logo three, that was just lethal."
Pippen couldn't help but praise.
Jordan, caught up in the moment, applauds, reflecting, "Carlos knows how to lead his team to victory, and he's bold and skilled. Following Curry's logo three-pointer with another one back-to-back, that's a fatal blow to the Celtics who just had a 10-point lead."
And indeed…
Just as Jordan thought, the originally raucous home atmosphere cooled down instantly with Carlos's follow-up on Curry's second logo three-pointer.
It acted like a silencer in the away game.
The home Celtics fans suddenly stopped cheering, mouths agape, stunned into silence.
"That kid... is insane!"
Wall is also somewhat entranced by the spectacle, understanding the momentum such a shot could command; it's just that the success rate is so low… who dares to take such a shot?
Carlos dares!
'Superman' Howard's eyes widen in disbelief, "No way, a center shooting threes with that accuracy, is that even possible?! Is that scientific?!"
On the court…
"Whistle—whistle!"
Coach Doc Rivers calls for a timeout.
Even though the Celtics are still leading by 4 points, the two logo threes from Carlos and Curry have gained too much momentum, especially Carlos's proactive follow-up.
The tide of the game has turned.
Continuing to play against this surge of momentum would be detrimental for the Celtics.
After the timeout…
The game resumes…
Celtics' possession.
O'Neal, in the low post against Frye, even though 'Shaq' is nearing retirement and has slowed down, still has the fundamentals. He backs down Frye.
"Swoosh!"
A little bank shot goes in.
The Celtics, having regrouped, come back with an offensive score to stabilize the situation.
At 5 minutes 22 seconds.
Pierce drives past Carter, making a strong push inside to draw a foul.
Taking on the defense of both Carter and Carlos, he goes hard at the basket. However, Carlos's agility, coupled with his explosive leaping ability and sheer height...
"Clang!"
Pierce's layup is repelled.
But…
The rebound is secured by O'Neal, who dishes it to Garnett on the left low post. With a mismatch against Nash, Garnett uses his strength to back him down, pivots, and releases a mid-range jumper.
"Swoosh!"
It goes in…
Nash quickly throws the outlet pass to Carlos, who streaks down the court, charging at the basket. He goes up for the layup against Ray Allen's defense, using his height advantage.
Ray Allen can't do much.
"Swoosh!"
Carlos scores the layup.
4 minutes and 13 seconds left.
Ray Allen on the left low post, cuts to the basket, and scores with a reverse layup off the backboard.
Nash advances the ball and passes to Carlos who cuts to the free-throw line. Faking a drive, he lobs the basketball towards the rim. Frye leaps for the alley-oop and slams it down!
"Boom!"
It goes in as well...
With 2 minutes and 44 seconds left.
Pierce, facing a mismatch against Nash, uses his strength to overpower him, taking one step to confront, another to accelerate, and breezes past Nash to the basket.
"Swoosh!"
The layup is good...
Curry quickly counters, pushing the ball up and passes to Nash, who's positioned on the other side. With the defense not tight enough, Nash tries to close the gap with a three-point shot.
"Clang!"
But it doesn't go in...
The rebound?
Frye is pushed aside by O'Neal, leaving Garnett with an uncontested rebound. However, Carlos comes crashing in with his terrifying leap and speed.
He beats "The Big Ticket" Garnett to the ball, grabbing the rebound right over his head.
"Whoosh!"
Then he passes it back out to the perimeter, and again to Nash, who doesn't hesitate and fires another three-pointer.
"Swoosh!"
This time it's a swish.
A direct response.
With 33 seconds left...
Ray Allen moves off-ball along the baseline, drawing the defense, Rondo fakes a pass, then, using Pierce's screen, he shakes off Curry and drives straight to the paint.
"Stomp!"
He goes up for the layup, and as Frye comes in to help, Rondo in the midst of the three-step layup, flicks the ball behind his back, faking a pass.
"Behind the back!"
Frye, fooled, takes a big step back to help cover Ray Allen in the left corner.
But...
It was a fake by Rondo, who shakes off Frye with the move and finishes the easy layup at the rim with a gentle bank.
"Wow... Rondo with his signature fake behind-the-back pass and a real layup, completely fakes out Frye. That's a classic Rondo deception. Frye is still young, he'll learn.
Wow!
Just after making that layup, Rondo steals the ball from Curry, who was pushing the ball upcourt for the Suns. Is he going for a fast break layup? A second-chance score?!
No!
It's Carlos, it's Carlos who rushes back in defense, snatching the ball right out of Rondo's hands as if snatching food from the jaws of a lion.
Completely ruthless.
The Suns' last attack of the half, Carlos holds the ball at the top of the arc, playing down the clock. From this distance... is he going for another three-pointer at the buzzer?!
The last 5 seconds...
Carlos lowers his center of gravity, facing Pierce. Is he going for a deep three? No, Carlos suddenly accelerates, leaving Pierce, who couldn't react in time, in the dust.
He charges to the basket and finishes with an easy layup. While everyone expected Carlos to settle for a three, he breaks through for a layup, catching everyone off guard and easily scoring two points."
José, with passion and spittle flying, narrates the play-by-play.
At the end of the half...
The Celtics head into halftime with a 5-point advantage.
"Man, Carlos is so strong!" Miguel exclaims.
"Huh?!"
José, looking puzzled, asks, "Mr. Miguel, Carlos has always been strong. What do you mean by suddenly bringing that up?!"
"Ah... Sorry!"
Caught up in the emotion of the game, Miguel offers a sheepish smile and explains, "Mr. José, didn't you notice, after Curry and Carlos hit consecutive logo threes, and the Celtics came back from a timeout...
The entire Celtics' All-Star five played really well, didn't they?
O'Neal's offense and rim protection, Garnett's post-up plays, Pierce's drives and jump shots, Ray Allen's threes, as well as Rondo's layups and steals.
The Celtics' starting five.
All exploded, all online, all in form.
Yet... under such circumstances, at the end of the half, the Suns are only trailing by 5 points, and that's because Carlos is contributing personal offense, assisting his teammates, protecting the offensive rebounds, and making steals.
He's playing an all-around game, silently orchestrating the team."
"Hisss!"
Realizing what Miguel pointed out, José takes a sharp breath, then shakes his head with a smile, "Carlos, he doesn't play like a center at all with his all-around capabilities!"
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