Was Terry really going to become another "X-factor"?
Yes.
Terry buried consecutive threes and added an assist, fueling an 8-0 run that erased a five-point deficit and put the Mavericks ahead by three.
However, with Blake relentlessly guarding Nowitzki, Dallas' centerpiece could not produce the unstoppable offense he had displayed in the first two rounds.
So despite Terry's surge, Blake led the Suns back in front within roughly half a quarter.
"Swish!"
With 2:11 remaining in the first quarter, Blake powered into the paint and drew contact. He scored over Chandler and earned an additional free throw.
"Swish!"
He made that as well.
The three-point play restored the Suns' six-point lead.
"Beep! Beep!"
Carlisle called a timeout to slow Phoenix's momentum.
After the timeout, Nowitzki posted up Blake on the left block.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
He shouldered his way across the lane like a battering ram, then went to a hook shot.
"Thud!"
Blake stayed with him and rose to contest.
"Clang!"
Blake maintained his position and used his overwhelming athleticism to bother the shot, causing Nowitzki's hook to bounce off the rim.
But Chandler roared as he secured the rebound and kicked it out to Kidd.
Kidd caught the ball, accelerated toward the basket, then delivered a behind-the-back pass to Terry on the left wing.
"Whoosh!"
Another three.
"Another one?!"
"Swish!"
It went in.
On the following possession, Nowitzki drove, drew contact, and attracted the defense before finding Terry in the same spot.
"Whoosh!"
Terry immediately fired another three.
"Clang!"
It missed.
However, Nowitzki grabbed the rebound himself and passed it back out, giving Terry another opportunity.
"Whoosh!"
Without the slightest hesitation, "The Jet" Terry caught the ball and launched again.
"Swish!"
This one dropped cleanly through the net.
"After going quiet for a stretch, Terry has hit two straight threes. He's now four for five from beyond the arc and already has 12 points in the quarter.
"Wow!
"Terry appears out of nowhere and strips the ball from George. He sends it ahead to Nowitzki, who pulls up for a transition three.
"Will it fall?
"It's good! It's good! It's good!
"The Mavericks strike again from three in transition.
"In just over a minute, Terry has made two threes of his own and led Dallas on another 9-0 run.
"'The Jet' Terry has truly become an 'X-factor' tonight. He has rescued the Mavericks twice in a single quarter and helped them take the lead twice.
"What a performance!"
Hubie Brown could not stop marveling at Terry's play.
By the end of the first quarter, the Mavericks, who had been given little chance before the game, held a five-point lead despite Nowitzki shooting only two for five and scoring just four points.
Not only were they not trailing, they were ahead.
No one had expected the game to unfold this way.
"Beautiful!"
"Let's go, Terry!"
"That's it, 'The Jet'! Keep raining down threes and shoot the Suns right out of the building tonight!"
"Wow!"
The Mavericks' home crowd was ecstatic.
Terry's sudden explosion and Dallas' lead filled them with confidence that the team could win.
Meanwhile, on the Suns' bench, George looked furious.
"What the hell? Again?!"
He was clearly upset by Terry's inexplicable outburst.
"Yeah."
Nash sighed.
"Terry may be the Mavericks' second scoring option, but four threes in one quarter, along with assists and a steal? That's ridiculous."
"I just checked."
Curry held up his phone.
"Before tonight, Terry was averaging 1.7 made threes per game in the playoffs while shooting 39.8 percent.
"That's solid, but four in a single quarter is still incredible."
"Terry is the Mavericks' 'X-factor' tonight."
Carter shook his head.
"Blake can limit Nowitzki to a certain extent, but sudden outbursts from players like Terry and Barea are nearly impossible to prepare for."
"Exactly."
Blake smacked his lips.
"The Mavericks keep producing 'X-factors' who explode for points. Are they being blessed by the heavens?"
George scoffed.
"Blessed by the heavens? They're just getting lucky."
"Isn't that the same thing?"
Curry rolled his eyes at George, then lowered his head again.
If the Mavericks continued enjoying this kind of luck, with one "X-factor" after another breaking out, beating them would not be easy even with Nowitzki contained.
What a headache.
The entire Suns team felt the same way.
But frustrated or not, they still had a game to play.
The short break between quarters soon ended, and the second quarter began with both teams' bench units on the floor.
With Carter leading the reserves, the Suns remained relatively steady.
However, while Barea was not quite as spectacular as he had been in the previous game, he was still playing like the "Wonder Kid" and performing far better than he had earlier in the series.
Over a 3:13 stretch, Barea helped the Mavericks extend their five-point lead to eight.
"Beep! Beep!"
Gentry called a timeout.
The Suns brought their starters back, and the Mavericks did the same, with "The Jet" Terry remaining on the floor in place of Stevenson.
Phoenix had possession.
"Swish!"
As soon as Blake returned, he drilled a deep three.
The immediate impact reduced the deficit to five, and at the other end, he continued to contain Nowitzki.
At this rate, the Suns would surely erase the deficit and take the lead again before long.
That was what many Phoenix fans believed.
But they seemed to have forgotten about "The Jet" Terry.
The "X-factor's" explosive scoring had not ended with the first quarter.
5:13 remaining.
Terry stood on the left wing, a step beyond the three-point line.
Facing George, who was taller and an excellent defender, Terry launched a deep three.
"Swish!"
Nothing but net.
3:11 remaining.
"Swish!"
From the top of the arc, Terry rose over the defense and buried another deep three.
"Wow! Another one!"
"Those two threes were incredible. They had the same unreasonable feel as Blake's deep shooting.
"No, tonight Terry's threes are even more unreasonable than Blake's!"
"Hahaha!"
The Mavericks' fans were beside themselves with excitement.
The Suns' fans, meanwhile, wanted to curse.
"What the hell is this? Terry just made two more threes. He's now six for seven from beyond the arc and has scored 18 points on only seven shots?!
"I could believe Blake shooting like that, but Terry isn't Blake. This percentage is absurd."
"I give up!"
"Me too!"
"This is making me sick. Have the Mavericks really been blessed by the heavens? Is their luck completely maxed out tonight?!"
"'Wonder Kid' Barea is playing well again, and 'The Jet' Terry can barely miss. The Mavericks have produced one 'X-factor' after another tonight.
"What a headache!"
...
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