章 136: A concussion
"Wow... he actually dunked on him!"
"The dirty Bogut just got posterized by Carlos, what a rush!"
"Beautiful!"
"That was epic!"
The crowd in the stands, full of Suns fans, erupted with cheers and shouts of excitement as they watched Carlos dunk over Bogut, pressing down on his head.
"Great shot!!"
Frye, who witnessed everything from under the basket, was especially thrilled, jumping up in excitement.
"Ah, ah, ah!"
At the same time, Bogut screamed in agony as he covered his face and fell to the ground once again.
When the crowd thought he might be exaggerating the fall, teammate Salmons came over and moved his hand away to reveal that Bogut's face was covered in blood. Medical staff quickly attended to him to stop the bleeding.
Meanwhile...
The big screen at the arena played a slow-motion replay of Carlos's dunk over Bogut. It showed that Carlos had jumped so high that his knee hit Bogut's eyebrow on the way down.
This caused Bogut's eyebrow bone to split open and bleed. As Bogut covered his face and the blood spread over his hands, it looked like his face was drenched in blood. After several slow-motion replays, it was confirmed that Carlos's dunk was a normal basketball play and the contact that led to Bogut's injury was accidental.
Understanding this, there was no additional penalty.
"He got what he deserved!"
"Who knows what dirty thoughts were in his head at that moment? It's already good enough that he didn't get blinded."
"He deserved it!"
"Seeing Bogut like this feels strangely satisfying."
Despite being posterized by Carlos, and suffering a split eyebrow and a bloodied face, Bogut's pitiful state brought a sense of retribution to the onlookers. Even the typically mild-mannered "little student" Curry didn't offer Bogut a sympathetic glance, and Carlos showed nothing but disdain.
On the court...
Medical personnel quickly cleaned the blood from Bogut's face, and with their assistance, he went back to the locker room for further examination and treatment.
With Bogut out, it was uncertain whether he could continue to play that night. His 211 cm tall backup center, Larry Sanders, took his place.
The game went on...
Bogut's unsportsmanlike behavior had set off a chain of events that brought an intense atmosphere between the two teams, with both sides playing aggressively and with high intensity.
Bucks (20) : Suns (28).
Thanks to the advantage that Carlos initially created, the Suns led by 8 points at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter...
Bogut didn't return.
With the substitutes in, the Bucks closed the gap to 5 points, but as the starters returned and both sides cooled down, the Suns' status as the top team in the West became apparent.
In a single quarter...
They led by 9 points...
By halftime, the Suns were already ahead by 14 points.
Inside the studio of the Mexican National Sports Television.
Miguel said, "The Bucks, already weaker in strength and losing their core center, have no chance of winning against the Suns tonight. I think... after the break, the third quarter will see the game decided, and they can punch out early."
José nodded in agreement, "Unless something unexpected happens, it should be so. Tonight the Suns will take their 20th consecutive win, tying the Bucks and entering the top three in NBA history for consecutive wins!"
However...
As the third quarter began, the Bucks received good news: Bogut, whose eyebrow was previously split by Carlos, returned to the court.
Yes...
After resting and receiving treatment for more than a quarter, Bogut returned to the court with his wound bandaged. Despite being disliked for his style of play, he wasn't someone to back down easily.
Of course...
Upon his return, aside from wanting to continue the game and help his team win, he was intent on getting even with Carlos, who had repeatedly humiliated him.
Carlos, who had been ready to dominate Bogut right from the start, also set his sights on him once again upon seeing Bogut re-enter the game.
With a 14-point deficit, the Bucks were in urgent need of catching up. However, facing the Suns who had just claimed the top spot in the Western Conference, catching up was easier said than done. As the game progressed, with Nash delivering assists and Carlos and Curry scoring consecutively, the gap widened even further. Less than halfway through the third quarter, the Suns had extended their lead beyond 20 points, causing Bucks players to become increasingly frustrated and desperate.
"Swish!"
When Carlos hit another mid-range shot, pushing the lead to more than 24 points, the Bucks players' spirits sagged, their motivation to chase points dwindled, and their morale dropped. Bogut's mindset had also shifted from initially helping his team win and targeting Carlos to now being solely focused on teaching Carlos a lesson, regardless of the consequences.
With 4 minutes and 12 seconds left in the third quarter...
"Whoosh!"
Jennings faked a shot from the left corner to lift Nash and then accelerated along the baseline towards the basket. İlyasova was under the basket, and so was Carlos. Carlos bent his knees slightly, preparing to jump for the block.
"Whoosh!"
Jennings suddenly passed the ball laterally to Bogut at the free-throw line. Bogut received the ball and saw Carlos turning to face him. With determination etched on his face, he thought, "Now's the time!"
With a low growl, Bogut took a step inside the free-throw line, leaped up toward the direction of Carlos, aiming to dunk over him!
Buzz!
Carlos hadn't expected Bogut to jump like that, and by the time he reacted, it was too late to jump. He stood his ground, raising his hands to interfere as much as possible.
"Bang!"
Bogut's sturdy body collided with Carlos, and he slammed the ball towards the hoop with force. If successful, it would have been a brutal poster dunk.
However...
Things didn't go as Bogut had hoped. Overzealous in his attempt to dunk over Carlos, he neglected his own jumping ability. After the collision, his vertical lift was significantly reduced.
"Clang!"
The dunk attempt failed, and Bogut, having not secured a grip on the rim, lost balance in mid-air and began to fall backward, his head hitting the ground.
Carlos, at a disadvantage in strength, was pushed back by the impact. Seeing Bogut's head hit the ground, he instinctively reached out to help but was powerless to prevent the fall.
"Bang!"
A heavy thud resonated through the arena.
Despite Bogut managing to protect himself somewhat with his arm and shoulder hitting the ground first, the force of the fall meant his head still struck the floor hard.
In the next instant...
Bogut began to convulse on the ground, slipping into a semi-conscious state. The impact had caused a concussion—
"Rustle, rustle, rustle!"
The medical team sprang into action again for emergency treatment. After Bogut's convulsions stopped, he was stretchered back to the locker room.
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット