"Whoa!"
"Derrick's really going at Blake Su?"
"They're finally matching up!"
"No choice. The Suns' run-and-gun is starting to catch fire. Rose has to step up and cool them down, and the best way to do that is by taking down Blake Su.
But…
Our Blake Su isn't someone you can bully."
"Let's go! I can't wait to see these two cores go at it!"
"…"
The instant Rose and Blake Su matched up, the already blazing arena atmosphere exploded even further. Some fans couldn't hold back their excitement.
One after another, they rose to their feet, as if standing made the showdown even more thrilling.
On the court.
"Hey."
Rose looked at Blake Su with a faint smile. "Blake Su, I've been paying attention to you lately. Your style is unique. Honestly, you're bold.
Most centers wouldn't dare play the way you do."
"Is that so?"
Blake Su smiled lightly. "What choice do I have? I don't have the elite physical gifts you 'chosen No. 1 picks' were born with. I had to find another path.
That's the only way to survive in a league that's never short on talent."
"Haha!"
Rose shook his head. "You don't have talent? Don't say something so irritating. If you didn't have talent, there's no way you'd be playing on the perimeter as a center—
let alone playing this well.
Still, I like that you're complimenting me. Not many guys praise their opponents. If you're up for it, we can be friends after the game. But right now…
We're enemies."
As the words left his mouth, the smile vanished from Rose's face. A fearless, king-like aura radiated from him, unsettling and intense.
"Here I come!"
With a sudden burst, Rose exploded forward, quick as lightning. Against most centers on a switch, he'd be past them in a single step.
But tonight, he was facing Blake Su, empowered by Iverson's Talent.
Whoosh!
Blake Su's eyes sharpened as he accelerated to keep up. Even though he stayed with him, he could still feel the terrifying speed and explosiveness of the "Windy City Rose."
Bang!
Rose attacked the paint and soared into the air. From the weak side, Blake Su leapt to contest, his long arms stretching out for what looked like an easy block.
But Rose's hang time was absurd. Midair, he adjusted, dodging the block and switching hands before banking it off the glass.
Smack!
Blake Su's palm slapped the backboard, barely missing the ball. It kissed the glass and dropped through the net.
"Wow~"
"Rose scores one-on-one against Blake Su!"
"That's Rose!"
The Bulls fans erupted.
"Nice."
After landing, Blake Su rubbed his palm and smiled slightly. "MVP-level Rose indeed. That speed, that hang time, that explosiveness… terrifying."
On that possession, Blake Su's defense had been solid. He forced a tough finish. But it still wasn't enough. Rose converted.
"Blake Su, looks like you can't stop me."
As Rose jogged back, he lifted his chin slightly.
Blake Su smiled calmly. "The game's just getting started. Getting cocky this early isn't a good idea."
Possession change.
Thump, thump, thump!
At the top of the key, Blake Su called for a screen—and deliberately targeted Rose. Facing the MVP-level guard, his eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, he rose up for a three.
That's right.
No blow-by. No flashy moves. Just a cold-blooded three right over Rose's defense.
Rose lunged forward at full speed to contest—but the height difference was overwhelming.
Swish!
A crisp sound cut through the air.
Blake Su drilled the three clean.
"This…"
"What?!"
"How is Blake Su scoring that easily on Rose?"
"It feels like a college player going against a middle schooler. That was way too easy."
A restless murmur spread across the arena.
"Derrick, where's your defense? Can you at least make me work for it?"
Blake Su gave him an innocent smile.
But to Rose, that smile was anything but harmless. After all… he had defended that shot seriously.
"Don't get ahead of yourself!"
Rose snorted, asked for the ball, and brought it up to the top again, facing Blake Su once more. With a hand signal, the Bulls spread the floor. He wanted isolation.
Thump, thump, thump!
Between-the-legs dribbles to find rhythm. Left hand control. A sudden burst forward—then a sharp stop and crossover. He accelerated to the right wing and shook Blake Su again.
But—
Blake Su's reaction speed was just as outrageous. In the blink of an eye, he recovered. Long strides ate up the distance. Rose had half a step and exploded into the paint.
Whoosh!
He twisted midair to avoid the contest, switching hands for a layup off the glass.
But this time—
The moment the ball touched the backboard, Blake Su's massive hand arrived.
Smack!
At the absolute limit of his reach, his fingertips grazed the ball, completing the block.
"What?!"
Rose's eyes widened in shock.
The deflected ball was secured by Frye. Blake Su, charging hard on the play, nearly stumbled under the basket. It wasn't pretty—
but he had just blocked the "Windy City Rose."
"Wow! Blake Su blocked Rose?!"
In the ESPN broadcast studio, Mike Breen's jaw dropped. Jeff Van Gundy's eyes widened as he exclaimed,
"One-on-one! Even after Rose shook him off with speed and explosiveness, he still chased him down and blocked him.
And the guy who did it is a center! That's unbelievable.
Blake Su… his athleticism is incredible."
In the stands, fans were stunned into silence. Some die-hard Rose supporters couldn't believe he had been stopped on the perimeter—
and by a center who had long been labeled "slow" and "sluggish."
Unbelievable.
Hard to comprehend.
Fortunately for Rose, on the next possession he answered back. Using a drive into a sudden stop and a soft floater, he scored over Blake Su again.
Rose—the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. The "Windy City Rose." The "Heir to Jordan." Even against a center with extraordinary athleticism like Blake Su—
he still relied on his explosive gifts to get buckets.
Throughout the latter half of the second quarter, Blake Su's defense against Rose was essentially even—he stopped about half, allowed about half.
Even so, when the quarter ended—
In the stands, countless fans stared at Blake Su as if they were looking at a monster.
"Blake Su… he's so strong!" Parker exclaimed.
"Hm."
Duncan let out a low hum, thoughtful.
Ginobili nodded. "Yeah. He didn't completely shut down Derrick on defense. But going toe-to-toe with the explosively talented '08 No. 1 pick known as the 'Jordan Heir' and holding even is already impressive.
The key is—
On offense, as a rookie facing that same No. 1 pick, Blake Su was scoring however he wanted. Derrick couldn't stop him at all.
So in this head-to-head battle—
Blake Su clearly had the edge."
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (40 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.