King of Brag

A few hours earlier, roughly around the time the NBA officially announced the Players of the Week and the first round of All-Star voting results, two videos on YouTube went viral overnight, commanding high popularity and dominating the top five trending video spots.

Both videos were interviews, and both were about Carlos.

One was from after Christmas, during the Suns' second season matchup against the Wizards. Before the game, ESPN's famous reporter 'Woj' interviewed Carlos. The video gained traction not so much for the interview itself, but for a particular statement Carlos made in response to a challenge from the Wizards' 'Number One,' saying: "The last number one pick who said that to me, his grave's grass is two meters high!" Following this, Carlos shut down Wall in the game, backing up his words.

The second video was a post-game interview from the same night, where Carlos, when asked by Woj how he felt about his performance, nonchalantly remarked, "Against Wall, I only used fifty percent of my effort!" Carlos, with just 'fifty percent' effort, not only recorded 37 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks, but also left the provoking 'Number One' Wall with a meager 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists. Carlos's understated comments were another slap in the face to Wall.

These two fresh and perfectly timed remarks, used against Wall, evolved into viral memes. The first perfectly encapsulated the failure of bravado, while the second was the epitome of post-victory mockery.

After a few days of silence, these comments, combined with fitting text and sound effects by netizens, exploded on YouTube overnight, spawning memes that many rushed to imitate.

And so, there was the scene where Curry playfully challenged Carlos out of the blue, inspired by these memes.

Carlos was confused.

George rushed over, crossed his arms, and mimicked Carlos's talking style, telling Curry, "Heh, Stephen, let me tell you, the last guy who challenged me like this, his grave's grass is two meters high."

Carlos didn't understand why they were acting so juvenile despite being older than him. Shaking his head slightly...

He ignored the two and walked straight to the court. It was then that Nash, smiling, came over and recounted the details of the viral interview videos from YouTube.

"Huh?!"

"I'm the new 'King of Brag' in basketball?!"

When Nash relayed the message, Carlos initially couldn't believe it.

"King of Brag"?!

Indeed...

Before Carlos earned this title with his two timely quotes, many other stars in the league had uttered circle-breaking, swagger-filled quotes.

For instance...

Defensive stalwart Gary Payton, nicknamed 'The Glove,' when mocked by an opponent that he could only defend and not score, retorted, "Crossing you is like crossing the street in the early morning"—and backed it up by exploding on the court.

Kobe Bryant, the 'Black Mamba,' famously said, "Have you seen Los Angeles at 4 a.m.? I have!" showcasing his dedication and work ethic.

Tim Duncan, the 'Big Fundamental,' after sweeping the Cavaliers 4-0 in the 2007 Finals, jokingly told LeBron in the locker room, "The future of the league is yours." This misleading encouragement lasted for eight years, and now he seemed to be passing the torch to Carlos.

Trash talk champion Kevin Garnett, 'The Big Ticket,' had an arsenal of trash talk, generally tolerated by others due to his skills and popularity. During one game, he taunted Anthony by saying, "Your wife tastes like Honey Nut Cheerios."

The incident Garnett caused with his trash talk towards Anthony not only inflamed 'Melo but also led to a post-game altercation that spilled from the locker room to the team bus, where Garnett had to hunker down inside, too scared to step out. This drama spread like wildfire at the time and made Garnett's trash talk infamous.

Michael Jordan, the 'God of Basketball' who stood at the pinnacle of the basketball world, rarely spoke, but when he did, his words could choke you. A simple encouragement like "Good effort, you almost had me..." could send those who tried and failed to guard him into a spiral of despair. And when he returned from retirement with the simple phrase "I'm back," it sent shivers down the league's spine.

Larry Bird, 'The Hick from French Lick,' truly was a master of swagger. His pre-contest declaration at the Three-Point Contest, "Who's coming in second?" followed by winning the contest without even removing his warm-up jacket, forced everyone to bow to his confidence. He once told his defender exactly where he would score the game-winning shot and then did just that, right in his face. Bird had a long list of swagger-filled quotes that no one dared challenge.

And now...

Carlos, in response to a challenge from John Wall, casually dropped two lines without much thought, which inadvertently crowned him the NBA's new 'King of Brag':

"The last one who said that, his grave's grass is two meters high."

"Playing against you, I only used fifty percent of my effort."

These two phrases became the swagger-filled catchphrases of the new 'King of Brag,' Carlos.

After watching the viral YouTube interview videos enthusiastically recommended by Curry, which overnight had hit over five million views, Carlos realized they did indeed have an element of braggadocio.

"Heh... heh heh..."

Carlos chuckled awkwardly, saying, "You guys can imitate as you please, as long as you're happy—"

Carlos's lines became the object of imitation by many fans. Not limited to just fans, people from all walks of life were copying these phrases, turning them not only into Carlos's standout catchphrases but also into popular memes. Crucially, the popularity of these memes inadvertently boosted Carlos's popularity and heat, which was a good thing.

However, Carlos, not too concerned about these distractions, turned his focus to the upcoming game against the Rockets. This battle for the 22-game win streak was something he took very seriously—it was a must-win.

The fans, especially those from Mexico, were also eagerly anticipating this matchup, looking forward to seeing Carlos equal the winning streak record set by 'GT.'

With anticipation building from countless people.

The night... arrived!