Capítulo 37: Durant, Westbrook, and Harden
"Bigger" Durant.
In the stands, fans also had this feeling. Moreover... Carlos's more entertaining offense made everyone feel that he was even more powerful than Durant.
Later in the second quarter, it turned into a fierce exchange of three-pointers between Carlos and Durant, resembling a battle between Durant and his "Bigger" self.
Suns (67) vs. Thunder (56). Halftime... The Suns entered the halftime with an 11-point lead. "What's going on? We, the Thunder, are trailing by 11 points? Our Thunder's Big Three can't beat a rookie center? What is happening?!" "Hey, Carlos is on fire tonight. 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks in the first half, and extremely high efficiency. The strength of this rookie is unexpectedly formidable." "Don't worry, there are still two quarters to go. Carlos is, after all, a rookie. His on-court experience can't compare to the Thunder's 'Big Three'. The Thunder will catch up. Just like... the comeback against the Magic, with a last-second victory!"
During halftime, Thunder fans experienced a mix of worry and anticipation.
Not long after... The second half began, and the Thunder had possession. Durant pushed the ball up, arrived at the top of the arc, and then a figure even taller than him appeared—it was Carlos.
"Wow!" Cheers erupted in the arena.
Carlos and Durant, the strongest points of their respective teams, finally began to match up as the third quarter began.
"Hehe..." Kevin Durant smiled faintly, "Rookie Carlos, I haven't even come for you yet, and you took the initiative to come at me. It seems like you are very confident in your abilities."
"Of course..." Carlos didn't deny it. Even though Durant had "monster-like" super talents, compared to talent, Carlos had never been afraid of anyone!
"You really don't understand what humility is!" Durant said softly.
Just as Durant finished speaking... Durant's eyes suddenly chilled, and he mocked, "Since you're looking for trouble, don't blame me for bullying the rookie."
"Bam, bam, bam!" Durant started a hesitation dribble with a between-the-legs crossover, followed by a large body feint, and when Carlos shifted his center of gravity for a split second, Durant made a quick mid-range jump shot, releasing it with a fadeaway.
"Ding!" Carlos focused his gaze, reacted extremely fast, bent his knees, leaped with a long arm extended, and blocked Durant's shot.
"Impossible!" Durant stared, but reacted quickly. He made a second jump to grab the ball that had been swatted away, but Carlos, who jumped higher, had already grabbed the spinning basketball in mid-air.
The Suns started a fast break...
"Damn it!" Durant grunted, catching up, but the distance between the two, clearly visible to the naked eye, was growing.
Carlos shook off Durant, took a step inside the free-throw line.
"Boom!" The rookie center Carlos, like King Kong, leaped high into the air, flying a considerable distance, and completed a one-handed dunk!
"So scary!" "He actually blocked Durant!" "Such explosive power!" "An incredibly long hang time!"
At this moment, the hearts of all home and away fans stopped beating in shock!
...And this was just the beginning!
Immediately after, Carlos once again disrupted Durant's jump shot. Nash gained possession, and in a fast break, faced Westbrook's defense, decisively passed the ball to Carlos.
Durant rushed over to defend Carlos again. Carlos didn't pause for a moment, facing Durant's attempt to block, made a quick step-back, and hit a mid-range shot.
Two attacks and two defenses...
Carlos completely dominated Durant, scoring 4 points consecutively, extending the original 11-point lead to more than 15 points.
"Beep beep!"
Not even 2 minutes into the third quarter, Coach Scott Brooks had to call another timeout, and this time, it was an extended one.
"My God, it's well known that Durant has extraordinary physical talents, someone who can go wrist-to-wrist with 'King' LeBron. But this rookie Carlos, unbelievably, has completely shut down Durant on both ends of the court. And... he's doing it as a center. Carlos's strength is truly unimaginable!"
"Hahaha, 'Bigger' Durant seems even more formidable than Durant himself."
"No, no, no, 'Bigger' Durant can only be said to have a similar playing style to Durant and a taller height. But this is not enough to describe Carlos."
"Oh? Then..."
"In my opinion, Carlos, who is suppressing Durant on both ends, should be the 'Pro version' Durant, no, he should be the 'Max version' Durant. Carlos has a combat power stronger than Durant."
"Wow—right!"
"That's what I think too!"
"My Carlos is stronger than Durant!"
"It's already a 15-point lead. Come on, Carlos, take down the Thunder with this momentum!"
The atmosphere in the arena, which had slightly cooled during halftime, heated up dramatically under Carlos's dominance over Durant in both offense and defense. The entire home crowd was boiling with excitement.
The Suns were unstoppable!
However, just when everyone thought the Suns would surely win the showdown...
Coming back from the timeout...
Curry suddenly lost his touch, repeatedly failing to make shots, and Carlos's efficiency on offense dropped a bit under Durant's tight defense, which sacrificed his own offensive output.
On the other hand...
Westbrook, who was broken down by Carlos in the first quarter, returned to form after two lackluster quarters and began to explode, continuously driving and scoring.
Additionally...
"The Beard" Harden, coming off the bench, also entered scoring mode, showcasing his skills as a contender for the "Best Sixth Man."
As for Durant, despite sacrificing a lot of offensive opportunities, he still managed to score.
For a moment...
The Thunder's Big Three were all firing on all cylinders.
Throughout the second half of the third quarter, the Thunder unleashed a wave of 22-10 to close the gap, narrowing the 15-point difference to just 3 points, with only a three-pointer separating the teams.
During the break...
In the studio of the Mexican National Sports TV.
"My goodness, what's happening to the Thunder's Big Three? How did they suddenly explode? The momentum of the 'Big Three' in catching up is too strong."
Mario exclaimed in shock.
"Yeah!"
Jose rubbed his eyes as if not believing, and said, "Durant, Westbrook, and Harden, these three guys are too talented. This counterattack climax is something they can do. Fortunately... the situation for the Suns is not that bad, and the outcome is still uncertain."
The two commentators took an optimistic approach, but the Suns' fans in the arena didn't see it that way. A 12-point comeback made them worried.
"Hey, isn't that possible? Could it be that the Thunder is going to replicate the last game against the Magic and complete a comeback?"
"It's not impossible. A 15-point difference, reduced to 3 points in just one quarter. The Thunder, being the strong fourth seed in the West, taking advantage of the momentum, might catch up in the final quarter. It's entirely possible!"
"Oh no, things are getting tricky!"
"Fuck! I believe in Carlos and I believe in the Suns. They will definitely win tonight."
"Exactly, the Suns with a six-game winning streak won't just lose to the Thunder like that!"
"Uh..."
The fans were all talking at once, and the atmosphere in the arena suddenly became tense.
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