The Suns secured a victory against the Thunder and had a 2-day rest period.
During the day...
After last night's game-winning 50+ points and back-to-back Player of the Week, Carlos became the subject of discussion among many fans, and his popularity soared even though there was no game scheduled.
In the evening...
There were several exciting matchups tonight. First...
The Lakers faced the Nuggets, with a personal duel between Kobe and Anthony, both scoring over 30 points. However, the defending champion Lakers proved too strong, and the Nuggets suffered a regrettable defeat.
Next, the Heat vs. Cavaliers, where the top team in the East faced the bottom team. Although the game itself didn't have many highlights, LeBron faced his former team for the seventh year in a row.
It was an away game...
He spent the entire game amidst boos. Wade and Bosh tried to console him, telling LeBron not to mind the crowd. LeBron understood, and since leaving Cleveland, he had prepared for tonight.
He also knew...
Everything would fall into place once he got the championship.
Cavaliers (85): (100) Heat.
The Heat easily defeated the Cavaliers by 15 points, with LeBron scoring 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists amidst the boos, sending a message to his former team that the jeers couldn't weaken him.
Following that...
Celtics vs. Spurs, a matchup between the third seed in the East and the first seed in the West. The Celtics' "Big Four" against the Spurs' "GDP" made it an anticipated battle.
However...
The game seemed to unfold differently than expected. Tonight, Pierce, Ray Allen, and Garnett penetrated the basket, scored three-pointers, and attacked the paint. All three positions of the "Big Four" contributed.
The "Fourth Giant" Rondo also went into assist mode.
Even the "GDP" couldn't resist. By the end of the third quarter, the Celtics were already leading by more than 15 points, and in the last quarter, within half the time, they widened the gap to over 20 points.
The game entered garbage time early.
In the end, the Celtics slaughtered the Spurs with a 21-point advantage, defeating the top team in the West.
In the post-game press conference...
Tonight's MVP, Pierce, who scored 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, calmly said, "Recently, there have been many strong players and teams in the league. It seems like we, who made it to the finals last season, have been forgotten."
Buzz!
Pierce's words made fans realize that the Celtics were the runners-up of the previous year, the champions of the Eastern Conference. They had undeniable strength.
This year...
With the "Big Four," the Celtics still had the strength to compete for the championship.
When Pierce's interview trended, attracting fans' attention, a fan's comment once again caught their eyes.
"Hey, the Suns' upcoming opponents are no joke, namely the Nets, Hornets, Trail Blazers, Celtics, Mavericks, and Bulls! At a glance... except for the Nets, all others are strong teams!"
"Wow!"
With this realization, everyone understood that the Suns' upcoming schedule was tough, but countless fans were looking forward to Carlos leading the team to continue advancing.
The next day...
The Suns were set to challenge the Nets tonight, flying to New Jersey in the morning on a chartered plane.
On the plane...
Coach Gentry stood at the forefront of all players, holding the schedule, and proudly said, "Guys, we just defeated the Thunder during 7-game winning streak. Now... we are no longer a weak team but a team that can fight for a playoff spot. Even in the playoffs, we can go far."
However...
The upcoming opponents were also strong. Apart from facing the relatively weaker Nets tonight, the Hornets, Trail Blazers, Celtics, Mavericks, and Bulls were all formidable teams.
Especially the Celtics, Mavericks, and Bulls, their strength was most formidable!
"We must give it our all and take every team seriously. We are on a 7-game winning streak now. I don't know how long it will last, but I hope... we keep winning!"
"Oh!"
"Of course!"
The players enthusiastically raised their fists, their morale high.
The Suns team arrived in Brooklyn in the afternoon and checked into a hotel around the Barclays Center. The players entered a rest mode.
Professional athletes usually store some energy before a game.
Carlos shared a double room with Curry.
"Carlos, I can't hold on anymore, don't mind me."
Curry, who didn't sleep well last night, left this sentence and went straight to bed, seemingly genuinely tired.
Carlos leaned back on the bed, feeling a slight heaviness in his heart.
"The Thunder's Big Three, still in the early stages of formation, already have such powerful combat capabilities. If I hadn't hit that three-pointer by luck in the last game, we might have lost. What about the Lakers, Heat, Spurs, and the Bulls with Rose in 'MVP' form? Although my body is already quite strong now, it's still a single core, and the overall strength of the team is not enough. So... I must become stronger to lead the Suns forward and go further. It seems that I must complete the system task of '40+ triple-double' as soon as possible. Get the 'deep shooting ability of peak Curry' as early as possible."
Thinking like this...
Carlos made a decision in his heart. In tonight's game against the Nets, he must strive to achieve a "40+ triple-double" to complete the system task and receive the reward.
Lost in his thoughts...
Carlos also fell asleep. When he woke up, it was already past 5 o'clock. After eating at 6, he had to get ready to warm up at the arena, preparing for the game. Even if the opponent wasn't strong, they couldn't afford to be too complacent.
"Ding ding ding!"
Just as he was about to go...
Carlos's phone rang.
"Cindy?!"
Looking at the caller ID, Carlos didn't have a corresponding person in his mind. After hesitating for a moment, he still answered the call.
"Hello!"
"Hello? It's Cindy, right? Carlos, I already know about your going to the United States. I'll be going to the U.S. soon too. I'll find you when I get there."
"Okay, Ci... Cindy."
Carlos thought of Shirley, his mom, saying that a cousin was coming, and looking at the note, he guessed that this "Cindy" was the cousin his mom mentioned.
Agreeing...
"It seems there are some changes in the parallel world. I didn't have a cousin named Cindy in the past."
"Ah? Carlos, what are you saying? I didn't hear clearly."
Hearing Cindy's voice on the other end, Carlos realized they were still on the call, immediately stopped muttering, and said with a smile, "Okay, Cindy, come over. I'll take good care of you when you arrive in the U.S."
"Okay, okay. Then bye for now. I'll let you know before I come over."
"No problem..."
"Carlos, bye!"
"Goodbye, Cindy!"
Beep beep beep—
The call ended.
Listening to their conversation, it seemed like they had a good relationship. While walking to the arena, Carlos tried to search his memories for information about "Cindy."
Sure enough, there was something.
"Cindy," a graduate of the National School of Classical Opera in Mexico, was currently working hard to become a famous actress.
"Cindy?"
When Carlos found this memory, his eyes widened suddenly.