Terry opened the game by hitting two straight three-pointers. Both were incredibly difficult shots that probably had no business going in.
Yet he made them both.
At this pace, was "The Jet" Terry about to take flight again tonight?
Curry was speechless. George cursed under his breath. Blake felt a headache coming on, and Nash could only shake his head helplessly.
On the bench, Coach Gentry stared at Terry with wide, resentful eyes, looking as though he wanted to swallow him alive.
However, no matter how angry or frustrated the Suns were, they could not change one simple fact.
Terry was still in excellent form tonight.
By the end of the first quarter, Terry had shot 6 of 10 from the field and 3 of 6 from beyond the arc, scoring 15 points in the period.
It was another explosive performance.
More importantly, his eye-catching play as an "X-factor" forced the Suns to devote part of their defensive attention to "The Jet" Terry.
That gave Nowitzki, who had previously been contained by Blake, more opportunities on offense without weakening the Mavericks' defensive pressure.
At the same time, Marion remained dangerous when attacking the rim, while Kidd was no slouch offensively either.
Kidd was already a threat from three-point range. With Terry and Nowitzki drawing so much attention, he also knocked down two threes in the first quarter.
For someone averaging 2.1 made threes per game, that was already an impressive showing.
In short, Terry's latest breakout as an "X-factor" created a butterfly effect that allowed an already strong Mavericks team to play at an even higher level.
Their firepower was so overwhelming that even with Blake scoring 10 points and Curry adding seven, the Suns still could not keep up.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was:
Mavericks 34, Suns 26.
After only one quarter, the Mavericks already led by eight.
Everyone had expected the Suns to steamroll the Mavericks.
Instead, they had failed to dominate and were trailing by eight after the opening period.
The main reason was that "X-factor" Terry had taken flight once again.
During the break between quarters, frustration was written all over George's face.
"I'm seriously done with this. Does Lady Luck live with the Mavericks because she knows they can't beat us?
"Is she going to help them every single game?"
Nash sighed.
"The scoring outburst is one problem, but the bigger issue is that it disrupts our defensive rhythm and forces us to cover too many threats at once.
"That's the real headache.
"Most importantly, the Mavericks have a balanced roster. Even when their scoring explodes, their defense, rebounding, and playmaking don't suffer.
"That's what makes them so difficult to handle."
"Exactly."
Curry nodded.
"Earlier in the series, Blake's ability to contain Nowitzki disrupted everything the Mavericks wanted to do.
"Now, their role players keep breaking out as 'X-factors,' and they're the ones disrupting our rhythm."
"When they keep exploding like this, it certainly makes the game difficult for us," Coach Gentry agreed. "But there's nothing we can do about it.
"They aren't cheating or doing anything dirty. They're simply hot and playing out of their minds.
"So we have to stay calm. Don't lose focus. Execute every offensive and defensive possession properly and make sure we produce on offense.
"We still have a chance."
Everyone nodded.
Blake nodded as well.
He had already realized in the previous game that when the Mavericks had too many "X-factors" to contain, offense became the best defense.
Soon, the second quarter began.
The bench units took the court first.
If "The Jet" Terry had become the Mavericks' "X-factor" and taken flight in the opening quarter, then it was now Peja's turn.
With Stevenson covering for him defensively, Peja scored efficiently during the bench rotation and once again emerged as an "X-factor."
As a result, even though "Wonder Kid" Barea had not broken out tonight, the Mavericks' bench offense still looked extremely dangerous.
In only two minutes, Dallas stretched its lead from eight points to twelve.
"Beep!"
Gentry called a timeout.
He had no choice but to send Blake, George, and Nash back onto the court early.
In fact, Blake had already intended to return even if the lead had not grown any further.
The reason was unclear.
However, with one Mavericks "X-factor" after another erupting, there were too many unpredictable elements in the game.
The Suns needed to erase the deficit, or even take the lead, as quickly as possible.
Only then could they improve their chances of winning.
Peja's hot three-point shooting was certainly dangerous, but he was still no match for the Suns' three key players returning ahead of schedule.
In another two minutes, the Suns unleashed an 8 to 2 run and cut the deficit to six.
"Beep!"
Carlisle called a timeout.
Both teams brought their starters back.
At the left high post, Nowitzki called for the ball against Blake. After repeatedly using his body to create contact, he turned and rose into his One-Legged Fadeaway.
Blake jumped to contest, but he fell just short.
"Swish!"
Nowitzki buried the midrange jumper.
Blake's contest had clearly been a fraction late.
That was the stamina advantage Nowitzki gained from having two extra minutes of rest.
Even so, Blake's ability to contain him had not disappeared.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
After the timeout, Curry attacked the rim and knocked down a jumper on consecutive possessions.
He appeared to be in good form.
However, the Mavericks still had more than Nowitzki, their cornerstone who could take over at any moment just like Blake.
"The Jet" Terry was still soaring.
And this time, Kidd was helping him take flight.
Jason Kidd?
That was right.
After returning in the second quarter, Kidd suddenly found another gear.
Not as a scorer, defender, or ball thief, but as a passer.
No-look passes, misdirection passes, between-the-legs bounce passes, and dishes thrown as though he had eyes in the back of his head.
Kidd had always been an exceptional passer, but tonight, he elevated his playmaking to an almost supernatural level.
His passes came from nowhere, leaving the Suns completely unprepared and occasionally unable to even locate the ball.
With Kidd delivering the ball to them in perfect position, the Mavericks' players took their already strong performances to another level.
Over the next five minutes, Curry continued to play well while Blake provided a steady stream of offense.
Even so, Kidd repeatedly fed Terry and Nowitzki with his unpredictable passes.
The pair kept scoring, matching the offensive pressure from Blake and Curry while extending the Mavericks' lead even further.
"Beep! Beep!"
With three minutes remaining in the second quarter, Gentry called another timeout.
By then, the Mavericks led by 13 points.
The situation was looking increasingly grim for the Suns.