With Nowitzki contained, had the game really become completely one-sided in the Suns' favor?
Yes.
That was exactly what had happened.
By the end of the first quarter, the Suns already held a 14-point lead.
Home-court advantage may have played a part, but one thing had to be acknowledged. Once Blake limited Nowitzki to a certain extent, the Suns and Mavericks were no longer evenly matched.
During the break between quarters, Jon Barry chuckled at the commentary table.
"Honestly, I think the 'German Wunderkind,' Nowitzki, has been a little unlucky."
"Oh? What makes you say that?" Mark Jackson asked.
"Well..."
Jon Barry tapped his fingers against the desk before continuing.
"Honestly, this season's Nowitzki has reached his peak in both experience and ability. He's practically unstoppable.
"Even against the 'Heat Big Three,' I can't say for certain that he would win the series, but he could definitely give them a real fight.
"Across the entire league, Blake is the only player capable of guarding Nowitzki one-on-one.
"In other words, had either the Grizzlies or Lakers eliminated the Suns, the Mavericks would have been all but guaranteed a place in the Finals.
"They might even have won the championship.
"Unfortunately, their opponent in the Western Conference Finals happens to be the Suns, which means Nowitzki has to face Blake.
"Beating a version of yourself is difficult enough. A player has to push beyond his limits to do it.
"And Blake is an 'upgraded version' of Nowitzki, which makes defeating him even harder.
"Nowitzki is the Mavericks' lone star and the foundation of their entire team. Blake has limited him, while Dallas has no one capable of guarding Blake one-on-one.
"So this situation was inevitable.
"That's why I say Nowitzki is unlucky. Of all the opponents he could have faced in the Western Conference Finals, he ran into Blake, the one 'Monster Rookie' capable of countering him."
"That makes sense."
Mark Jackson nodded in agreement.
"With the series looking this one-sided, I think that, barring something unexpected, the Suns should beat the Mavericks and advance to the Finals.
"It's funny. We originally thought the Suns and Mavericks would battle through seven games, but now Phoenix looks almost certain to advance.
"Meanwhile, the Heat were supposed to crush the Bulls, yet that series is suddenly full of uncertainty. Either team could still win."
"Haha!"
Jon Barry laughed.
"Exactly. That's the unpredictable nature of the playoffs. Until the games are actually played, no one knows how they'll turn out.
"And that unpredictability is part of what makes basketball so captivating to so many people."
The two commentators continued chatting during the break.
Meanwhile, on the Mavericks' bench, Carlisle realized that the situation was becoming dangerous.
"Focus!" he shouted to his players.
"Dirk's performance has been crucial to getting us this far, but we didn't make it here solely because of the attention he draws. Every one of you has played well.
"Now the team is in trouble. I need each of you to bring out everything you have and help take some of the pressure off Dirk and the team.
"Understood?!"
Before long, the second quarter began with the reserves on the floor.
"Step!"
Carter, whom the fans had waited several months to see, stepped onto the court. He bounced on his feet several times, then waved to the home crowd to show everyone that he was fine.
"Whoa!"
Cheers immediately swept through the arena.
Although "Half-Man, Half-Amazing" was no longer the player he had once been, he still remained enormously popular.
The Mavericks had the ball to begin the quarter.
The 183-centimeter backup point guard Barea brought the ball up the floor. Stevenson set a screen for him, creating an opening.
"Whoosh!"
Barea immediately launched a three, showing no hesitation whatsoever.
Even with his team trailing by 14 and needing to chip away at the deficit carefully, he fired the moment the opportunity appeared.
"Clang!"
Unfortunately, the shot missed.
The Suns took possession.
Goran Dragić brought the ball up and called for a screen. He appeared to drive, but instead sent a bounce pass to Carter in the right corner.
"Whoosh!"
Carter caught the ball and immediately fired from three.
After several months away, how would the first three-point attempt of his comeback turn out?
"Clang!"
It came up slightly short and bounced off the rim.
Barea pushed the ball the other way and reached the top of the arc. Seeing Goran Dragić giving him half a step of space, he suddenly pulled up and fired.
The shot caught everyone by surprise.
"What is Barea doing? That shot selection..."
"Swish!"
Before the commentator could finish, the sweet sound of the net rang out.
Nothing but net.
Barea had buried the three.
Even so, no one paid much attention to it.
The home crowd remained focused on Carter, eager to see him perform well and strengthen the Suns' bench.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
Facing Stevenson at the top of the arc, Carter accelerated into his drive. Through contact, he spun and shook Stevenson off before rising for a mid-range jumper.
"Swish!"
Good.
"Beautiful!"
Goran Dragić looked thrilled.
On the Suns' bench, Blake, Nash, Curry, and the other resting players pumped their fists in excitement.
Carter had only just returned from injury, yet he could still drive through contact, spin away from his defender, and knock down the jumper.
That clearly showed how well he had recovered, and that was what made everyone happiest.
However, their excitement did not even last 24 seconds.
At the other end...
"Swish!"
Barea used a screen at the left wing and knocked down another three.
"Wow! Barea has hit another one? That's already two threes. Not bad at all."
"Swish!"
Jon Barry had barely finished speaking when Barea struck again on the very next possession.
He caught the ball at the top of the arc with Carter guarding him, accelerated one step toward the left wing, then suddenly stopped and stepped back to his left.
"Whoosh!"
He launched another three.
"Swish!"
Under everyone's stunned gaze, the ball traced a beautiful arc through the air and dropped straight into the basket.
Another one.
"My God!"
Jon Barry's eyes widened.
"Barea has averaged only 0.8 made threes per game in these playoffs while shooting just 22.4 percent from beyond the arc.
"Yet tonight, in only a few minutes, he has gone three-for-four. After missing his first attempt, he made three straight and scored nine consecutive points.
"His team was trailing by 14, and he's a backup guard shooting that poorly from three. How did he have the nerve to keep firing?
"What has gotten into Barea?!"
Mark Jackson drew in a sharp breath before shaking his head with a laugh.
"I don't know how Barea had the confidence to take those threes.
"But I do know that after making three of them tonight, he truly is a 'Wonder Kid'!"