Rose
During the timeout.
Inside the studio of the Mexican National Sports Television.
"This game is really exciting!"
Mario looked at the tied score and said in a deep voice, "Tonight, Carlos has already scored 36 points, along with 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks. Rose has 28 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals.
Both players have impressive stats.
But... Carlos is just a rookie entering the league, while Rose is a former number one overall pick who has been in the NBA for 2 years. This comparison... Carlos is really strong!"
"Exactly..."
Jose nodded and smiled, "Indeed, Mexico is proud to have such an outstanding player as Carlos, but right now, winning the game is the top priority. The last 3 minutes will be a fierce battle."
"Yeah..."
As the two commentators discussed, the timeout on the court ended.
The Bulls replaced Bogans with the sharpshooter Korver, and the Suns substituted Carter with the promising rookie Paul George.
The decisive battle of the last three minutes began.
"Bang... Bang... Bang!"
Carlos dribbled at the arc, with Luol Deng and Boozer, the two forwards, approaching him menacingly. Carlos made a gesture, and George came forward to screen.
When George came over, he diverted Luol Deng's attention.
"Swoosh!"
Without hesitation, Carlos raised his hand for a sudden long-range shot. Luol Deng rushed to block, and theoretically, he should have been able to block the shot.
However... with the blessing of "Curry's three-point shot at its peak," Carlos released the shot too quickly. Luol Deng, even if he jumped immediately to block, couldn't reach it.
"Swish!"
The basketball flew into the sky, drawing a beautiful arc, and finally, there was a wonderful net sound.
"Splash!"
A perfect shot!
Nash on the sidelines raised his arms and roared. In such a crucial moment, every successful attack was crucial, especially a precious three-point shot.
"Clap!"
George rushed over and exchanged a high five with Carlos. It wasn't just an encouragement between rookies; it was more like fans cheering for their idol.
The Bulls had possession...
Rose dribbled and approached, seeking out Curry. He performed consecutive crossovers, a step to the left wing, then suddenly accelerated, stopped abruptly, and jumped for a mid-range shot.
"Stomp!"
Curry, a bit slow, blocked over from the side, but he was still a considerable distance away.
"Swoosh!"
Rose's mid-range shot was stable.
Nash inbounded quickly from the baseline, Carlos received the ball and sprinted to the frontcourt, with Luol Deng chasing at full speed. However... the more Luol Deng chased, the wider his eyes opened.
"A small forward like me can't catch up with a center?!"
Luol Deng couldn't believe it, but the distance kept increasing, and he was helpless.
Fortunately, Boozer had returned to his own half early and moved forward to block. Carlos, maintaining his speed, headed straight for the restricted area and, during the collision with Boozer, made a lateral pass.
"Clap!"
"Swoosh!"
Curry, who followed from the rear, received the ball, raised his hand for a three-point shot. With an open look, this shot...
"Clang!"
Hit the iron...
The rebounding ball happened to fall into the hands of Luol Deng, who rushed over, and he quickly passed the ball in the frontcourt. Rose received the ball, and the Bulls immediately launched a counterattack.
"Swoosh!"
Rose accelerated, George and Nash double-teamed to intercept, and Frye, heading towards the paint, also kept a close eye on Rose.
Just when everyone thought Rose was going for a layup, he cleverly delivered a behind-the-back pass.
"Clap!"
The basketball reached the left corner where Korver was ready. He caught the ball and immediately launched a three-point shot.
A wide-open three-point shot from a sharpshooter?!
"Clang!"
It hit the iron too...
But Noah quickly grabbed the rebound and passed it to Korver, who immediately jumped for another long shot.
"Clang!"
Still no good...
Frye finally grabbed the rebound.
"Tsk tsk..."
"Korver missed two wide-open three-pointers; this is really disappointing!"
In the stands, Parker felt a great sense of regret.
"Clang!"
In a fast-break counterattack for the Suns, Curry's trailing three-point shot also missed.
"Curry made the same mistake."
Ginobili shook his head gently, "In the final crucial moments, every play is important, but it also tests the players' mental resilience. For players, being able to withstand the pressure of the game and perform at their normal level is crucial. Curry is just a second-year player, and in crucial moments, he still seems a bit nervous. His ability to handle crucial shots is not strong enough, and Korver is just a shooter; his ability to make crucial shots is not good either."
"Yes..."
Duncan nodded in agreement.
On the sidelines...
Howard smirked and said, "See, this is the disadvantage of shooters. Do they really think they can make every shot? But if it's under the basket, if it's a dunk, in such a crucial attack, the ball wouldn't have been lost."
Iverson shrugged without making a comment.
On the court...
With 1 minute and 44 seconds remaining.
The Suns led by 1 point.
The Bulls had possession...
Rose brought the ball up, Carlos followed to defend, but Luol Deng immediately came forward to screen. Rose bypassed Carlos, creating a mismatch against George.
"Bang... Bang... Bang!"
On the right arc beyond the three-point line, Rose dribbled slowly, lowered his center of gravity, and at the moment when he held the ball with his left hand, he charged out to the left with George closely guarding him.
When Rose reached the right side of the free-throw line...
"Swish!"
He suddenly made a quick stop, turned in front, and... without slowing down, in an instant, he turned past George. The change of direction was so fast that even though George wanted to keep up, his body didn't respond.
Trying to turn and keep up, his feet suddenly got tangled.
"Bang!"
George fell to the floor.
"Splash!"
Rose, like the wind, rushed to the basket and made a layup.
"It happened!"
"Derrick's change of direction without slowing down!"
"So fast!"
"His physical talent is simply incredible!"
"Rose!!"
In a crucial moment, Rose's crazy breakthrough with "change of direction without slowing down," successful layup, surpassed the score. The cheers of Bulls fans echoed through the arena.
George climbed up with frustration, looking shocked. Rose's speed, robust physical qualities - it all left this rookie feeling a bit dazed.
On the Suns' bench...
Gentry, watching everything, squinted his eyes, but there was no disappointment in his eyes. In his view, this was the kind of trial George needed to go through.
1 minute and 27 seconds.
Suns had possession...
Nash quickly pushed the ball over half-court, Frye and George set double screens, Carlos ran a decoy, coming out directly with the help of screens, and Nash made a precise pass.
"Swoosh!"
Carlos raised his hand for a three-point shot.
Would it finally go in this time?!
"Clang!"
Still no luck...
"Oh my God, in a crucial moment for the Suns, three three-pointers missed, this is too painful. Boozer grabbed the rebound, found Rose, and pushed the counterattack. The Windy City Assassin is back in action. Accelerating to the free-throw line, shaking off Nash, a sudden stop, mid-range jump shot from the right side, and this ball... Frye rushed over in advance, trying to block?!"
Rose?
Wow!
Rose faked in mid-air, evading the block, and in mid-air, he laterally passed to Korver, who was waiting in the left corner.
Korver's third three-point shot, and this time... it went in, hitting nothing but net.
"Oh my God! 'The Rose' Rose with an 'air fake' pass, assisting Korver to make a three-pointer, this incredible core strength is truly unbelievable!"