20 Western Conference Player of the Week
Austin is truly an outstanding agent. After a conversation with him, Carlos became clearer about the type of team he wanted to stay with. At the same time, Austin's efficiency was remarkable; he always quickly handled matters concerning Carlos. This was one of the reasons Carlos chose him.
At 7 p.m. that evening, a call came in, and Carlos saw that it was from his mom.
"Hello, Mom."
"Carlos, how are you in the United States? It's been several days, and you haven't called. Are you trying to worry your mother to death?"
"No, not at all. The schedule has been tight lately, and I forgot."
That was indeed true. Between the time travel, dealing with the system, continuous games, and contemplating which agent to choose and which team to stay with, Carlos had a lot on his plate.
"Oh, I see. Well, how are you now? Are you stable?"
"I'm stable, Mom. Don't worry. Since I've come to the NBA, I'm determined to make a name for myself and definitely won't embarrass you."
"Hehe, Carlos, don't talk big."
Carlos's mom, Shirley, was a teacher. She hoped Carlos would become a teacher contributing to Mexico's future, but she was open-minded. As long as Carlos wanted to play basketball, Shirley always supported him.
"Mom, I'm fine. I've made friends, and you, take care of yourself alone at home."
Carlos's father had passed away in an accident in his early years, leaving Shirley and Carlos to depend on each other.
"I know. My students are my friends. I'm fine, but you, in a foreign country, must always take care of yourself, you hear?"
"I know..."
Carlos smiled, "With a son as tall as me, who would dare to bully me? Don't worry."
"By the way, Carlos, in some time, your cousin will be going to the United States. You should take care of her then. Ah... I'm going to be late for class. I won't talk anymore."
"Huh? Cousin?"
Beep beep beep...
Before Carlos could ask who it was, his mom had already hung up.
Carlos didn't have the concept of a cousin in his memory.
"Maybe it's a parallel world, so some things have changed. It's not surprising that my parallel world self has a cousin. If she's coming to the U.S., she should contact me, right?"
Thinking like this, Carlos didn't dwell on it too much. He was really busy at the moment. In the midst of his career ascent, he didn't have much time to deal with other matters. He tossed his phone onto the table and went to take a shower.
"The hotel bathroom is so lousy. All the facilities are subpar. No, when I have money, I must get a small villa."
...
The next night, back at the Suns' home arena, they were preparing to face the Cavaliers. This year's Cleveland Cavaliers, without LeBron, were truly weak—worse than the Suns without "Stat," and by more than double.
Last season, they were Eastern Conference leaders, no, league leaders. But this season, they were at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. LeBron's departure caused Cleveland's market value to plummet by several billion, truly leaving them with nothing. They became a bottom-tier team in every sense.
Even without Carlos, the Suns had the capability to crush the Cavaliers. So tonight, Carlos only played three quarters, casually scoring 27 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, providing 2 assists, and blocking 4 shots. Worth mentioning, he also contributed 2 steals tonight. Nash, in three quarters, secured a perfect stat line with 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 9 assists.
After three quarters, the Suns led by 18 points. A complete domination.
With the height advantage of 215 cm, Carlos effortlessly launched precise "Anthony's jump shots." Not only were his movements elegant, but they also left the Cavaliers in despair.
Cavaliers' center Varejao struggled to keep up with Carlos, failed to block him, couldn't defend under the basket, and was useless on the perimeter. At this moment, Varejao was in misery.
"Why do I have to match up against Carlos? This guy is not even a typical center!"
After the game...
Varejao, who had been completely treated as a background figure, could only roar helplessly with a disgraced and frustrated face. He secretly vowed that next time, he absolutely wouldn't want to match up against Carlos, or at least, he definitely wouldn't touch the perimeter.
The Suns secured a four-game winning streak. Following the Warriors' loss to the Thunder tonight, the Suns' record improved, surpassing the Warriors and reaching the 11th spot in the Western Conference.
In the manager's office...
"Hahaha!"
Lance, the manager, couldn't help but burst into laughter after watching the game live. Coach Gentry, who happened to walk in, was also in a good mood and asked, "Lance, why are you so happy?"
"Do I need to say it?"
Lance retorted, still laughing, "It's because of Carlos. How did I end up with such an incredibly strong center sent to me by the heavens?"
"Hey!"
Gentry rolled his eyes, reminding, "Don't speak so full of yourself. Carlos is not your player; he just signed a 10-day short-term contract. Moreover... from what I know, many teams have already set their eyes on Carlos. When the contract expires, they'll try to snatch him away."
"Snatch Carlos away?"
Lance, upon hearing this, immediately became unhappy. The smile disappeared from his face, and with a pout, he looked as if he was ready to fight, saying, "No one can take Carlos away. No matter the cost, I'm keeping Carlos."
Tonight...
In addition to the Suns facing off against the Cavaliers, there was another highly anticipated match, the showdown between the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat.
The Heat: Eastern Conference first place, 13-game winning streak, undefeated this season.
The Bulls: Eastern Conference second place, 11 wins, 2 losses, currently on a 5-game winning streak.
A super battle between Eastern Conference first and second place.
The moment it unfolded, it ignited the entire arena, evolving into a duel between the "Windy City Assassin" Rose and the Heat's "Big Three."
Tonight, Rose seemed like a god of war. He single-handedly dominated the entire court, extinguishing the flames of the Heat's "Big Three"!
37 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists—a victorious performance.
This was the answer sheet Rose handed in tonight, allowing the home fans to enjoy an extremely satisfying evening.
The "Windy City Assassin" Rose ended the Heat's 13-game winning streak, making people marvel at his extraordinary talent and realizing that the Heat's "Big Three" still needed a period of adjustment.
Moreover...
Even in the adjustment period, their strength remained formidable.
...
The next day...
Major newspapers once again wrote overnight about Carlos's news, publishing it as soon as possible. Of course, the Bulls' fierce battle against the Heat and Rose's outstanding performance also dominated the headlines.
The NBA official also didn't rest; they early on announced the Players of the Week for both the Eastern and Western Conferences.
In the Eastern Conference...
Without suspense, with an average of 27.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.7 blocks, leading the team to a four-game winning streak, Rose took the title of Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the fourth week.
And who would it be in the Western Conference?
Is it Kevin Durant of the Thunder, averaging 29.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 blocks, leading the team to a 3-1 record?
Or is it Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, averaging 28.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.4 blocks, leading the team to a perfect 4-0 record?
No!
Neither of them...
The Western Conference Player of the Week ultimately went to the Suns' rookie center... Carlos.
When this news came out, the entire league was in an uproar.
