"What's he doing?"
Mark is startled. "Don't tell me Chris is actually going to defend that 215-centimeter center?"
"Hey,"
Jon Barry waves his hand and laughs. "If this were in the paint, sure, that'd be asking for trouble. But out on the perimeter against a center, Chris's elite steal instincts and that suffocating, wraparound defensive pressure can pose a huge threat."
"But Blake Su is different. His athleticism is just too good."
As they're speaking—
On the court.
Paul has already closed in. Just as the commentators said, he rushes forward, relying on speed and agility to go for the steal, putting his two-time steals champion instincts on full display.
Against most centers on the perimeter, this kind of pressure is hard to handle.
However… Blake Su isn't flustered at all.
Facing Paul's aggressive steal attempts, he strings together consecutive crossover dribbles, fully showcasing Iverson-level ball control. The ball stays glued to his hands, and Paul can't find even the slightest opening.
"Whoosh!"
The moment Paul lunges in for the steal, Blake Su suddenly accelerates and blows past him. Paul reacts quickly, twisting his body to chase—
But in the very next instant, he freezes in place.
"Swish!"
Blake Su comes to a sudden stop and rises straight up.
The jump is absurdly high. Paul doesn't even feel like contesting it. All he can do, stunned, is watch Blake Su release the shot and watch the ball drop cleanly through the net.
"Tch."
Paul snorts. "For a rookie, he's got some experience. He knows to accelerate the moment my weight shifts forward on a steal attempt. His thinking is clear enough.
But…
He won't get an opportunity like that next time."
Blake Su scores again. In the first quarter, he's already 4-for-4, up to 9 points, and his team has stretched the lead to seven.
Hornets ball.
Paul brings it up, matches up with Nash, then once again seeks out Blake Su, still intent on breaking through his defense. Unfortunately… it ends in failure yet again.
"Whoosh!"
With the shot clock running down, Paul kicks the ball out to Belinelli at the right wing. Guarded closely by Grant Hill, Belinelli forces up a three.
But—
"Swish!"
Bank shot. It goes in.
"Nice one!"
West lets out a roar. Paul, jogging back on defense, feels his heart sink a little. The shot went in, but it was a forced pass. He knows all too well that he was locked down by Blake Su again.
"That athleticism… that defensive pressure… Blake Su's talent is seriously terrifying. One-on-one, I really have no answer for him.
I can't keep forcing things like this."
After taking hit after hit, Paul figures it out. His hunger for victory keeps him from acting on impulse, and with his high basketball IQ, he knows when to change how he attacks and how to lead the team.
From then on,
Even though he still can't stop Blake Su's scoring, Paul avoids him on offense. Instead, he relies on his own scoring ability and superb playmaking to help the team put points on the board.
In terms of overall strength, the Hornets still hold the edge.
End of the first quarter.
Suns (26) : (27) Hornets.
The Hornets manage to claw back to within one point. Blake Su, meanwhile, puts on a dominant showing: 7-for-8 shooting in the quarter, 1-for-2 from the line, pouring in 15 points to go with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.
"Fifteen points, four rebounds, two assists, two blocks in a single quarter—does that look like a rookie's stat line to you?"
Jon Barry shakes his head in disbelief.
"And the craziest part is this—he's a center. Out on the perimeter, shaking off a top-tier guard like Chris and scoring all those points with jump shots. That's what's really scary."
Mark Jackson can't help but praise him as well. After thinking for a moment, he adds, "Still, the Hornets have real strength. Even when they couldn't contain Blake Su and he dropped 15 by himself, they're only down one."
"Hey, Mark, if I remember right, didn't you say before the game that the Suns weren't on the Hornets' level?"
"Huh? Did I…? Hahaha!"
Second quarter.
The benches come in first.
The two reserve units trade blows back and forth. Over a 4-minute-and-13-second stretch, the score stays tight, still separated by just one point. At least the starters get plenty of rest.
"Beep! Beep!"
The Hornets call a timeout.
The starters check back in. Paul pushes the ball up and suddenly pulls up from the left wing, firing a quick cold-blooded jumper that catches defender Richardson completely off guard.
"Wow~"
"Chris again! He controlled the tempo in the first quarter to pull them back, and now he hits a cold-blooded shot to give the Hornets the lead. That's the 'Hornet King' for you."
Suns ball.
How do they suppress the Hornets? How do they limit Chris?
Blake Su calls for a screen, slips past Ariza, and ends up matched up with—
With Chris.
Wow~
"Blake Su is actively seeking out Paul. A rookie center going straight at a superstar guard, and doing it on the perimeter—this is getting interesting."
Jon's eyes light up as he commentates excitedly.
"Ohhh~ Blake Su's going to drive straight at Chris? Big going at small?"
"So exciting!"
"Go, Blake Su!"
The crowd starts buzzing.
On the court.
Knowing that shutting down Paul is key to winning, Blake Su actively hunts him down.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Blake Su dribbles in front of Paul, smooth between-the-legs moves, butterfly-like crossovers, all while reading the defense. The moment the ball settles in his left hand, his center of gravity drops.
"Whoosh!"
He explodes to the left.
With his two-meter-plus frame combined with frightening speed, this drive carries immense pressure. Paul's pupils shrink as he goes all out to stay with him, still searching for a steal opportunity.
But—
Blake Su, who's been reading the defense the entire time, suddenly changes direction, completely shaking Paul.
"What? A fake?!"
Paul is shocked, but he reacts instantly, spinning toward the basket and trying to cut Blake Su off from the other side.
When he turns—
Blake Su is nowhere in sight.
He has to turn again.
This time he sees Blake Su—just as Blake Su rises up to shoot.
"Swish!"
The ball arcs through the air and drops cleanly into the net.
The truth is, Blake Su used a front crossover to shake Paul, drove to the right, then stopped on a dime and pulled the ball back between his legs once more.
From the god's-eye view of the stands, the defender who bit on the move—Paul—spun in place, looking completely lost, before watching Blake Su drill a mid-range jumper right in his face.
It sounds like a lot when described, but in reality, it all happened in a split second.
"Boom!"
The arena erupts in a wave of deafening cheers.
"My god!"
On the Suns' bench, Dragić grabs his head, his face full of disbelief. "What just happened? Blake Su—a center—actually spun Chris around on the spot?"
"Unbelievable!"
Carter is just as stunned, the excitement and shock in his eyes impossible to hide.
"No… no way?!"
On the Hornets' bench, Jarrett Jack rubs his shiny head, eyes wide, stuck somewhere between shock and outright fear.
"What is this?!"
Backup center Jason Smith is completely dumbfounded as well.
He can't wrap his head around it. "Hornet King" Paul—one of the best guards in the league—being toyed with by a center, spun around until he didn't even know where he was?
"Oh ho ho ho~"
At the commentary desk.
Jon Barry's mouth hangs open in disbelief, while Mark Jackson's jaw drops so wide you could fit an egg inside.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, he laughs helplessly.
"It's always been Paul going small against big. Tonight… the script's completely flipped."