" What the heck!" Baron widened his eyes. "A center who can change direction and drive to the basket like Iverson?!"
He looked bewildered, feeling like his understanding was being turned upside down. "What am I doing?!"
DeAndre Jordan, who had been shaken off, also felt a bit sentimental. If a guard had shaken him off, that would be understandable, but Carlos is a center taller than him.
Shaken off by a fake move!
What is going on here?
DeAndre Jordan was quite frustrated. However, Griffin rushed into the paint, faced the defense of Frye and Hill, aggressively shot and made it, with an additional violent dunk for a three-point play.
Seeing this, DeAndre Jordan got excited again.
"Swoosh!"
Griffin made the free throw.
"A 5-point lead at the start, Griffin continues his hot streak from the last game, easing the embarrassment of DeAndre Jordan being easily shaken off by Carlos like crossing a morning street.
Suns' possession...
Nash fakes, attracts defense, passes to the left high post to Carlos. DeAndre Jordan doesn't dare to defend Carlos, and small forward Gomes steps up to defend.
Carlos... Carlos chooses to take a jump shot.
Already 14 cm taller than Gomes, Carlos, with astonishing jumping ability and long arms, rises for the shot in front of Gomes.. Gomes can only hope that Carlos misses.
But Carlos's jump shot is more accurate than that of a star guard.
Bang!
Another hit..."
"Baron pushes it up, with Griffin covering the free-throw line, pulling to the left. Baron, driving in, delivers a behind-the-back pass, finding Griffin again. Dwight Howard cuts to the basket, facing Frye's defense, twists his body in the confrontation, and finishes with a low bank shot. Powerful!"
"Carlos rushes in, mismatches with Baron on the free-throw line, suddenly accelerates, bypasses the small guard Baron with a big step, and cuts into the basket. Puts the ball into the hoop with ease and elegance."
"Griffin also takes the ball and charges in, attempting a solo fast-break slam, but there are too many Suns players in the paint, and Griffin's attack fails. Nash grabs the rebound. Wow—a full-court pass, the trajectory of the basketball crosses the court like a surgical knife, reaching... reaching Carlos, who has been waiting in the frontcourt for a long time. Right-wing attack, defended by Gordon, Carlos takes a step, shakes off Gordon, turns his back to the basket on the left side, and finishes with a low bank shot. It's in! Wow, that's a stylish move!"
"Although they are two non-playoff teams, this year's two rising stars, Carlos and Griffin, one being a 'center version' of Iverson, the other a 'White Howard.' The two engage in a fierce battle, making this already outstanding game even more intense. The score is also very close. It's now a timeout, and it's unknown what new tactics both sides will employ after the break. What sparks will fly between these two super rookies?"
"In the commentary box...
Jon Barry vividly and passionately narrates, completely immersed in the game.
Mark Jackson is also savoring the game to the extent that, due to Jon Barry's rapid commentary, Barry's saliva is splattering on his face, and Jackson is completely oblivious to it."
"Boom!"
Home fans wave their fists, creating a thunderous atmosphere in the arena!
"Bleep bleep!"
Back from the timeout...
Clippers (19): (21) Suns.
A 2-point difference, with 2 minutes and 47 seconds left in the first quarter.
Suns' possession...
Carlos dribbles up, and Baron, seeing a center dribbling forward, instinctively moves to intercept, but then instantly realizes it's Carlos—it's not a traditional center.
His ball... can't be intercepted, and he can't intercept it.
"Bam bam bam!"
At the top of the arc...
Carlos with the ball, just about to accelerate, sees a figure appearing in front of him, blocking his way. It's none other than... Griffin."
"Wow—"
"Finally, the showdown between the two super rookies is about to unfold."
Seeing Carlos and Griffin facing off,
fans clench their fists, excitement building up. This scene... they have been anticipating it for a long time.
"Carlos!"
Griffin squinted, staring at Carlos, who was a bit taller than himself, and roared, "This batch of rookies seems to be the toughest. Come on...
let's settle this. Let everyone see whether your 'guard-style' center's offense is unstoppable or my aggressive basket attack can dominate the game and lead the team to victory."
"Oh!"
Carlos snorted, a glint of coldness in his eyes.
"Here we go!"
With the ball in his left hand, Carlos hesitated for a moment, then suddenly rushed to the left. Already fast, with those long legs, Carlos forcibly broke through on the first step.
Extremely fast!
"Swoosh!"
Griffin's gaze intensified. Talented himself, he shifted his body sideways, intending to use his outstanding strength to confront Carlos and block his breakthrough.
"Whoosh!"
But Carlos smoothly executed a reverse turn, evading Griffin's defense, and took a mid-range shot.
"Swish!"
Griffin hurriedly turned around to block, but too slow. Despite a full jump, Griffin couldn't even see Carlos's eyes. Looking back, the basketball pierced through the net.
"Wow—"
"A breakthrough, turn, and jump shot, a smooth offensive rhythm. This kind of guard-like offensive style, I didn't expect it to be mastered by a 215cm tall center, but the performance is so pleasing to the eye," Jon Barry couldn't help but praise.
"So agile, Carlos is so big, yet so agile. He's really a difficult opponent!" Griffin muttered, but his eyes showed even more determination.
The stronger the opponent, the greater the sense of achievement when he defeats them.
"Smack!"
Griffin, positioned on the left high post, faced Carlos head-on. Without the flashy dribbling and turning like Carlos, Griffin charged in with brutal force, like a truck speeding at 100 km/h!
"Bang bang bang!"
Carrying out a full defensive effort against Carlos.
In terms of strength, Carlos was indeed not as strong as Griffin. In each confrontation, he kept retreating but maintained a distance, keeping Griffin within his defensive realm.
"Opportunity!"
In another clash, Griffin used his shoulder to push Carlos away, and within the three-second zone, Griffin bent his knees, jumped, and released a fadeaway jumper. However, just as the basketball left his palm, a large hand slapped it away.
"Smack!"
A palm sent the basketball flying.
"What?!"
Griffin was surprised. In mid-air, Carlos descended with a faint smile. "Hey, I've been waiting for you for a long time. Consider this block my welcoming gift to you."
"Tsk!"
Griffin pursed his lips, not saying anything.
"My god!"
"That's 'White Howard,' and yet, Griffin, with such excellent jumping ability and physical qualities, was blocked by Carlos, and it's even a shot-blocking rejection?!"
"Crucial... Griffin even barged through Carlos, and still got blocked."
"It's really unbelievable!"
The fans felt extremely surprised.
"Carlos... so powerful!"
The Clippers' coach, Vinny Del Negro, was internally shocked. He knew how strong Griffin's talent was, so he was impressed by the scene of Carlos blocking Griffin! On the court...
The ball, swatted away by Carlos, was grabbed by Nash on the perimeter. Nash accelerated in the frontcourt, swiftly handed the ball to Carlos coming from behind, and let Carlos face Griffin again at the top of the arc.
"Step!"
Griffin stepped up, bending over, reaching out to defend, not wanting to give Carlos any chance. This time... he hoped to completely lock down Carlos.
Carlos looked at Griffin, expressionless. Holding the basketball high, he calmly swung his arms back and forth, reading the defense and looking for an opportunity. Then... he initiated, accelerating to the right.
"Swoosh!"
Griffin followed suit.
"Swish!"
Suddenly, Carlos made an abrupt stop, bounced the ball back between his legs, gripped it with both hands, and took a jump shot.
Griffin hurriedly stopped, trying to overcome the inertia of gravity.
Twisting his body to block.
However... he followed too aggressively, his center of gravity hadn't fully returned, and he forcefully jumped sideways, causing both feet to tangle together.
"Bang!"
Griffin fell flat on the floor.
"Swoosh!"
Immediately, the crisp sound of the ball piercing the net echoed.
Carlos... used a fake move to deceive 'White Howard' Griffin, causing him to fall, and then scored with a jump shot.
"Boom!"
After a moment of silence, the arena erupted again, cheers and shouts flooding the ceiling like a tidal wave.