Capítulo 63: Stopping him was truly difficult
"Truly helpless!"
Nowitzki's effortless shot indeed left Carter feeling helpless.
Absolute height advantage, absolute arm length advantage, coupled with that peculiar and difficult-to-defend shooting posture, and an already high shooting percentage – Nowitzki's 'one-legged fadeaway shot.'
Unbeatable...
Despite the helplessness, Carter still actively defended Nowitzki. The goal was simple: to alleviate as much pressure as possible for Carlos, allowing him to contribute on the offensive end.
The Suns regained possession...
Curry brought the ball up, hand-off to Carlos at the arc, facing small forward Caron. Carlos dribbled between his legs, changed direction, held the ball with his right hand, accelerated in one step, shook past Caron with a quick stop, and jumped for a jump shot.
"Swish!"
The shot was released...
Caron had just caught up, but the basketball had already flown into the net.
"So fast!"
Wide-eyed, Caron's defensive focus on Carlos escalated to 100%. In the next play, Carlos continued his attack.
"Swoosh!"
Carlos only needed one step to shake off Caron again, driving to the basket. Holding the ball with his right hand, facing Chandler's block attempt, he faked a mid-air shift with his right hand, feinting right, then smoothly laid the ball up with his left hand on Chandler's left side.
"Swoosh!"
It went in...
"This..."
Caron's pupils dilated, falling into shock.
He had heard about Carlos's speed and explosive power, but only when he truly faced him in a game did he realize how terrifying Carlos was!
Another play.
Caron had completely given up defending everyone else on the court, focusing all his attention on Carlos. He vowed to stop Carlos's next breakthrough.
But on the left arc, Carlos held the ball, one step beyond the three-point line. Suddenly, he launched a cold arrow. In Caron's widened eyes, the basketball once again sailed through the net.
"Swoosh!"
A three-pointer...
"No!"
Caron clutched his head with both hands, completely frustrated. He had no idea how Carlos would attack next, and he couldn't stop Carlos's offense.
In the commentator's booth...
"Wow, this speed, this explosiveness, this breakthrough, this shooting accuracy – Carlos, who can both drive and shoot. Even against Caron, who's 6'7", he's creating mismatches. There's no way to defend against this. Caron simply can't stop Carlos; if this continues, Carlos will keep scoring."
Van Gundy remarked.
"Yes..."
Mike Breen agreed, adding, "Against this kind of non-superstar frontcourt, Carlos will just casually take them on one-on-one. There's no way around it. But...
Dirk of the Mavericks is no slouch either. His 'one-legged fadeaway shot' is also indefensible. Even an All-Star like Carter can't defend against it. At the start of the game, both Dirk and Carlos can shoot at will."
Indeed...
Just like the commentary analysis.
At the end of the first quarter...
Mavericks (29): (28) Suns.
The Suns trailed by one point.
In the first quarter, Carlos went 7 for 9, making 3 of 3 three-point attempts, 1 of 2 free throws, scoring 17 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, providing 2 assists, and blocking 1 shot – a highly efficient offensive performance.
Nowitzki's offensive efficiency was equally astonishing. He went 5 for 8, made 1 of 3 three-point attempts, went 3 for 4 at the free-throw line, scoring 14 points with an additional 3 rebounds and 1 assist in a single quarter.
"Tsk tsk..."
"Who is this 'monster rookie' Carlos? He's actually going head-to-head with 'The German Wunderkind' in scoring. And... looking at the stats, he even has the advantage?! This is outrageous!"
"Very absurd!"
"Both of them are tall perimeter shooters with very high shooting percentages. Watching these two big guys duel on the perimeter makes this game both refreshing and exciting."
"Humph, comparing shooting percentages with Dirk, who has the undefendable 'one-legged fadeaway shot'? This rookie Carlos is definitely not Dirk's match. Tonight's victory will definitely belong to the Mavericks."
"Um..." During the break between quarters...
In the stands, fans were buzzing with discussions, creating a fervent atmosphere in the arena.
On the Suns' bench, Carter shook his head and said to Gentry, "Coach, I've given it my all. Playing a full quarter is my limit. If I continue to defend against Dirk, my mentality will collapse. I truly have no way to defend against that 'one-legged fadeaway shot.'"
"Hmm..." Gentry nodded. From the start, he knew that Carlos was the only one capable of defending against Nowitzki. However, he didn't want Carlos to both attack and defend from the beginning, hence the decision to let Carter temporarily take on the defensive role.
Nevertheless, this exposed another issue – apart from the all-around Carlos, the Suns lacked outstanding players in the forward position. Gentry took note of this, knowing it was something to address in the future. For now, the main goal was to win this game.
Gentry turned to Carlos and said, "Carlos, you're going to defend Nowitzki next. Only you can do it. If you stop him, we have a good chance of winning tonight. As for the offensive end, don't worry; Curry and others will share the load for you."
"Understood!" Carlos responded.
He also wanted to see for himself how strong "Big Dirk," who defeated the Heat's "Big Three," was. How formidable was his 'one-legged fadeaway shot'?
Soon after, the second quarter began.
After a rotation of 4 minutes and 23 seconds, both teams returned to their starting lineups. The Mavericks were temporarily leading by 4 points and had possession of the ball. Kidd dribbled the ball past half-court, waited for Nowitzki to position himself, and once again lobbed the ball high to him.
"Snap!"
On the left high post, Nowitzki caught the ball.
"Step!"
A figure flashed out, appearing in front of Nowitzki – none other than Carlos!
"Oh... they're going head-to-head?"
"A duel between the two tall shooters. Who will be stronger?"
On the court, Nowitzki looked at Carlos with a calm gaze. He knew that Carlos was also an outside shooter with remarkable talent. However, he was more confident in his own 'one-legged fadeaway shot.'
"Bang!"
Leaning against Carlos with his back, Nowitzki took a step forward in a physical confrontation. He half-turned, assumed the 'one-legged fadeaway shot' posture, and released a mid-air jump shot.
Everything seemed familiar!
"Thud!"
Carlos jumped as well, extending his arm to block, reaching a high elevation. However, he couldn't block it.
"Swish!"
Nowitzki's mid-range shot went in again.
"Wow!"
With just one shot, the crowd erupted.
"See, even the exceptionally talented and high-jumping Carlos can't block Nowitzki."
"Dirk is unique. The 'one-legged fadeaway shot' is unstoppable!"
The Mavericks' fans reached a climax, while the Suns' fans felt somewhat dejected. After all, if Carlos couldn't handle Nowitzki, then stopping him was truly difficult.
On the court, Carlos glanced at the bouncing ball under the basket, touched his chin with one hand, and squinted slightly. "So, this is the 'one-legged fadeaway shot,' huh? Truly tricky. With his physical talent and that shooting posture, not many people can defend against it. But... it doesn't mean no one can."
In the next possession, Carlos actively sought out Nowitzki. The latter continued his attack with the same 'one-legged fadeaway shot,' a high-arcing jump shot.
In the stands, a middle-aged male fan shouted at Carlos, "That's the 'one-legged fadeaway shot,' Carlos! You can't block it!"
The voice was loud enough for Carlos to hear. However, he didn't turn around, just giving a faint smile.
"One-legged fadeaway shot? Well, let's see what awaits that one-legged fadeaway shot!"
Carlos pushed off the ground, and in the next moment, there was a muffled "bang." Carlos slapped the ball out of Nowitzki's 'one-legged fadeaway shot' trajectory!
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