"So high, so fast, and so accurate?!"
"Is this guy a monster?!" Jennings was stunned.
In that last offensive play, he wanted to contest the shot, but the sheer difference in height was like looking up at a demigod, and instantly Jennings lost the desire to defend against Carlos.
Of course...
Rather than saying he lost the desire, it was more the case that Jennings, at 185 cm and without a speed advantage as a guard, simply couldn't defend against Carlos, the center.
Switch!
One block, one three-pointer.
Jennings would no longer single out Carlos. It wasn't necessary to directly outplay him to steal the spotlight; if he could lead his team to a victory, that would be the true measure of success.
Bucks (4): (8) Suns.
Carlos accounted for the Suns' first 8 points.
Bucks' possession...
Jennings, needing a little adjustment, distributed the ball to Salmons to initiate an attack, then lobbed the ball to Bogut under the basket, who faced Frye's defense.
"Bang!"
The slightly more robust Bogut went for a hard bump. Frye couldn't hold his ground, giving way step by step, but the relatively agile Frye managed to recover in time.
"Hmph!"
Seeing Frye recover, Bogut grunted coldly, turned over once more, and... with a very subtle elbow strike, added to the force of his bump.
Even though it was minor, the pain was intense.
"Ah—"
Frye cried out in pain and couldn't recover this time.
"Boom!"
Bogut seized the opportunity, went up strong with the ball, and scored off the backboard.
"Referee, that's an elbow foul from Andrew!"
Frye, clutching his abdomen and grimacing, complained to the referee, but the referee paid no attention, looking disgustedly at the calmly retreating Bogut.
"He really is a dirty player!"
Suns' possession...
Nash advanced the ball, and seeing Frye with a positional advantage in the low post, lobbed the ball high to him. Frye received the ball, turned around past Bogut, and launched his offensive assault on the basket.
But Bogut directly stuck his leg out on the flank, and the charging Frye's thigh hit right into Bogut's knee.
"Ah!"
"Thump!"
With a cry of pain, Frye went down on the floor, halting the offensive play.
"Damn it!"
Once more being 'underhandedly' hit, Frye couldn't hold back anymore. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he got up and charged towards Bogut, looking for a fight, and Bogut was no pushover.
Or rather...
He seemed to enjoy this kind of thing.
The two immediately got into a scuffle, showing signs of erupting into a fight, but thankfully Jennings and Nash were quick to intervene, with Curry and others swiftly following.
The referees stepped in to separate the two, preventing a brawl.
"Whistle!"
The referees handed out technical fouls to both players.
Meanwhile...
The jumbotron replayed the slow-motion footage of the last play, clearly showing Bogut's intentional tripping. The crowd let out a chorus of disapproval.
"Dirty play!"
"Stretching out his foot because he can't catch up?"
"He's one of the top three dirtiest players in the league, an unworthy first pick, no skill except for dirty tricks, truly sickening."
"It's so early in the game and already this dirty?!"
"Damn, that's disgusting!"
Bogut's behavior incensed the Suns' fans, some of whom wished they could rush onto the court and give him a beating.
"Whistle!"
The referee called an additional defensive foul on Bogut, keeping the possession with the Suns. Frye rubbed his leg for a moment, and though still a bit sore, he was able to continue playing.
The game went on...
"Snap!"
Carlos received the ball at the top of the arc, his eyes flashing with icy coldness as he scanned Bogut, who appeared nonchalant under the basket.
With a gesture for a screen, Carlos bypassed İlyasova and charged towards the basket, with Bogut stepping up to guard him.
Continue the attack?!
No!
"Thud, thud, thud!"
Carlos took a series of crossover steps back, and with İlyasova already covering Frye under the basket, Bogut was forced to follow Carlos to the perimeter, denying him any open shooting opportunities.
"Step!" Carlos stepped back to the left side of the arc, eyeing Bogut coolly, and then...
"Whoosh!" Without any fancy fakes, right in front of Bogut, despite his direct defense, right over his head, Carlos released a three-pointer!
"Ha!" Bogut let out a shout as he tried to block, but under the overwhelming difference in talent, his effort was in vain.
Accompanied by the beautiful swish of the net.
"Swoosh!" Carlos's three-pointer sailed through the hoop, nothing but net.
"Good shot!" Frye was the first to shout out, pumping his fist and reveling in the sight of Bogut being posterized by Carlos, finding the moment both thrilling and vindicating.
"Nice job!" "Carlos pulled Bogut out to posterize him, well done!" "The relentless prop: Bogut!" "Yes, just like that, let Carlos mercilessly shame that dirty player Bogut!"
"Ugh..." Not just Frye, but the Suns' fans were also feeling a great sense of satisfaction, directing their irritation at Bogut with a barrage of boos. Fortunately for Bogut, this was a home game—if it had been an away game, the booing from the Suns' fans alone could have been enough to make him explode with frustration.
"Snort!" Bogut snorted, unconcerned. However, he no longer ventured out to guard Carlos one-on-one, instead sticking under the basket doing the dirty things he seemed to enjoy.
"Not coming out?" Carlos glared at Bogut with another icy look, "Then I'll go in!"
The atmosphere on the court was charged. After Carlos posterized Bogut, momentum swung towards the Suns. Jennings promptly stepped up and hit a three-pointer to stop the bleeding.
Curry took the ball, faced off against Jennings one-on-one, went through a series of rhythm-breaking moves, and suddenly accelerated past Jennings toward the basket.
"Thump!" Bogut lunged out to defend.
Seeing the shot was ill-advised, Curry wisely passed the ball while ensuring a safe landing. Bogut who had made an effective defensive move, landed as well.
However...
As he landed, Carlos, who had cut in from the right wing, received Curry's pass. With one foot in the paint, he grabbed the ball single-handedly and soared.
"Ha!" Bogut let out another shout and leaped again to block. But it was clearly too late. Almost as soon as Bogut lifted off, Carlos was already dominating the air above.
Pressing down Bogut's arm with his left hand, and hoisting the basketball high with his right, Carlos thundered the ball over Bogut and slammed it into the hoop.
"Buzz!" The powerful dunk, filled with fury, made the basket wail continuously.
"Thud, thud, thud!" The impact of the mid-air clash forced its way onto Bogut's upper body, causing him to lose balance. He stumbled backward upon landing and almost fell over.
Carlos, hanging on the rim, steadied himself.
"Wow! Carlos just dunked over the first pick Bogut!"
"Great shot!" "So awesome!" "Truly satisfying!" "Carlos, well done, it's a good thing you didn't flip Bogut over with that dunk." "Wow... that's how you mercilessly humiliate him!"
Confronting the dirty Bogut, Carlos's facial, followed by a dunk-over, delighted the Suns fans and ignited a wave of even more intense cheers in the arena!