"Smiling? Are you sure?"
Mike Breen didn't catch it.
Van Gundy nodded firmly. He was certain he hadn't misread it. Mike Breen thought for a moment, then smiled lightly.
"Or maybe that's just confidence.
It's only a 9-point gap.
Blake Su absolutely believes he can turn this around!"
On the court.
Timeout over.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Blake Su caught the ball at the top of the key, facing Ariza. Ariza gave him half a step of space.
"Leaving me open for three and focusing on the drive?!"
Blake Su narrowed his eyes, instantly reading Ariza's intention. His expression darkened slightly.
"So you've figured out my three isn't that consistent. But… three-point shooting isn't my only way to score. Defending me like this isn't a smart move."
His gaze sharpened, and he immediately swung the ball out.
With Ariza sagging off, Blake Su had a cleaner passing lane. The ball zipped to the left side, where Curry curled up from the baseline, caught it, turned, and rose for a mid-range jumper.
Swish!
Nothing but net.
Next possession, Blake Su faced Ariza again. Spotting Carter lurking open in the right corner, he fired the pass without hesitation.
Carter, already set, rose smoothly for three.
Clang!
It rimmed out.
Rebound?!
Blake Su charged into the paint again, beating Frye and Okafor to the ball. And then… without warning, he flicked it high into the air.
"A pass?!"
Okafor froze.
"Watch out, alley-oop!"
West saw it clearly from the outside and shouted the warning—but it was too late.
Carter, who had just missed from deep, cut along the baseline toward the rim.
Thud!
He bent his knees and exploded upward, snatching the ball one-handed in midair. Like an eagle slicing through the sky, he hammered home the alley-oop with a vicious dunk!
"Unbelievable!"
"An alley-oop from Carter! Ever since the injuries piled up, those breathtaking, violent-yet-beautiful dunks—the kind that earned him the nickname 'Half-Man, Half-Amazing—have become a rare sight."
"Carter is unstoppable!"
"The Suns have Blake Su, Curry, and Steve Nash—but don't forget… the 'Air Canada,' Vince Carter!"
"My youth is back!"
...
Blake Su's assist and Carter's long-awaited alley-oop slam instantly ignited the crowd, bringing back memories of the days when Carter ruled the skies.
Boom!
Even on the road, the Suns' presence was deafening.
Smack!
Carter grinned as he jogged back, slapping hands with Blake Su. That dunk lit a fire under him—and under the entire Suns squad.
The comeback horn had sounded.
They had once trailed by 9.
With 37 seconds left in the first quarter, Blake Su found Carter again for a three. Not only did it tie the game—it pushed the Suns ahead by one.
Hornets ball.
Paul brought it up, facing Nash one-on-one. A quick back-down into a hesitation move, then he burst past Nash and floated one up in the lane.
Swish!
Good.
Tie game.
For the final possession of the quarter, the Suns gave the ball to Blake Su. He held it at the top, patiently draining the clock. With five seconds left, Ariza still gave him a step of space.
Blake Su rose for three again.
This was his third attempt from deep in the first quarter. The previous two had missed.
The ball sailed over Ariza's outstretched hand and slammed off the glass with a loud bang—
—and dropped through.
Good!
The buzzer sounded as Blake Su buried the banked three at the horn.
"Nice shot!"
Curry pumped his fist and rushed over to high-five him.
Off to the side, Ariza's lips curled slightly.
"So three-point shooting really is your weakness…"
End of the first quarter.
The Suns erased a 9-point deficit and headed into the break with a 3-point lead.
"11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists. Only up 3. Good. Completely under control. Tonight, absolutely no mistakes."
Blake Su glanced at the stat board during the break and nodded to himself.
Soon, the second quarter began.
First came the bench battle.
During a 4-minute, 13-second rotation stretch, the Hornets gained a slight edge and wiped out the 3-point lead. On the Suns' end, George delivered a ferocious chasedown block off the glass.
That play alone left Gentry thoroughly satisfied with the physical tools of the young player he'd taken a liking to.
Tweet!
Timeout.
Both teams' starters returned to the floor—back to square one.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Blake Su pushed the ball up. Carter set a screen, forcing a switch and leaving Chris Paul on him. Blake Su ignored Paul completely and rose straight into a jumper over him.
Swish!
Pure.
Next possession, he hunted Paul again and knocked down another mid-range shot right in his face.
Paul blinked in disbelief. Against a center with that kind of mid-range touch, he had no answer.
"Switch!"
Having learned from the previous game's beating, Paul immediately called for help. West stepped up—but Blake Su didn't even glance at him before exploding forward.
No tricks. No hesitation. Just speed.
Swish!
Swish!
One pull-up after shaking free. One drive all the way to the rim.
Even against David West, Blake Su kept scoring at will.
To start the second quarter—
Blake Su unleashed an 8–0 run by himself.
"Tsk…"
LeBron clicked his tongue.
"It's starting. First quarter, he focused on setting up his teammates. Now he's turning it up. Everyone's a mismatch for him. He's a nightmare."
"Exactly," Wade agreed. "His physical tools are ridiculous. Like someone said before—he's an 'upgraded' Durant. Offensively, he's nearly impossible to stop."
Bosh scratched his head. "This rookie center… he's even better than I thought."
The Heat's Big Three, who had come specifically to watch, all gave Blake Su high praise. Meanwhile, Suns fans inside the arena were fired up.
"Let's go, Blake Su!"
"That's it! Blow them out with a run!"
On the court.
With a 40-point objective in mind, Blake Su fully switched into attack mode. His relentless mismatches left the Hornets scrambling once more.
For a moment—
no one knew how to guard him.
"I'll take him."
Ariza snorted softly, gestured to Paul, and stepped in front of Blake Su.
And once again—
he gave him a full step beyond the three-point line.
"He gave Blake Su a step—and it worked."
At the commentary table, Van Gundy noticed the pattern and frowned slightly.
Mike Breen clapped his hands.
"I've got it. Ariza knows Blake Su's three isn't reliable. So he's deliberately conceding the three and loading up on the drive. That way he cuts down on fakes and applies maximum pressure."
Clang!
Right as he finished speaking—
Blake Su's three-pointer bounced off the rim.
"Just as I thought!"
Mike Breen sounded confident.
Seeing the miss, Ariza felt even more certain his strategy was correct.
He was convinced—
he could lock Blake Su down.
Next possession.
Same defense.
Blake Su's eyes turned icy.
"You really think I, Blake Su, don't have a three?"
...
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