Until now in the playoffs, even as recently as the previous game, José Barea had been a relatively unknown player.
But tonight, with his team in trouble, he suddenly transformed into the "Wonder Kid."
He went three for four from beyond the arc and personally sparked a 9-2 run, helping the Mavericks cut a 14-point deficit to just seven in only a few minutes.
Even more importantly...
"Beep! Beep!"
He forced Gentry to call a timeout and bring Curry back earlier than planned.
Over the first 4:17 of the rotation, the Mavericks rode "Wonder Kid" Barea's performance to cut the deficit to only five points. Both teams then brought their starters back.
Barea remained on the floor in place of Stevenson.
The starters resumed their battle.
With Blake suppressing Nowitzki, the Suns regained control of the game. However, the "Wonder Kid" was not finished yet.
At 4:13 and 2:11 remaining...
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Barea buried two more threes, both difficult shots taken with defenders contesting him.
With those two makes, Barea finished the quarter five for seven from three and scored a remarkable 15 points.
Before tonight, Barea had averaged only 5.4 points and 0.8 made threes per game in the playoffs.
Yet tonight, he made five threes and scored 15 points in a single quarter while shooting an astonishing 71 percent from deep.
The outburst was incredible.
More importantly, Barea's transformation into the "Wonder Kid" forced Blake to guard him for several possessions.
That freed up Nowitzki.
Against anyone other than Blake, Nowitzki remained an extremely dangerous scorer.
As the possessions piled up, the Suns lost their rhythm on both offense and defense. The 183-centimeter backup point guard had single-handedly thrown their entire game into disarray.
By halftime, the Mavericks had clawed back 12 points from the original 14-point deficit.
The Suns entered the second half leading by only two.
A game that had looked ready to become a blowout in the first quarter was suddenly full of suspense again.
...
In the Mavericks' locker room, Coach Carlisle rushed over and wrapped Barea in a hug.
"Hahaha! Amazing, Barea! You've been fantastic tonight.
"That's exactly what we need. Stay decisive. Keep shooting with confidence and keep scoring. Take some of the pressure off Dirk and the rest of the team.
"That's how we give ourselves a chance."
"Great job!"
Nowitzki gave Barea a thumbs-up.
The entire Mavericks team was energized by Barea's unexpected explosion.
With the deficit down to only two points, their fighting spirit soared. Everyone was confident they could complete the comeback.
...
In the Suns' locker room, George repeatedly shook his head.
"Fuck!
"Five for seven from three in one quarter and 15 points by himself?! My God, what the hell has gotten into Barea? Did he take something?!"
George could not understand Barea's sudden outburst.
"Seriously."
Curry sat on the stool beside his locker, looking thoroughly annoyed.
"That shooting percentage is ridiculous, and this sudden explosion makes no sense.
"Without Barea, I think this game would already be a blowout."
"Exactly."
Nash nodded, equally frustrated.
"The Mavericks pulled Barea out as an 'X-factor' tonight. He's making this game much harder for us than it should be."
"It's fine."
Blake waved it off.
"This is the playoffs. With this much pressure and everyone desperate to win, it's normal for someone to emerge as an 'X-factor.'
"But there's still plenty of time left. He can't explode like this every quarter, and he can't sustain it for an entire game.
"We'll rebuild the lead in the second half."
Everyone nodded.
Although they were frustrated by the "Wonder Kid's" unexpected performance, their confidence had not disappeared.
They still intended to win tonight.
Before long, the third quarter began.
Nash brought the ball up the court and passed to Curry at the left wing.
Facing Stevenson, Curry used a series of rhythm changes with his back to the basket.
"Whoosh!"
Curry faked the drive, then suddenly rose for a three.
"Thud!"
Stevenson did not bite on the fake. He closed out and contested the shot, causing Curry to miss.
10:41 remaining.
With Blake drawing the defense, George found an open lane from the left wing.
But Stevenson suddenly rotated over from the side.
"Thud!"
He bent his knees and sprang upward to challenge George at the rim.
"Clang!"
Under Stevenson's pressure, George missed the layup.
The rebound?
Frye battled Chandler and secured it.
Just as he tried to pass the ball back out to Blake, Stevenson appeared like a ghost.
"Smack!"
He stripped the ball from Frye's hands, and Marion collected the loose ball.
8:31 remaining.
Nash faced Kidd one-on-one.
He used an in-and-out move, accelerated past Kidd, and drove straight to the basket.
But then...
"Step!"
Stevenson rotated over once again and pressured Nash at the rim.
Forced to put extra height on his trademark underhand scoop layup, Nash sent the ball high off the glass.
"Clang!"
It bounced off the rim.
5:13 remaining.
"Whoosh!"
Blake drove from the perimeter and attacked the basket from the left wing, immediately drawing the attention of Marion, Chandler, and Nowitzki.
"Whoosh!"
He threaded a pass through the crowd to Frye on the right side of the basket.
"Thud!"
Frye caught the ball and exploded straight upward, preparing to hammer home a two-handed dunk.
But just as he was about to slam the ball through the rim, someone came flying in from behind and swatted it away.
Who was it?
Stevenson again.
"Unbelievable!"
At the commentary table, Jon Barry had been watching Stevenson closely. The moment he blocked Frye, Barry could no longer hold back.
"He guarded Curry one-on-one, stopped George's attack at the rim, rotated over to disrupt Nash's layup, and then delivered a huge block against Frye under the basket.
"Since returning for the second half, Stevenson has personally shut down four of the Suns' starters in succession.
"He's also grabbed a rebound, delivered an assist, and recorded a steal on the wing.
"He hasn't scored much, but DeShawn Stevenson has already done so much for his team with his aggressive, relentless defense.
"Wow!
"Even Blake missed a layup under Stevenson's pressure. His defense tonight has been incredible."
Jon Barry was stunned by Stevenson's sudden defensive explosion.
When the third quarter ended, Mark Jackson also clicked his tongue in amazement.
"In the third quarter, Stevenson took turns shutting down nearly the entire Suns team by himself.
"That terrifying defensive performance allowed the Mavericks not only to erase their two-point halftime deficit, but also to take a seven-point lead.
"The 'Wonder Kid' Barea and Stevenson have both emerged as 'X-factors' tonight. One with his three-point shooting, the other with his defense.
"Together, they have completely disrupted the Suns' rhythm and swung the game firmly in the Mavericks' favor!"
...
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