The first quarter ended.
Suns 25, Heat 35.
Jeff Van Gundy had only been looking at Blake Su's stats earlier and had not noticed the score. When he looked again, he was instantly stunned. For a moment, he could barely believe it.
The whole team had 25 points.
Blake Su alone had 20.
In other words... the rest of the Suns had scored only 5 points combined in the first quarter?
That was right.
Only 5 points.
Mike Breen rubbed his chin and said in a serious voice, "Tonight, the Heat are treating this game like it's the playoffs, maybe even the Finals.
They came here determined to win."
"Yes."
Jeff Van Gundy replied, "Under the Heat's terrifying defensive pressure, everyone on the Suns except Blake Su has struggled offensively. That's bad.
Against Blake Su.
The Heat aren't throwing hard traps at him. They're cutting off every other scoring point and letting the 'Big Three' trade offense with Blake Su. Even if Blake Su scores 20 in a single quarter,
he still can't outscore the 'Heat Big Three' by himself."
"That's right."
Mike Breen did not disagree. "This is the power of the Heat Big Three. This is one of the reasons fans call them the supervillains of a comic-book movie.
Because.
This team they formed is simply too strong.
Is Blake Su scoring 20 in one quarter impressive?
It's beyond impressive. He's already showing the outline of a superhero. But... basketball isn't a one-man game. The gap between the two rosters is huge.
A real superhero can't just score. He has to find a way to lead his team to victory."
The announcers praised Blake Su, but at the same time, they were worried for him.
And.
The countless home fans were just as worried.
Blake Su's efficient, spectacular performance thrilled them, but with the team still down by 10 even after that, how could they not be concerned?
"Go, Blake Su!"
"Go, Suns!"
The fans gave the Suns their loudest, hottest cheers.
They hoped the team could find a way to cut into the deficit.
Soon.
The second quarter began.
First came the battle between the benches.
The Heat had Wade lead four reserves, while the Suns let Curry lead the second unit. However... Curry at this stage was simply not on Wade's level.
To put it this way.
If Deron had Paul's number,
then Wade had Curry's number too, and even more easily.
It wasn't working.
In just 2 minutes and 34 seconds,
Wade overwhelmed Curry and led the Heat reserves in quickly stretching the 10-point lead all the way to 15.
"Beep, beep!"
Gentry had no choice but to call timeout.
He took Curry out and sent in the more experienced Carter to lead the second unit. At the same time... Gentry assigned George to guard Wade.
On the other side.
The Heat used the chance to bring Bosh back in, leaving only LeBron to rest. They were matching him directly with Blake Su. As soon as Blake Su came back in, LeBron would come back too.
That meant.
With Wade and Bosh on the floor against Carter and George, things were still very difficult for the Suns.
"Clang!"
Goran Dragić missed the mid-range jumper.
Change of possession.
Wade faced George. Looking at the rookie in front of him, who seemed to have solid athleticism, Wade was not afraid at all. In fact... he wanted to break him.
"Whoosh!"
After a sudden pause, Wade burst down the right wing. Seeing George keep up, he stopped on a dime, pulled the ball back between his legs, and rose into a fadeaway jumper.
"Thud!"
"Swish!"
George twisted around to contest, but Wade hit the tough shot right through his defense.
He could not be stopped.
Even for George, limiting "Flash" Wade was extremely difficult.
"A 17-point deficit!"
"If the Suns keep playing like this, they're finished. And..."
The announcer was just about to continue.
On the court.
"Swish!"
From the left corner, Carter caught Goran Dragić's pass and hit a corner three despite Bosh's contest, giving the Suns an answer.
Then.
Relying on experience, he made a successful defensive play and forced Wade's layup to miss.
Change of possession.
At the top of the arc, Carter used George's screen and accelerated toward the rim from the right wing. Everyone could still tell that Carter's speed and explosiveness were no longer what they had once been.
But.
"Thud!"
"Swish!"
Carter met Bosh in the air, shifted his body sideways, and banked it in.
Carter scored 5 straight points.
"Wow! Carter is stepping up when the team needs him most? Ah~~~ In the first quarter, the rest of the Suns scored only 5 points total, and 3 of those came from Carter's three.
If Carter can get going, he can take some pressure off Blake Su.
Wow~~ Carter again. He catches it on the left side of the arc and fires another three. Another tough three over Wade's defense. Is it good?!
Bang!
It's in, in, in!
Carter's touch is really good tonight.
Carter has scored 8 straight by himself, cutting what was a 17-point deficit down to just 9.
Wade targets Carter, goes through several between-the-legs changes, then suddenly accelerates. So... so fast. He gets to the rim and avoids Robin Lopez's block in midair.
Layup good.
Back come the Suns. My god, Carter is charging forward without hesitation, going coast to coast straight into the heart of the defense. Against Bosh, he goes up with a reverse layup.
Good again.
And he draws the foul on Bosh. Carter is going to the free-throw line.
Incredible. Carter tonight looks like he's turned back the clock!"
Jeff Van Gundy called the action excitedly.
"Beep, beep!"
After Carter hit the free throw, Coach Spoelstra could not sit still anymore. He quickly called timeout to slow down Carter's scorching run.
"Great job, man."
Nash practically rushed forward to high-five Carter.
In just a few minutes, Carter had hit threes from the outside and repeatedly attacked the rim inside. He scored 11 straight points by himself, helping the Suns cut the deficit to 8. Nash was thrilled.
And.
After the timeout.
Just when everyone thought Blake Su would keep attacking to cut the lead further, the spotlight still remained on Carter. It was as if he had returned to his prime.
He drove inside and scored again and again.
And with Blake Su's own threat drawing defenders, Carter's offense became even smoother. With 3 minutes and 14 seconds left in the second quarter,
the 8-point deficit had been cut to just 3.
"Boom!"
The home fans waved banners and cheered wildly for Carter.
Carter's outburst at this moment was a lifeline for the Suns. It was a massive boost.
But...
Just as everyone thought Carter could ride the momentum, keep pressing, and help the Suns cut the 3-point gap even further, maybe even tie the game or take the lead,
on the next possession,
Carter kept attacking the basket and took a hop step into the paint.
The next instant.
"Ah~"
Carter cried out in pain and threw the ball away. His whole body fell to the floor with the motion. He lay half on his side, both hands clutching his left foot, his face twisted in pain.
Buzz!
The sudden scene left the entire crowd stunned and made countless fans' hearts drop.
They were all thinking the same thing. Carter, please don't be hurt.
But... the team doctor who rushed onto the court quickly confirmed a cruel, terrible piece of news for the Suns.
Carter had sprained his ankle.
He was done for the night.
...
...
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