The highlight of tonight

Jose is a typical Kobe superfan, devoutly admiring Kobe without question. In any game featuring Kobe, whether it's shooting or passing, everything seems reasonable and beyond doubt to him.

Upon hearing Mario's question, he furrowed his brows, appearing somewhat distressed. After all... Carlos is a Mexican player with formidable skills, and naturally, he likes him too. However, being a Kobe fan, he likes Kobe a lot as well. With both players being outstanding, Jose finds himself in a dilemma.

After some hesitation, Jose smiled and said, "Both Kobe and Carlos have exceptional skills."

"No, you can only choose one," Mario teased with a smile.

Jose, with a furrowed brow, found himself entangled once again.

Witnessing this scene, Mario burst into laughter, satisfied with the situation. He decided not to tease the crazy "Kobe fan" any further and said, "End of the first quarter. The Suns are temporarily trailing by 5 points.

In the first quarter, Carlos and Kobe went head-to-head, with Carlos scoring 14 points and Kobe scoring 15 points. Both players demonstrated remarkable scoring efficiency, making the game highly entertaining!

Just a 5-point difference, but the suspense remains in the first quarter. Let's enjoy the splendid offensive showdown between the 'monster rookie' and the 'league's number one player.'

On the court...

During the break, Olajuwon, Robinson, and Jabbar in the audience weren't idle either.

"Hey, is Carlos really a center?!" 'The Admiral' David Robinson directly asked this somewhat silly question. Olajuwon smiled and said, "215 centimeters, unquestionably, he is a center."

"Tsk tsk..."

Jabbar pursed his lips, slightly surprised, "A center competing with Kobe in outside shooting. Honestly, since retirement... this is the first time I've seen it."

"Yes..."

Robinson nodded. He asked that silly question just to express his disbelief. A center and the current 'number one point guard' engaging in an outside shooting duel? It sounded absurd! However, at this moment, it was happening right before their eyes, unbelievably and ridiculously.

"Hehehe!"

Olajuwon chuckled, "Carlos, this center is quite interesting."

While the previous-generation centers were discussing, the second quarter showdown began, starting with the matchup between the substitutes.

Inside the Mexican national sports television studio, Mario looked at the Lakers' substitute lineup and said, "The Lakers' substitutes are not weak at all. Odom, one of the three giants in the paint, along with Shannon Brown and Matt Barnes, all have formidable skills. Especially Odom, outstanding athleticism, whether playing point guard, forward, or center, he can handle it. A well-rounded player, known as the 'Left-Handed Magician.' Also, he is the strongest scoring option on the Lakers' bench."

As he was saying...

Odom locked down Dragic's drive on the perimeter, transitioned from defense to offense, received the ball in the paint, pushed aside Lopez, and slammed dunked with both hands, bombarding the basket!

Following that...

Transforming into a small forward, he intercepted George's attack, and Odom, in top form tonight, seemed ready to single-handedly dominate the Suns' bench.

But within a 3-minute and 19-second rotation...

Odom scored 6 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, and made several impressive defensive plays, leading the Lakers to extend their 5-point lead to over 9 points.

"Beep beep!"

Gentry called for a timeout.

Carlos and Carter were sent in early, joining Dragic, George, and Lopez on the court.

"Bang bang bang!"

Carlos held the ball at the arc.

Odom shifted over to defend. In his excellent form tonight, he looked arrogantly at Carlos, displaying a posture as if he was going to defeat this rising star.

In response...

Carlos remained unfazed, lowered his center of gravity, swiftly adjusted his dribbling rhythm, executed a probing step, and pulled away half a step from Odom. With a focused gaze, he suddenly accelerated on the right wing.

The speed was so fast, virtually unstoppable.

"Swoosh!"

Like lightning, Carlos easily bypassed Odom with a single step.

"What?!" Odom's pupils dilated. He was well aware of his speed, which ranked above average for power forwards and centers, almost keeping up with every forward.

However, facing Carlos now...

Against Carlos, not only could he not keep up, he couldn't even move. By the time he reacted and turned to catch up, Carlos had already taken the jump shot.

"Swoosh!"

The mid-range shot was steady and went in. "Such amazing speed. Is this the speed of a center?!" Odom couldn't believe it.

"Tsk tsk... Odom's speed can't keep up with Carlos at all," Wade remarked from the audience. LeBron shrugged, nonchalantly saying, "It's normal. Although Odom can play multiple positions, it's quite awkward. He loses in power matchups against capable big men, and against agile perimeter players, his speed falls short."

"That's true..." Wade nodded. Odom could defend multiple positions against non-superstars or even superstars, showcasing his versatile defensive skills. That's why the bench is where he excels.

"But Carlos still surprises me."

"Oh?" Wade looked puzzled, and LeBron smiled, saying, "Carlos, as a center, you'd expect him to easily overpower Odom in terms of strength, which is understandable. But now... he's using his center's body, breaking through Odom's defense with incredible speed, making jump shots. It's truly surprising!"

"Hehe, yeah, it doesn't look like an attack from a center at all."

Back on the court...

Another round, Carlos faced Odom again, employing the same attack without flashy moves, just overwhelming with speed.

"Swoosh!"

Directly shaking off Odom, cutting into the paint, Carlos jumped with astonishing bounce and height, preventing Brown from even getting a chance to jump for help defense.

"Swoosh!"

Bank shot successful...

In the next round, Carlos once again used his speed to shake off Odom's defense. However, facing a double team from Barnes and Brown, Carlos remained calm.

"Whoosh!"

He raised the ball high, passed it to the left corner where Carter was ready. Carter received the ball and made a three-pointer.

"Swoosh!"

With Carlos and Carter teaming up, they delivered a 7-0 counterattack, narrowing the gap to just 2 points for the Lakers.

"Beep beep!"

Phil Jackson called for a timeout.

5 minutes and 23 seconds left.

Both starting lineups returned.

The Lakers had possession...

Fisher passed to the left wing where Kobe was stationed at the arc. Fisher then moved forward to screen for Kobe. Kobe rushed to the middle of the arc and faced... Carlos!

Boom!

Almost the moment Carlos and Kobe faced off, cheers erupted in the arena.

"Here we go!" LeBron chuckled, and Wade grinned, puffing out his cheeks. "Carlos vs. Kobe, the duel between the two strongest cores of the teams, the highlight of tonight, has finally arrived!"

On the sidelines...

'The Answer' Iverson squinted, "Carlos, can you defeat that man?!"