"Go, Suns!"
"Go, Blake Su!"
"Let's go, Suns!"
"..."
The home crowd roared nonstop. Mia Quinn, seated in the front row, had even put on a Blake Su No. 0 jersey to cheer him on.
"Blake! Let's go!"
Blake Su glanced over, smiled, and raised his fist toward her, then... stepped onto the court brimming with confidence.
Phoenix Suns Starting Lineup: 191 cm (6'3") point guard Steve Nash, 188 cm (6'2") shooting guard Stephen Curry, 198 cm (6'6") small forward Vince Carter, 213 cm (7'0") power forward Channing Frye, and 216 cm (7'1") center Blake Su.
Denver Nuggets Starting Lineup: 191 cm (6'3") point guard Chauncey Billups, 196 cm (6'5") shooting guard Aaron Afflalo, 203 cm (6'8") small forward Carmelo Anthony, 206 cm (6'9") power forward Kenyon Martin, and 211 cm (6'11") center Nene Hilario.
"Jump ball!"
Blake Su and Nene faced off at center.
Nene gritted his teeth and leaped with everything he had, determined to win the tip, but Blake Su rose with effortless ease and claimed the advantage in midair.
"Smack!"
He tapped the ball away first.
"Thud, thud, thud!"
Nash gathered the ball and pushed it upcourt, arriving at the top of the key. On the right side, Blake Su used a screen from Carter and cut straight toward the basket, looking ready for a layup.
However.
In an instant.
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su abruptly changed direction, retreating back to the right side of the arc. Meanwhile, Martin and the help defender Afflalo miscommunicated and both collapsed toward the paint.
That left Blake Su completely wide open at the top.
A true passing master never misses a golden opportunity. As someone once said.
The pass arrived right on time.
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su caught it and immediately rose for a three-pointer.
"Got it!"
The moment the ball left his hands, Nash was already convinced it would go in. But...
"Clang!"
It bounced off the rim.
Blake Su missed the three, but Frye battled hard for the rebound and kicked it out to Curry. Curry faked a drive, then swung it to Blake Su on the opposite side.
Another open look.
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su didn't hesitate, launching another deep shot.
"Clang!"
Missed again.
Rebound?!
Frye and Nene tangled under the rim, and Anthony came away with the ball. But just as he secured it...
Curry appeared like a phantom and stripped it away instantly.
"Whoosh!"
Without holding onto it, he sent it straight back out to Blake Su.
From the right high post, Blake Su caught it and rose for a mid-range jumper.
"Swish!"
This time, it dropped cleanly.
Suns (2) : (0) Nuggets.
"Blake Su knocks down the jumper to give the Suns the first points of the game. Still impressive as ever."
In the broadcast booth.
The commentator praised him with a smile, while Mike Breen tapped the desk and added objectively:
"Even though Blake Su made that shot... out of three attempts, including two completely wide-open looks, he's only hit one. He doesn't seem to have found his rhythm tonight."
On the court, the game continued.
And just as Mike Breen said, Blake Su struggled with efficiency on several possessions. On the other hand, the Nuggets' "Melo" Anthony...
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Whether it was jumpers or drives, he maintained the hot hand from the previous game.
At the 5:13 mark.
"Beep beep!"
Gentry called a timeout. The deficit had already reached seven points. If they didn't stop the momentum and the Nuggets hit another three, they'd be down double digits halfway through the quarter.
That would be a disaster for the Suns.
"Blake Su just isn't on tonight!"
In the stands.
"Batman" Pippen commented, "If he doesn't get going, this game's going to be a lot less interesting, especially with Carmelo staying this hot."
"True."
Jordan nodded, then smiled lightly. "But it's still early. A top-tier shooter like Blake Su won't stay cold forever."
Then he chuckled.
"Scott, doesn't it sound a bit funny calling a 7'1" center a top-tier shooter?"
"Heh."
Pippen laughed as well.
"It does sound strange, but... Blake Su really is a top-tier shooter."
"As for his future three-point achievements..."
"They might even surpass Ray Allen."
During the timeout, the crowd buzzed with discussion. Everyone felt Blake Su simply hadn't found his rhythm yet. No player could be in peak form every single game.
So no one overreacted. They just hoped he'd rediscover his touch soon.
However.
The real reason Blake Su was off had a lot to do with his trip home for the New Year and the nonstop travel back. The back-and-forth had clearly taken a toll.
Of course.
This was the price of going home for a reunion, something he fully understood. Mia Quinn understood it just as well.
"It must be because going home disrupted his training routine. That's why he's playing so poorly tonight... If I'd known, I wouldn't have let him go."
Mia Quinn felt a trace of guilt.
But guilt changed nothing. She bit her lip lightly, then joined the crowd, cheering as loudly as she could for Blake Su.
She did everything she could.
Seeing this, Blake Su raised his fist toward her again. The absolute confidence on his face told her he had this.
That's right.
Even though his shot wasn't falling, his confidence never wavered. After all, being off doesn't make him useless.
With his size, Iverson's Talent, and the [Eagle Spear], even without scoring, he was still a major threat and could contribute in other ways.
"Beep beep!"
Play resumed.
The Suns had the ball.
"Thud, thud, thud!"
Blake Su handled it at the top of the arc, facing Martin. He lowered his center of gravity, paused, then exploded to the right wing.
"Whoosh!"
He blew past Martin in a single step.
However... knowing Blake Su's shot was off, the Nuggets chose to allow him to shoot but not drive. The moment he got past Martin and charged toward the rim—
"Step!"
"Step!"
Anthony and Afflalo immediately collapsed, double-teaming him.
But Blake Su had no intention of forcing the shot. Drawing the defense, his eyes sharpened as he pulled the ball back out to Curry, waiting at the left arc.
"Whoosh!"
Curry caught it and rose for three.
Release.
"Swish!"
Nothing but net.
...
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