After the timeout…
Blake Su knocked down two more jumpers, calmly adding four points and pushing his personal total to 15.
It was normal for fringe bench players to score inefficiently. But for a fringe center like Blake Su to go 7-for-7 from the field and score 15 points on his own? That was beyond absurd, shocking the entire arena.
3 minutes and 12 seconds remained.
What had been a 21-point deficit in half a quarter had been slashed to just six.
"Blake Su has completely exploded—why haven't they called a timeout to make changes?"
In the broadcast booth.
Van Gundy spoke in disbelief. As he was talking, Blake Su once again handled the ball on the perimeter, shook Martin by half a step, and rose up for another jumper.
This time, Martin hadn't lost position.
But Blake Su was simply too tall. With his terrifying wingspan, even textbook defense offered no chance of a block. Martin could only watch as Blake Su shot cleanly over his head.
"2:48 left, four-point game. They have to call a timeout."
"Beep! Beep!"
The moment Mike Breen finished speaking, the Wizards called timeout.
Boom!
The arena erupted into chatter. Every eye was locked onto Blake Su, staring at him like he was some kind of anomaly—a center breaking defenders down on the perimeter and drilling jumpers.
It felt unreal.
In the blink of an eye, a 17-point gap had vanished, and Suns fans could suddenly see it—hope. A comeback. Even a win.
At the same time, a heavy sense of danger settled over the Wizards.
"Who is this Blake Su? How is he this strong?"
Wizards bench.
Nick Young spoke with a dark expression. Gilbert Arenas narrowed his eyes as well. "I don't remember hearing about him in the draft. Most likely he entered the league as a free agent.
A center attacking from the perimeter, driving and pulling up—it's extremely unconventional. That kind of offense is rare, and that's exactly why it's so hard to deal with."
"Hmph."
John Wall let out a cold snort.
He was supposed to be the brightest star tonight. Instead, an unknown rookie had stolen the spotlight. Clearly annoyed, he said flatly, "The rookie's little show ends here.
I'll finish this game myself.
I'll teach him that a center's job is to take care of the inside."
"Good!"
Nick Young clapped and laughed. "The more confident you are, the stronger you get. Tonight, you're still the star. It all depends on how you close this out."
"Exactly,"
Former 'General' Gilbert Arenas added with a grin. "Su's stretch has been impressive, sure—but in terms of talent and overall ability, you're easily the best rookie this year."
"Oh!"
Young and fearless, Wall was fired up by the praise. His expression sharpened as he clenched his fist, ready to take control.
"Beep!"
Timeout over.
Both teams sent their starters back onto the floor.
Wizards starters: shooting guard Nick Young, point guard Gilbert Arenas, point guard John Wall, power forward Andray Blatche, and center JaVale McGee.
Suns starters: point guard Steve Nash, shooting guard Jason Richardson, small forward Grant Hill, center Channing Frye, and center Blake Su.
Blake Su stayed on the court, replacing Carter.
With 3 minutes and 12 seconds left and only a four-point gap, the battle was on.
"Tsk, tsk…"
"A 21-point lead, cut to just four in a matter of minutes by this center Blake Su, even forcing the Wizards to bring their starters back.
That's impressive."
Wizards ball.
Wall brought it up, facing Steve Nash at the top of the arc, fire blazing in his eyes. He lowered his stance and exploded forward. One hard bump, another burst of speed—and he shook Nash free.
Whoosh!
He tore into the paint and, under Frye's contest, flipped up a high bank shot.
Swish.
"Wow! John Wall showing why he's the No. 1 pick—scoring aggressively on Nash right away and snapping the Wizards' three-minute scoring drought, pushing the lead back to six.
The Suns still have a tough road if they want to win tonight.
…Wow—Blake Su again! He takes Nash's bounce pass at the left high post and hits the jumper right back. McGee rotated over, but his feet were too slow."
Van Gundy exclaimed.
Mike Breen looked equally shaken. "Blake Su, who checked in during the fourth quarter, already has 19 points—and he's 9-for-9 from the field. A perfect 100 percent.
Strong. Really strong."
"Oh?"
Seeing Blake Su respond immediately, Wall narrowed his eyes and locked onto him. Nick Young pushed the ball up, going one-on-one with Richardson.
Swish!
His trademark spin into a fadeaway three—but it rattled out. Luckily, McGee grabbed the rebound and kicked it back out to Wall.
Thump, thump, thump!
Wall dribbled, called for a screen, and found himself matched up with… Blake Su at the top.
Whoosh!
No hesitation. Wall's eyes sharpened as he crossed between his legs and burst right. His first step was lightning-fast—normally enough to blow past any mismatched center.
But not tonight.
"Oh? He's keeping up? Not bad."
Wall's eyes flashed. He accelerated again, took another step, then slammed on the brakes and stepped back, creating half a body's worth of space. He leaned back and released the jumper—
Smack!
Blake Su exploded off the floor, his long arm sweeping down like a wall, sending the ball flying five rows into the stands.
The crowd erupted.
"Oh my God!"
"Blake Su… Blake Su just blocked Wall?! He blocked the No. 1 pick who's been on fire tonight?!"
"No way!"
"He already shook him, and still got blocked—Blake Su is insane!"
Fans stood frozen in disbelief.
"Tch."
Wall snorted, clearly irritated. "Just lucky."
Out of bounds.
The Wizards kept possession, but only 7.3 seconds remained. Nick Young took the inbound on the left side, drove on Richardson, and missed the layup.
Smack!
Frye secured the rebound. Nash pushed the ball up, reached the top of the arc, and handed it off to Blake Su—the red-hot, supremely confident center.
Step!
Wall took one hard stride and appeared directly in front of him. Blake Su glanced at him, then lowered his center of gravity, reading the defense as he dribbled deliberately.
The next instant—
Whoosh!
Blake Su exploded to the right.
So fast!
His speed exceeded Wall's expectations. Wall gritted his teeth and chased at full speed—but Blake Su suddenly stopped short, yanking the ball back between his legs.
Swoosh!
Wall completely lost his balance and stumbled toward the paint.
Swish!
Blake Su calmly buried the mid-range jumper.
He glanced at the staggering Wall nearby, shook his head faintly, and said to himself—
The No. 1 pick… nothing special.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser