"Cindy? Is she the one who looks beautiful, acts well, a renowned actress in the Mexican film and television industry, a big star who has won multiple Oscars for Best Actress in consecutive years... Cindy?! She's actually my cousin?!"
Carlos was somewhat shocked, finding it hard to believe. He lightly tapped his cheeks to calm himself down. After careful consideration, he temporarily dismissed the thought.
"Maybe it's just someone with the same name, not necessarily real. Before meeting, I shouldn't imagine blindly. My attention should be focused on the game, on completing the system task first."
Carlos shook his head, quickly dispelling the distractions in his mind and getting back on track.
...
Soon...
The time came to 9:30 in the evening.
Barclays Center.
The showdown between the Nets and the Suns began, and both starting lineups took the court.
New Jersey Nets starting lineup: 6'3" point guard Devin Harris, 6'6" shooting guard Anthony Morrow, 6'9" small forward Travis Outlaw, 6'9" power forward Kris Humphries, and 7'0" center Brook Lopez.
Phoenix Suns starting lineup: 6'3" point guard Steve Nash, 6'3" shooting guard Stephen Curry, 6'6" shooting guard Vince Carter, 6'11" power forward Channing Frye, and 7'0" center Carlos.
"Jump ball!"
The battle for the jump ball between Lopez and Carlos.
"Mark, I bet all my wealth that Carlos will win the jump ball!"
In the commentary box...
Jon Barry confidently laughed. Mark Jackson squinted his eyes and said seriously, "Jon, are you serious about this?!"
"Of course..."
Jon Barry hadn't finished his sentence when Mark Jackson immediately bent over, shouting at the court, "Carlos, as long as you lose the jump ball, I'll give you..."
Before he could finish, Jon Barry blocked his mouth.
"Snap!"
At the same time...
On the court, Carlos easily won the jump ball against Lopez.
"Hey, Mark, you scoundrel, you cheated!"
Staring at Jon Barry, Mark Jackson laughed, "Haha, you didn't say it's not allowed. Weren't you confident just now? Don't stop me!"
"Shameless rascal!"
Jon Barry pouted, snorting.
"Haha!"
If Carlos had jumped normally, even if Mark bet his assets for the next lifetime, he wouldn't have lost. Seeing Jon Barry losing the bet, Mark looked even happier.
While the two bantered, Nash dribbled the ball up the court. Just at the arc, he saw Carlos on the right wing calling for the ball, and he immediately lobbed it over.
"Snap!"
Carlos caught the ball, faced Humphries, bent his knees, and forcefully scraped his shoes against the floor, producing a sharp sound.
Carlos initiated a step, suddenly accelerating like the wind, too fast for Humphries to defend.
"Swoosh!"
One step past Humphries, Carlos attacked the basket, faced Lopez's defense and made a reverse layup off the backboard.
"Snap!"
It went in...
"Nice shot!"
Nash clapped in praise.
"Reverse layup?!"
Lopez was stunned. He thought he would surely block it, but Carlos, a center, unexpectedly executed a reverse layup, avoiding his block.
Basketball Nets (0): (2) Suns.
Transitioning from offense to defense...
Harris brought the ball over half-court. As he came to the top of the arc in the middle, Curry was just about to go up for defense when Carlos rushed out, actively defending against Harris.
"Oh?"
Curry blinked, immediately moving to the side, picking up coverage on other players.
"Hmm?"
Seeing a center in front of him, Harris hesitated for a moment. Regardless, he continued his series of crossovers, suddenly accelerating to the left wing, where Carlos's balance was broken.
"Splash!"
He took a quick mid-range shot after a sudden stop.
Little did he know... Carlos did it on purpose. At the moment Harris released the shot, Carlos instantly regained his balance, bent his knees, and jumped high, extending his long arm to block the shot. In the blink of an eye, he was about to block Harris.
"What?!"
Harris hastily elevated his shot from the arc, avoiding Carlos's block. However, the shot missed its mark.
"Clang!"
The basketball bounced off the rim.
Rebound?
Frye and Lopez were fiercely battling for position under the basket. They both jumped up to contest the rebound. However, just when the ball was about to touch their fingertips...
"Snap!"
A pair of large hands reached in front of both, snatching the ball away from the backboard.
Who?
It was Carlos!
"Wow – just a moment ago, Carlos was blocking Harris at the three-point line, and now he's under the basket, grabbing the rebound between two centers. His speed and jumping ability are astonishing. Carlos's physical talent is truly unparalleled."
Jon Barry exclaimed rapidly.
"Splash!"
On the court, Carlos, who secured the rebound, focused his gaze. With a powerful cross-court pass, he precisely delivered the ball to Curry, who was sprinting to the frontcourt.
"Snap!"
Curry easily made a layup.
In the next possession, Carlos found Harris again. Employing a strong defense, he locked him down once more, causing his layup attempt to fail.
"Snap!"
Jumping again, Carlos secured the rebound ahead of Lopez.
Carlos took the ball himself, initiated a fast break, and, facing a double team near the free-throw line, he accelerated, driving hard to the basket. Drawing the absolute defense, he kicked the ball out.
"Swoosh!"
A quick turnaround pass, and Curry, who had sprinted from the perimeter, received the ball and immediately made a three-pointer.
"Splash!"
Clean shot...
The Nets regained possession...
Harris brought the ball up, stabilized the pace, and then lobbed it to the successfully positioned Lopez under the basket. Back against Frye, Lopez forcefully pushed him away.
In the next moment, he leaped with all his might, attempting a direct dunk.
"Stomp!"
Suddenly, Carlos appeared like a devil, jumping high to block. Seeing the impending block, Lopez hung in the air, twisted his body, and threw the ball towards the basket.
Unfortunately!
The ball hit the backboard and flew out.
"Swish!"
Carlos pounced sideways like a cheetah, securing the rebound. He then initiated a fast break, and seeing Curry rushing to the frontcourt again, Carlos made another ground pass.
"Splash!"
Curry received the ball, and without hesitation, he made another three-pointer, scoring again.
With a 10-0 run, the Suns handed the Nets a perfect start. The incredibly fast offensive pace left the Nets players somewhat bewildered, prompting coach Avery Johnson to call a timeout.
"The Suns... the Suns are so fierce!"
A Nets fan in the stands was astonished.
In the commentary box...
"Impressive!"
"The Suns' smooth offensive flow is the standard for elite teams. Despite losing Stat this year, the Suns seem even more formidable than last year."
Jon Barry commented with a smile.
Mark Jackson nodded, then added, "Did you notice, Jon? Carlos has a strong desire to score tonight!"