Capítulo 26: Couldn't defend at all
"Oh! My god!"
On the Suns' bench, Dragic widened his eyes and roared, "A center who stands at 215 centimeters, rushing into the paint like lightning, facing three defenders, executing a mid-air feint off the backboard. My god! What kind of talent is needed for this? Carlos is incredible!"
"Yeah!"
Carter also sighed, amazed, and said, "I've been playing in the NBA for so many years, and I've never seen a center attack like this. Carlos is just too overpowering."
"Wow—"
In the stands, deafening cheers echoed throughout the arena. All fans were stunned and overwhelmed by Carlos's mid-air feint layup under the towering figure.
"Beep, beep!"
Coach Mike D'Antoni called for a timeout.
Even though the Knicks were not trailing by a large margin at the moment, the intense atmosphere in the arena forced the Knicks to call a timeout.
It was a necessary timeout.
In the commentator's booth...
"Amazing!"
Mike Breen shouted frantically, "Carlos's mid-air feint and feigned attack are shocking. I can't believe my eyes; it's truly unbelievable. He's playing offense beyond any center."
"Yeah..."
Van Gundy lightly tapped the table with his fingers, also quite excited.
After a moment...
He took a deep breath and continued, "Breakthrough layup, breakthrough dunk, and now, a breakthrough feint layup. Facing Stat, Carlos not only can break through but also possesses various offensive techniques. I think... those fans who doubted Carlos's ability to only shoot mid-range jumpers can shut up now."
Indeed...
In the current stands, even though fans were discussing, no one mentioned Carlos's limited shooting ability anymore.
On the contrary...
"Can break through, can shoot," became the phrases fans commonly used to praise Carlos.
On the Suns' bench...
"Carlos, well done! That feint layup just now, and the previous breakthrough dunk, were very aggressive. Especially that feint layup, something no center could achieve. The visual impact on us was explosive. Not only in offense, but your talent is also historic."
Nash was excited, not even bothering to wipe the sweat off his face.
"Carlos, you're really good at hiding yourself."
Dragic patted him on the back and laughed, "Even I was almost worried for you, listening to the rumors online."
"It's just timing."
Carlos smiled faintly, without explaining too much.
In fact...
It wasn't that he didn't use it before, but there simply wasn't a need.
Initially, Wall had speed but lacked height, so a direct jump shot was unstoppable. Later, Paul was also a small player, making jump shots easy.
The Warriors' Ellis and Curry were the same.
As for the Cavaliers, after LeBron left, there was no formidable player.
Apart from these skilled players, other forwards and even centers lacked speed, and Carlos could easily create distance in one step, making a direct jump shot.
With a reliable jump shot and precise "Anthony's jump shot," there was no need for a breakthrough; he could easily score. Why bother with a breakthrough?!
But tonight was different.
Stat was an All-Star starting power forward, matching Carlos in physical talents like speed, strength, height, bounce, allowing for intense competition.
Moreover...
Carlos believed that Stat thought he only knew how to shoot, leading to targeted defense. Carlos would only fall into a passive position if he neglected this, as seen in the consecutive two missed jump shots, allowing Stat's successful offense.
And then, the sequence just now unfolded.
"Beep, beep!"
After the timeout...
The Suns had possession of the ball...
Stat faced Carlos on the left high post, and Carlos, in a nonchalant tone, said, "You said I only know how to shoot jumpers. Are you satisfied with these breakthroughs now?!"
Buzz!
The blood on Stat's face boiled.
To say that Carlos couldn't break through, only to have Carlos score three times with breakthrough layups, was indeed uncomfortable!
"Hmph!"
Stat snorted but couldn't say a word.
In the entire first quarter, not only was Stat repeatedly broken through on defense by Carlos, but his own offense, with Carlos's defensive prowess enhanced by Iverson's talent and a height of 215 centimeters, was also extremely poor.
In one quarter, Stat made 7 attempts, only hitting 2, scoring just 4 points. In contrast, Carlos, in one quarter, made 10 attempts, hitting 7, 2 free throws out of 3, scoring 16 points, with 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks.
This comparison made Stat look extremely weak.
Suns (26): (18) Knicks.
Just one quarter in, and the Suns were leading by more than 8 points.
During the break, Van Gundy looked at the stats of Carlos and Stat, tightened his tie, and excitedly said, "A rookie suppressing an All-Star starting center like this is truly rare!"
"Yeah..."
Mike Breen nodded, smiled awkwardly, and said, "Although Stat has left the Suns, the Suns have welcomed a stronger core. The strength has not diminished but increased."
Second quarter...
First, both teams sent in substitute players for a showdown. When Carlos returned to the court, as fans anticipated, "able to break through, able to shoot," he displayed a superb performance as a versatile center, making it clear that Stat couldn't defend him.
Stat... couldn't defend at all.
In the second quarter...
Carlos scored another 8 points, simultaneously demonstrating excellent defense. He limited Stat to only 3 points in a single quarter. The Suns maintained a 13-point advantage, entering the halftime.
Third quarter...
Knicks' role players started a counterattack, narrowing the score to 10 points.
But in the final quarter, Carlos, as soon as he came on, combined breakthroughs and jump shots, scoring 7 consecutive points. A decisive 11-0 run for the Suns widened the gap to 20 points.
"Beep, beep!"
D'Antoni shook his head, called for a timeout, and gave up the struggle.
"Carlos finished with 35 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocks.
In contrast, Stat, averaging 27.3 points and ranking 7th in the league's scoring list, only scored 14 points tonight.
Rookie Carlos, even facing the Knicks' core, an All-Star starting power forward like Stat, still achieved overwhelming statistics.
This center from Mexico is truly extraordinary. Even in his rookie season, he is approaching the peak of Gustavo Ayon, or perhaps... surpassing Gustavo Ayon!"
Van Gundy praised.
Mike Breen also applauded, slamming the table, and exclaimed, "Rookie Carlos, prevailing over the All-Star-level Stat, this is the Player of the Week. This is the super center with achievements comparable to O'Neal."
"Boom!"
Amid the commentators' enthusiastic praise, at the end of the game, when the Suns won...
Deafening cheers erupted from the entire arena, like a raging storm, as if it could engulf the Western Bank Arena.
After the game...
Stat, bewildered by the rookie Carlos, stood there muttering, "That breakthrough, that fake hesitation, that quick-stop jump shot, that dunk, that feint layup—it completely exceeds my understanding of a center. Carlos... is this guy really a center?!"
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