Facing Kobe!

"Good shot!" The audience erupted in applause, with Iverson clapping enthusiastically in the stands.

"Wow—"

"This shot is amazing!"

Even the renowned actress, Angelina Jolie, couldn't contain her excitement as she stood up and applauded. Initially there to watch Kobe's game, she had become a fan of the handsome and impressive Carlos, who could go head-to-head with Kobe.

Also joining the fan club was the just-turned-24-year-old singer, Taylor Swift. She had originally come to witness Kobe's showdown but found herself cheering for Carlos's buzzer-beating three-pointer at the moment.

"This fadeaway, this buzzer-beater, Carlos's three-pointer is so cool!" Roger Federer exclaimed, unable to contain his admiration. Carlos's consecutive three-pointers tonight made him feel the urge to hit the basketball court himself.

"Whoa—"

"A center making three-pointers has reached new heights!"

Lionel Messi applauded with a smile. Despite being a soccer superstar, he had a fair understanding of basketball and recognized the incredible precision of a center making three-pointers.

"Cheers!"

Carlos's buzzer-beating fadeaway three-pointer hit, causing the entire arena to erupt in deafening cheers.

At the same time, inside the Mexican National Sports Television studio:

Jose applauded, saying, "Good shot... a buzzer-beater three-pointer, and it's a fadeaway three-pointer against Kobe's defense. This shot... is quite bold."

"Yeah..."

Mario smiled and said, "Typically, this kind of fadeaway three-pointer should be listed as one of the top ten shots where Kobe uses a center as a background and scores. However, tonight, Carlos, as a center, used Kobe as a background and scored a fadeaway three-pointer. That's something most people wouldn't dare to think of. Carlos is really amazing!"

"That's right..."

Jose continued, looking at the stats, "With this buzzer-beating three-pointer, Carlos has made 7 three-pointers tonight, scoring 43 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in three quarters! The Suns are only behind by 4 points. Carlos, almost single-handedly, is leading the team in a fierce battle. The outcome of this game is still uncertain! The final quarter will be a fierce battle! Whether the Suns continue their winning streak and achieve a historic 17 consecutive victories, or the defending champions prevail and end the Suns' 16-game winning streak! After the commercial break, let's witness it together."

...

Under the commentary of the two commentators.

Before long, the final quarter's showdown began.

First, the battle between the substitutes, "Magic" Odom, despite his miserable defeat by the rookie Carlos tonight, remained a dominant force on the bench. Alongside Brown and Barnes, the Suns' bench lineup was proving to be a challenge for the Lakers. In just 4 minutes, the 4-point difference widened to 8 points again. If this continued, when the rested Lakers' starting lineup returned with increased defensive intensity, the Suns would have little chance.

"Beep—Beep!"

Gentry, well aware of the situation, called for another timeout.

"Carlos, go in!"

Indeed...

Carlos entered the game once again ahead of schedule. After all, he was not only the Suns' strongest scorer but also had the best stamina. Curry needed a bit more rest to store enough energy for the final battle.

On the Lakers' side, learning from the previous second quarter, Coach Phil Jackson had Kobe enter the game early to match up against Carlos, balancing the strengths of both teams.

After the timeout...

"Bang, bang, bang!"

At the three-point arc, Carlos faced Kobe. It was now a decisive moment, and Carlos had a serious expression, no longer intending to engage in any more "trash-talking games."

Kobe was the same.

Dribbling the ball like a butterfly weaving through flowers, he held the ball in his right hand. Carlos accelerated and charged forward, and Kobe followed suit, both heading towards the basket.

"Step!"

Odom and Barnes rushed out from both sides, triple-teaming, but even in a tight defense, Carlos could fake a move, sway past defenders, and make a deceptive layup off the backboard.

"Swoosh!"

It's a hit...

In a swift transition from offense to defense, Kobe, unwilling to be outdone, aggressively charged into the Suns' restricted area. Accelerating on the right wing, he soared elegantly in mid-air, executed a left-side, back-facing layup off the backboard.

"Swoosh!"

There's also...

Dragic passed the ball quickly, Carlos caught it, accelerated, sprinted to the frontcourt at full speed, and abruptly stopped. Facing Odom's defense, he unleashed a three-pointer.

"Swoosh!"

The basketball pierced through the net, hitting its mark!

"Wow! This... this is Carlos's 8th three-pointer in this game. Can he tie or break his season-high record of 10 three-pointers?!"

Kobe dribbled the ball, went one-on-one against Carlos, performed consecutive crossover steps, lowered his center of gravity, hesitated for a moment, and then decided to pull up.

Facing Carlos's defense, he attempted a fadeaway three-pointer.

However, Carlos anticipated it, went up for the block, and wow... Carlos's fingertips touched the basketball, blocking Kobe's shot. He sprinted out again, grabbed the rebound, and headed to the frontcourt.

There wasn't a defensive player from the opposing team in the frontcourt.

Fast break!

Carlos stopped abruptly at the left arc, launching a three-pointer!

Did it go in?

Whoosh... the water splashed, and the shot went right through the net.

"This shot is really confident!"

"The 9th three-pointer!"

"Blocked, the lead has been reduced to only 2 points. Kobe, with a serious expression, has been provoked. On the right high post, he finds Carlos and engages in a one-on-one battle."

With consecutive footwork changes, Kobe pulled half a step away from Carlos, showcasing his picturesque signature fadeaway jump shot. However, Carlos, with his absolute height and arm length advantage, jumped with full force, causing interference!

This shot... Kobe hit the iron, and the rebound was protected by George, who passed it to Dragic in the frontcourt.

How to choose the offensive strategy?

As expected, Dragic passed it back to Carlos, who was trailing at the top of the arc!

Facing Kobe!

Carlos... Carlos made a probing step, wow... Carlos, who had hit 2 three-pointers in a row, was unstoppable. He directly took off, soaring for another three-pointer.

Realizing it, Kobe jumped to block, but Carlos released the shot quickly, and with the height advantage, the shot wasn't blocked.

The basketball flew towards the basket... off the backboard and in!

Oh my God!

Carlos unleashed another three-point storm, hitting three consecutive three-pointers, leading an 11-2 individual counterattack, recovering an 8-point deficit, and taking a 1-point lead!

Finally... with 6 minutes and 34 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Suns finally took the lead, 1 point ahead. This was also the first time the Suns had led throughout the game.

Inside the Mexican National Sports Television studio, Mario was splashing saliva, his expression dancing with excitement. Passionately commenting on Carlos's last three-pointer, which surpassed Kobe's defense, he was so thrilled that he almost jumped up, and his voice trembled with excitement.

"Beep, beep!"

Phil Jackson quickly called for a timeout.

Inside the studio, Jose remained relatively calm and said, "Carlos has erupted in an offensive frenzy. After this timeout, I believe both starting lineups will return. The final battle is about to ignite!"

"Yes..."

Regaining composure, Mario took over and said, "Tonight... Carlos has already made 10 three-pointers, scoring 54 points individually. As Jose mentioned, after this timeout, it will be the final showdown. Besides the crucial win or loss, I also want to see how many more three-pointers Carlos can make tonight—10, 11, or... In addition, Carlos, who has already scored 54 points, can he enter the 60-point club tonight?!"