"Shocking! Amar'e Stoudemire, the starting power forward of the All-Star team, was dominated by rookie center Carlos!" The news came from the Associated Press.
"Able to penetrate, able to shoot, rookie center Carlos perfectly interprets the smooth offense of the 'guard-type' center. He is a breath of fresh air in the center position." Source: The Boston Herald.
"Carlos from Mexico, with each jump shot and drive to the basket, tells the entire league that even as a center, he can be as agile as a guard." From Foxsports.
"Uh..." The next morning.
More basketball reports about Carlos were released early again, spreading throughout the streets and alleys, becoming the talk of countless fans in schools and offices.
10 AM.
Carlos's hotel.
"Ding!"
Just got up and brushing his teeth, Carlos heard the sound of a text message on his phone and opened it to check.
Upon seeing this... Carlos was overjoyed.
Because...
$6 million directly deposited into his bank account.
"Haha, I just mentioned wanting to advance a portion of my salary, and the Suns owner, Robert Sarver, actually gave me half a year's salary. This is ridiculously generous. Let me calculate... Do I now have 100 million Mexican pesos? My god, have I become a millionaire so quickly?!"
Carlos's inner excitement and happiness were impossible to conceal. Even in his past life, he had never seen so much money enter his account at once, filling his pockets.
Awesome!
Carlos felt extremely exhilarated and immediately wanted to share the joy with his mom, so he dialed her number.
"Mom!"
"Oh, Carlos, what's up? Why are you calling so late?"
It was 11 PM in Mexico, and Carlos's mother, Shirley, was working on lesson plans.
"Of course, I have to share good news with my mom. I got paid today."
"Wow... Carlos is all grown up, starting to make money? How much did you get paid?"
Hearing Carlos's happy voice, Shirley became interested.
"Hehe—"
Carlos teased a bit, then laughed, "Just got $6 million deposited. Converted to our Mexican currency, that's a whopping 100 million pesos."
"What?! 100 million pesos?!"
Shirley's eyes widened like eggs, as if she had been startled.
"Is it true?!"
"Indeed..."
Carlos cleared his throat and then, in a boss-like tone, said with a smile, "Tomorrow, I'll go to the bank and transfer 10 million to Mrs. Shirley. From now on... your and dad's life is my responsibility."
"Haha!"
Shirley burst into laughter and fully believed Carlos.
"Carlos, you're rich, keep being rich!" Shirley scolded playfully.
"Haha!"
"Just kidding."
Carlos laughed, then said seriously, "Mom, really, now that your son has made it, you don't have to work so hard anymore. Quit your teaching job. Just stay home and plant flowers, don't worry about so many things, okay?"
"Okay..."
Shirley smiled contentedly, "My son is now a millionaire, indeed no need to work so hard. But... we should finish teaching the students in the current class. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair to the school and the students."
"That's true..."
Carlos pondered for a moment and then said, "Anyway, Mom, you can enjoy yourself however you like in the future. We are now prosperous, so let's improve our quality of life."
"I understand, Carlos. I must remind you, though, even with money, don't live too extravagantly, and definitely stay away from drugs."
"Heh... hehe, you're right, you're right."
"It's late, Carlos. Now that my son is so outstanding, you should find a girlfriend to take care of you."
"Girlfriend? I haven't thought about finding a girlfriend yet. The job is really busy right now, and I'm still adjusting to life in the United States."
"Uh... right, you must take care of your health!" After chatting happily with his mom for a while, Carlos hung up the phone. However, as soon as he hung up, another call came in. It was Austin, his agent.
"Hello!"
"Carlos, I have good news for you."
"What is it?"
"Stephen Curry has agreed to join the Suns and partner with you. Lance, the manager, is in communication with the Warriors management to discuss the details of the trade."
"Great!"
Beep beep beep...
Carlos hung up the phone, went to the balcony, closed his eyes, breathed in the fresh air outside the window. In a great mood, it was truly a wonderful day with good news coming in pairs.
...
Tomorrow, the Suns will face the Clippers on the road. At 5 PM, the Suns team boarded a charter plane and flew to Los Angeles. At 8 PM, there were a total of 7 games in the league tonight. However, the games that caught the Suns' attention were the Clippers vs. Rockets and the Thunder vs. Lakers, two crucial matches.
Because...
The Suns' next opponents are the Clippers and the Thunder.
First up...
The Clippers faced the Rockets in a showdown. The Rockets, currently eighth in the Western Conference, have scoring guard Martin, skilled power forward Scola, and the matured Lowry. There's also the defensive stalwart Shane Battier. If Gustavo Ayon were playing, the Rockets would be a strong force in the West, but unfortunately, Gustavo Ayon returned this season, played only five games, and announced his season-ending injury once again. Nevertheless, the Rockets still have considerable strength to make a playoff push.
As for the Clippers, their overall strength is significantly lower. Gordon's performance is not stable, his three-point ability is not fully developed, and DeAndre Jordan is still growing. The key issue is that the team lacks an outstanding organizer to connect the play. Even with former first overall pick "White Howard" Griffin, the team's record in the Western Conference is quite poor, ranking fourteenth.
In the first half, the Rockets dominated the Clippers. At halftime, the Rockets led by as much as 17 points and maintained an 11-point advantage entering halftime.
In everyone's eyes, the Rockets seemed poised to win the game in three quarters. However, in the second half, Griffin played exceptionally well. In just 4 minutes and 16 seconds, he scored 11 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. A 15-1 counterattack storm allowed the Clippers to directly overtake the Rockets.
"Beep beep!"
The Rockets called a timeout. After this run, Griffin entered an unstoppable state, continuously scoring and helping the team expand the lead. Griffin, who only scored 4 points in the first half, went on a scoring rampage in the second half, finishing with 27 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks, single-handedly dominating the Rockets.
Completing the comeback...
After the game, the excited Griffin said in the press conference, "Recently, it seems like many fans have forgotten about me, forgotten that I am the NBA Draft's first overall pick."