Because of Carter's injury, the game was temporarily stopped.
On the big screen.
The slow-motion replay showed Carter's last drive. After breaking into the paint with a hop step, his left foot unfortunately landed on the side of Wade's left foot, causing him to roll his ankle.
It was an accident.
But one thing was certain: Carter would not return to this game.
As the medical staff helped Carter toward the player tunnel, Carter looked back at Blake Su and sighed. "Blake Su, sorry. Looks like this is all I can do for the team tonight.
You have to win this game."
"Yeah. I will."
Blake Su's gaze sharpened, and he nodded seriously.
"Clap, clap, clap!"
Applause rose from the stands as well, paying tribute to Carter as he left the court.
The focus returned to the floor.
If Carter's eruption had been a lifeline for the Suns, then his injury was a blow on top of a blow, throwing the team back into trouble once again.
In the stands.
"Sigh..."
"Skyhook" Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sighed. "Carter had just stepped up, and now he's gone down. This is terrible for the Suns."
"Yeah."
"The Round Mound of Rebound" Charles Barkley nodded. "The Suns were already short on weapons. Now that they've lost Carter, tonight just got even harder."
"If it were an ordinary team, maybe it wouldn't matter as much. But right now, the Suns are facing the best team in the East, the league's supervillains. Losing Carter only makes winning that much harder.
And the key thing is,
Carter was playing well tonight."
"Magic" Johnson agreed.
Carter's sudden injury made all three legends feel that the Suns were in real danger tonight.
But "The Dream" Hakeem Olajuwon only smiled faintly. "Carter getting hurt is definitely not ideal for the Suns, but it isn't as exaggerated as you're making it sound.
The gap is only 3 points.
Blake Su is in great form. If he can take over from here, keep scoring efficiently, and lift his teammates, the Suns still have a chance."
As they were speaking.
On the court.
After several minutes, play resumed.
Three minutes left in the second quarter.
Suns ball.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Nash held the ball at the top of the arc and lofted it high to Blake Su on the right high post. Facing Bosh's defense, Blake Su was fully locked in, his face calm and unsmiling.
He understood.
If they wanted to win tonight, he had to step up. And he had to do it as early as possible.
He gripped the ball tightly with both hands, moving it back and forth in front of his body to keep Bosh from poking it loose. At the same time, he repeatedly lowered his center of gravity, feinting drives.
"Buzz!"
"Whoosh!"
The instant he saw Bosh's weight shift slightly backward, Blake Su rose straight up into Bosh's contest.
"Swish!"
The ball dropped cleanly through the net.
On the next possession, Blake Su curled out from the corner and found himself matched up against Chalmers. He caught the ball and immediately attacked down the right wing, driving to the right low post.
Seeing Bosh come over to help,
"Screech!"
Blake Su stopped on a dime. Then, facing both Chalmers and Bosh, he rose into a mid-range jumper, sending the ball over four outstretched hands.
"Swish!"
A beautiful snap of the net rang out.
Another mid-range jumper fell.
On the Heat's side, Wade received LeBron's pass and cut in from the left wing. His Eurostep appeared again, shaking Frye into the air before Wade finished easily at the rim.
Curry brought the ball up.
Blake Su set a screen for him. Curry went around Wade and drove past Chalmers, but Bosh's help defense came over again. After Curry drew enough attention,
"Whoosh!"
he pulled the ball back and passed to Blake Su at the top of the arc.
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su caught it and decisively fired a three.
"Thud!"
Wade switched onto him and chased out to contest, but at only 193 centimeters, he was far too short compared to Blake Su. Even with all his effort, he could not reach the shot.
He could only watch the ball fly over his fingertips.
When he turned his head to look, the ball had already plunged into the net, clean as could be.
The final possession before halftime.
The Heat gave it to LeBron. With Carter injured and out, George had been thrown into the fire early and assigned to defend James. Like Wade,
LeBron ignored him.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Through the contact, LeBron powered into George, using absolute physical talent to bulldoze his way into the paint. He rose through contact, hung in the air, and banked in the layup.
Halftime.
Suns 64, Heat 65.
The Suns trailed by 1.
At the commentary desk.
Jeff Van Gundy said, "Although Carter left with an injury, his explosion in the first half of the second quarter really gave the Suns a huge lift.
Now.
The Suns are only down by 1 at halftime. There's still plenty of suspense in tonight's game."
"Yes."
Mike Breen nodded, then added, "But Blake Su's individual performance can't be ignored either, especially after Carter got hurt.
His desire to attack clearly went up.
In just over three minutes, he scored on Bosh and Wade one after another, putting up 9 points. At halftime, he already has 29 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.
I think.
If the Suns want to win tonight, Blake Su has to maintain this efficiency in the second half. Only then will they have hope."
That was right.
If the Suns wanted to win, if they wanted to beat the "Heat Big Three," Blake Su had to perform. The announcers knew that.
The fans knew it too.
And Blake Su himself knew it better than anyone.
So...
When the second half began.
Blake Su fully switched into personal attack mode.
11:03.
At the top of the arc, facing Chalmers, he held the ball in his left hand and rose straight up, firing a sudden three right over Chalmers' defense. Chalmers could only stand there and watch.
There was nothing he could do.
"Swish!"
The ball pierced the net. A clean three.
9:44.
On the left high post, Blake Su was mismatched against "Flash" Wade. He chose to post up. After one bump, he failed to completely move Wade off his spot.
But.
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su turned and still went into a jumper. With his absolute height advantage, even "Flash" Wade's shocking bounce could only provide a little pressure in appearance.
It did nothing.
"Swish!"
The ball went in again.
7:12.
On the left side of the arc, Blake Su faced Chris Bosh. Against one of the league's top power forwards, he used no fancy dribbling at all. He simply attacked hard.
With pure speed, he forced half a step of separation from Bosh, flew toward the rim, and banked in a finger roll.
"Swish!"
Another make.
"Wow~ Blake Su is a center, but he just beat Bosh, one of the league's top power forwards, with speed. That kind of speed and athleticism is terrifying. It's unbelievable."
6:33.
Blake Su curled out from the corner, pulling Ilgauskas out with him. Nash decisively passed to Blake Su, who caught it on the left high post against Ilgauskas.
"Whoosh!"
"Screech!"
One quick burst to the right, then a sudden stop. He pulled the ball back between his legs, and Ilgauskas instantly disappeared from in front of him.
He had been shaken completely out of position and sent stumbling toward the paint.
With nothing but open space in front of him, Blake Su rose for the jumper.
"Swish!"
A steady make.
5:11.
On the left side of the arc, Blake Su faced LeBron James. He went through a series of crossovers, and the instant the ball shifted to his right hand, he exploded to the right.
LeBron stayed with him.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Their bodies slammed together, but... Blake Su failed to knock him back. In the next instant, Blake Su retreated to the top of the arc, and LeBron reset in front of him.
One step to fake the drive.
"Whoosh!"
A sudden pull-up.
Right in LeBron's face, Blake Su launched an unreasonable three, and...
"Swish!"
He buried it cold-blooded again.
"Whoa!"
Inside the ESPN studio.
Jeff Van Gundy was fired up, roaring, "Can you imagine a rookie pulling up for a three right over 'King James' LeBron and actually hitting it?!
That makes no sense.
But... this is Blake Su. This is 'Super Rookie' Blake Su playing this kind of unbelievable, unreasonable offense. So for him, it does make sense!"
"My goodness!"
Mike Breen was even more excited as he shouted, "Jeff Van Gundy, do you realize that after Blake Su hit that unreasonable three right in James' face,
so far in the third quarter,
Blake Su has scored on Chalmers, Wade, James, Bosh, and Ilgauskas. In other words...
against this Heat team with the 'Big Three,' Blake Su has scored from point guard all the way to center. He's afraid of no matchup, and he has gotten buckets on all of them.
Man... Blake Su really is the Human Mismatch Highlight Reel."