Pressed down on his head

The arena erupted in cheers.

Watching Bogut stumbling back, having been embarrassingly dunked on by Carlos, the fans relished the moment, wishing for every one of Carlos's dunks to humiliate him just as much.

"Cut it out—"

Sensing the deep animosity from the fans, Bogut scoffed. Being posterized by a rookie like Carlos had indeed irked him. His gaze turned icy...

He had set his sights on Carlos, wanting to teach him a lesson. Unbeknownst to him, Carlos had been watching him all along.

"Whistle!"

The morale-boosting dunk by Carlos prompted Bucks coach Scott Skiles to call a timeout to cool off the Suns' fiery momentum.

After the timeout...

Jennings, using Delfino's screen, tried for a three-pointer from a 45-degree angle on the right.

"Clang!"

Not this time...

But Bogut, forcefully protecting the offensive rebound, shoved Frye aside to get a clear shot. Almost a giveaway, Bogut attempted a hook shot off the board.

"Clang!"

It bounced out, surprisingly.

"Ugh—"

The arena filled with sighs of disappointment.

"Fuck!"

Hearing the frustrating sighs from the crowd and seeing his poor offense, Bogut cursed out loud, his face reddening with anger.

"Snap!"

Carlos secured the rebound and passed it to Curry, who pushed forward and faced Jennings. Lowering his center of gravity, he accelerated and, after drawing the defense, he passed.

To Carter in the left corner for a three-pointer.

"Clang!"

Missed again...

Frye tipped the ball away, and at the left high post, Carlos grabbed it. Just as he was pondering when to attack, a burly figure appeared before him.

Who else but Bogut?

"Oh?"

"What's Bogut doing? Does he want more humiliation by stepping out here again?!"

"Wants another facial?!"

"Addicted, is he?!"

"Must be red-faced with rage, he's desperate now!"

"What does it matter? He got dunked on in his own domain, and on the perimeter... he's just asking to get schooled!"

The fans sneered at Bogut coming out to guard Carlos. Indeed...

Generally, Bogut, as a center, wouldn't be able to guard Carlos on the perimeter, but Bogut, who had set his eyes on Carlos, hadn't thought about playing proper defense at all.

"Uninvited, yet he comes? There must be mischief afoot!"

Carlos, holding the ball, stared at the ill-intentioned Bogut in front of him, suspecting some trickery, guessing that Bogut's defense might get dirty.

But...

Carlos, who had planned from the start to dominate him, had no intention of backing down.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Carlos dribbled the ball, facing Bogut, moving to the left while executing continuous between-the-legs crossovers. With the ball in his left hand and his center of gravity low, he leaned left and...

"Whoosh!"

He suddenly accelerated, his surprising speed about to leave Bogut behind.

Bogut's gaze sharpened as he moved laterally and, yet again, extended his leg, which could have ended in a repeat of Frye's earlier misfortune for Carlos if he had continued his acceleration.

Forewarned, Carlos's eyes turned cold, anticipating this move.

"Whoosh!"

Without accelerating past, Carlos executed a front crossover, leaving Bogut completely in the dust, before speeding up again, aiming to break away along the right side.

"Humph!"

Failing in his trip attempt and seeing Carlos about to leave him behind — facing another moment as a backdrop — a furious Bogut extended his leg again.

Having been posterized and dunked on, he was determined to teach Carlos a lesson.

But...

Blinded by anger, and single-mindedly focused on targeting Carlos, he had forgotten that he and Carlos were not on the same level in terms of athletic talent.

Carlos could change directions and accelerate rapidly.

But Bogut, who had just shifted his weight to the left and extended his leg, couldn't pull his center of gravity back that quickly, and in trying to stretch out his other leg...

Bogut ended up doing the splits.

"Rip—"

"Ah—"

"Thump!"

The first sound was the tearing of the ligaments in the groin area that only Bogut could feel, the second was his cry of agony clutching his groin, and the third was the sound of him crashing to the floor.

After shaking Bogut off, Carlos didn't rush his shot. Instead, he took a few seconds to look at Bogut, who was wailing on the ground, and then he released a mid-range jumper.

"Swish!"

It went in...

Carlos's showboating didn't seem inappropriate; in fact, it felt satisfying, especially for Frye, who found it relieving to see Bogut humiliated like that.

"Ah, ah, ah!"

Bogut's agonized screams could make one think he was fouled by Carlos's offense, but of course, the referees, who saw the situation clearly, paid no heed.

"Ha, ha, ha!"

"They said Bogut would get shown up if he stepped up, and he's just humiliating himself!"

"Tsk, tsk... can you believe Bogut got shook to the splits by Carlos?"

"Is this the caliber of a number one pick, a true 'martial champion'?"

"Ah, the agony of his screams, the thrilling sensation of tearing at the moment of the splits – it must be exhilarating, right? Bogut must think so too?"

"Look how happy he is!"

"Ha, ha, ha!"

The Suns' fans, watching Bogut grimace in pain, laughed without mercy. There was no sympathy for someone as dirty as him; he didn't deserve any!

But...

Considering the potential seriousness of the injury, the referees did give him some time to recover. After a while, Bogut got up with an expression of pain. He hopped a bit, seemingly not having sustained a serious injury.

The game continued...

Bucks' possession...

Jennings took the ball and drove, but under the defensive pressure from Curry, his layup went astray.

"Ah... Jennings, even with half a body's advantage over Curry, couldn't make the shot. It seems like his 'instant peak' was indeed just at the beginning. Now in his second year, his performance is declining."

Carlos secured the rebound and passed it to Nash to push forward.

"Whoosh!"

Charge!

The already fired-up Suns, after Carlos had repeatedly humiliated Bogut, employed their fast-break strategy once more.

All five Suns players rushed forward, creating a powerful aura that forced the Bucks players to bite the bullet and fall back rapidly in defense.

"Whoosh!"

Nash crossed the frontcourt, passed to Carter positioned at the right side arc. With the defense catching up, Carter passed back to Nash, who accelerated and, while eyeing Carter on the right, passed to Curry slashing in from the left.

"Whoosh!"

Curry caught the ball and accelerated for a layup. Bogut braced himself under the hoop, ready to block Curry's attempt. However... just as he was about to jump and block Curry.

"Whoosh!"

Curry suddenly tossed the ball into the air.

"A pass?"

Bogut was momentarily startled, and as he turned to follow the trajectory of the ball, he saw not only the ball but also Carlos soaring high to catch it.

"Carlos?"

Bogut's pupils constricted.

In the next moment...

Without even a chance to jump, Bogut was forcefully posterized by the soaring Carlos, who mounted his neck, pressed down on his head, and viciously slammed the ball into the basket!