Suns timeout

"Wow!"

"Carlos, Curry, and Ray Allen are all precise three-point shooters in the league. These three guys, playing on the same court, each nailed a three-pointer, making the game instantly thrilling! Tonight, we might witness a barrage of three-pointers at the Western Arena.

"Huh?"

Mark Jackson was puzzled, then chuckled, "Jon, Curry and Ray Allen are shooters, that's fine, but defining Carlos, a 7'1" center, as a shooter. Isn't that a bit too much?!"

"Is it?"

Jon Barry blinked, and with a straight face, Mark Jackson said, "Of course, he's a center."

"Hehe!"

Jon Barry shook his head and laughed, "Have you ever seen a center with such accurate three-point shooting? I haven't. I know guards are the ones known for precision shooting. So... in my eyes, Carlos is also a guard."

"Oh, that's an interesting perspective."

"Hehe, how about a taller guard then?!"

On the court...

With Curry hitting this three-pointer, making three consecutive three-pointers at the start, the atmosphere in the arena heated up.

Suns (6) vs. Celtics (3).

Despite facing the Celtics, who had defeated the Heat's "Big Three," the Suns were not afraid, putting up a strong fight.

Transitioning from offense to defense...

Celtics ball...

Rondo dribbled past half-court, surveyed the court at the top of the arc, made a crossover move, and once again found Ray Allen, hoping he would continue his hot streak from beyond the arc.

"Clang!"

Unfortunately, it missed. However, Garnett grabbed the rebound, faced Frye's defense, faked a shot, followed by a half-turn, shook off Frye, and easily made a shot with a short hook in the paint.

On the next possession...

Rondo still found Ray Allen, but this time, Ray Allen couldn't maintain his earlier shooting touch. The basketball bounced off the rim again, and O'Neal used his backside to push Frye aside.

"Smack!"

Grabbing the rebound, O'Neal passed it back to Rondo on the perimeter. Rondo, not letting go of the ball, dribbled aggressively, made a ground pass to Pierce on the right wing, who attacked the basket.

"Bang!"

In an aerial confrontation with Carter, Pierce leaned backward, made a high layup off the glass, and scored.

"Nice shot!"

On the Celtics' bench, Doc Rivers clapped and praised, telling his assistant coach, "Our strength doesn't come from Ray Allen, Garnett, or Pierce individually. It's the powerful synergy when all three of them attack, complemented by Rondo, our 'Celtics brain.' That's what makes a great team. Now, their combined strength is the most formidable, the capital for us to compete for the Eastern Conference Finals and even the championship this year."

"Exactly."

The assistant coach nodded continuously, but his eyes never left the court.

"Bam bam bam!"

Curry dribbled over, faced Ray Allen's defense, changed pace continuously, but Ray Allen defended him well, not falling for any feints.

"Sizzle!"

Curry stopped abruptly, took a step back, and attempted a long two-point shot, but under pressure, he couldn't make it.

Garnett protected the rebound, passed it to Pierce for a push, and faced Carter on the frontcourt. Taking advantage of a screen, Pierce mismatched against Nash, showing no hesitation.

"Bang!"

With a powerful body move, he pushed Nash away, penetrated the paint, and scored once again.

Carlos pushed to the front, one-on-one against Garnett, accelerated with a step to the right wing, suddenly jumped, and slowly, with Garnett trailing a beat.

"Splash!"

Garnett hadn't had time to jump when Carlos released the shot.

"Swoosh!"

A steady mid-range shot.

Celtics ball...

Garnett, in the low post on the left side against Carlos, faked an attack. Instead, he passed the ball to Pierce, who was cutting into the key. In the face of Carter and Frye double-teaming, Pierce initiated a high-speed layup, and Carter and Frye closed in.

"Splash!"

Pierce passed the ball behind him, laterally shifting the ball to the left corner. Ray Allen caught it and decisively launched a three-pointer.

"Swoosh!"

Like an outstanding archer from the Middle Ages, Ray Allen shot a cold arrow, hitting a three-pointer.

As Pierce, Ray Allen, and Garnett completed consecutive attacks, Rondo, who typically doesn't shoot from the outside or has a poor three-point shooting percentage, also found an opportunity to score.

"Swoosh!"

From the left high position, Rondo made a mid-range shot that went in.

Even Rondo's mid-range shots were hitting, boosting the team's confidence. O'Neal, in the post towards Frye, forcefully attempted a layup even with Carter closing in.

"Swoosh!"

He smoothly placed the basketball into the basket.

 A 13-2 run, delivered to the Suns, not only erased the initial 3-point deficit but also gave the Celtics an 8-point lead.

"BEEP-BEEP!"

Gentry wiped the sweat from his forehead, calling for a timeout. Everyone knew this wasn't a normal timeout for the Suns; it was forced by the Celtics.

"Wow!"

"The Suns called a timeout? It's quite rare after Carlos joined the team," Mark Jackson exclaimed.

"Yeah..."

Jon Barry nodded and said, "The Celtics are playing exceptionally well tonight. With their diverse offensive capabilities, they are flourishing on multiple fronts. The Suns seem to be struggling to keep up."

"That's right. Let's see how they respond after the timeout," Mark Jackson added.

On the Suns' bench:

"The Celtics have so many offensive options—Ray Allen, Pierce, Garnett..."

Dragic, feeling the pressure, said. George didn't say anything, but he agreed. The Celtics' current offensive onslaught was putting immense pressure on him.

"Well..."

Gentry responded with a calm expression, not showing any signs of pressure despite the team falling behind.

"Coach, do you have any specific tactics?" Nash noticed the coach's intentions and asked seriously.

"Yes..."

Gentry took out the tactical board and said, "The Celtics have multiple offensive threats, and with Rondo as their 'brain,' they can choose from various offensive strategies. However, we also have our offensive strengths—Curry and Carlos with precise three-point shooting, Nash's playmaking, Carter's three-pointers, and Frye's outside shooting. With Carlos on the court, completely capable of causing mismatches, I believe our 'Run and Gun' tactics will be more effective now than when Stat was with us."

Gentry spoke with confidence.

Nash's eyes flashed with a red flame.

He and Stat had perfected the Suns' "Run and Gun" tactics over the past few seasons, making the entire league fear them. He knew the effectiveness of the "Run and Gun" tactics very well.

Now, hearing the coach wanting to restart the "Run and Gun" tactics and having Carlos, he felt a great sense of joy. Moreover, having Carlos in the "Run and Gun" tactics made him extremely excited.

"Run and Gun..."

George muttered.

"Yes, Run and Gun!"

Gentry's expression shook, and he said, "Increase the offensive pace, run, attack, and bring out our Suns' 'Run and Gun' tactics."

"Howl!"

After the timeout...

Suns' ball possession...

"Slap!"

The moment Nash received the ball at the top of the arc, Carlos and Curry immediately sprinted to the two bottom corners. Nash drove the ball, and at the same time, Carlos sprinted out.

Top right arc...

Players and ball movement...

"Whoosh!"

Carlos, rushing out, received the ball, turned around, and released a three-point shot with pressure on his wrist.

"Swoosh!"

Clean shot!