"Beep, beep!"
After Blake Su had played every position from point guard to center, scoring on each member of the Heat's starting lineup one by one, he capped it off by drilling an absurd three-pointer over LeBron.
Spoelstra called a timeout.
...
In the stands, Yi Jianlian couldn't help but exclaim, "Powering through Bosh, taking Wade one-on-one, pulling up over LeBron. Blake Su isn't afraid of the 'Heat Big Three' at all. He's gone at them from the one through the five.
"He scored 12 points in half a quarter.
"That's just insane!"
"Exactly."
Yao Ming nodded in agreement, then said, "But... the situation on the court still doesn't look good. The Suns' only reliable scoring threat is still Blake Su.
"And I have a feeling that once they come back from this timeout, the Heat are going to put a lot more defensive pressure on him."
...
Back on the court.
After the timeout.
Sure enough.
After the Heat came up empty on one possession, the player guarding Blake Su changed from "CB4" Bosh to "King James" LeBron.
"The best center in the game" vs. "the best small forward in the game"!
Blake Su vs. LeBron!
"Boom!"
The moment the two officially matched up, the entire arena erupted.
Everyone wanted to see Blake Su go head-to-head with LeBron.
"After Kobe, the player most likely to become the next 'best player in the league' is probably 'King James' LeBron.
"But now.
"With the sudden rise of the 'Monster Rookie' Blake Su, everything has changed.
"Their first real showdown may even point toward the future of the 'best player in the league.' Who will come out on top? This is really something to look forward to."
Amid Jeff Van Gundy's passionate commentary, the scoring duel between Blake Su and LeBron... began!
"Thump, thump, thump!"
At the top of the arc, Blake Su held the ball against LeBron. Since he was at a disadvantage in terms of strength, he had no intention of forcing his way through contact.
He strung together a series of between-the-legs dribbles, searching for his rhythm.
"Whoosh!"
After a sudden pause, he burst to the right, quick as a rabbit and fast as lightning. If a rookie saw a center move that fast, his jaw would hit the floor.
But that was Blake Su's talent.
However... LeBron also had elite athleticism and reflexes. His gaze sharpened, and he slid laterally to stay with him, closing the gap in an instant.
He initiated the contact himself.
"Thud, thud, thud!"
Their bodies collided at once. Blake Su absorbed one step of contact, then stopped on a dime, pulled the ball back between his legs, and used the motion to create half a body's worth of space.
With the ball in his left hand, Blake Su accelerated again toward the left wing.
"Left?!"
LeBron planted his foot and recovered again. As a two-time All-Defensive First Team selection, he was determined to lock Blake Su down with his defense.
But then.
Whoosh!
Blake Su had only been feinting. Reading the defense, he suddenly gathered the ball and rose straight up for the pull-up. LeBron's heart jolted, and he rushed to contest.
But Blake Su was too tall.
LeBron had already lost a bit of position. By the time he tried to block it, it was too late.
"Swish!"
Blake Su knocked down the mid-range jumper.
"Heh."
After Blake Su hit a jumper right over him, LeBron did not get angry. Instead, he laughed. "No wonder he's the strongest rookie. That athleticism and shooting touch really are something else."
No matter how exaggerated or terrifying the rumors were, only by actually facing Blake Su could one feel how strong he really was.
Now... LeBron felt it.
And from that very first possession, he began to take Blake Su seriously.
He took this rookie seriously.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Once again, they faced off at the top of the arc, but this time, LeBron was the one with the ball.
Facing Blake Su, a fully locked-in LeBron did not hesitate. He accelerated with the ball, actively seeking contact like a bulldozer.
"Thud!"
He drove Blake Su into the paint, then as he went up for the layup, he used his body to bump Blake Su away before flipping the ball off the glass. But...
"Step!"
Even after being knocked aside, Blake Su still fought to contest. Relying on his height, wingspan, and explosiveness that did not lose to LeBron's, he bothered the shot.
He forced LeBron to adjust mid-layup.
The difficulty shot up at once.
But.
"Swish!"
LeBron still managed to put it in.
On the change of possession.
Blake Su posted up against LeBron. Even though he could not really back him down, he linked the contact into a half-spin, then added a series of shoulder fakes to create separation.
Turnaround jumper.
"Swish!"
Good as well.
"That footwork..."
LeBron froze for a moment, clearly surprised.
When it was his turn to attack, he once again used his strength advantage to seek contact with Blake Su, bumping him aside before smoothly stepping back into a fadeaway jumper.
"Hiss!"
Blake Su's mouth twitched. He gritted his teeth and fought against his momentum to contest, but he was still half a beat late.
"Swish!"
The jumper went in.
"Swish!"
Blake Su answered with a three-pointer on the other end, while LeBron refused to back down and attacked the rim again, powering through Blake Su's defense.
Layup, good.
You score one, I answer with one.
In a true one-on-one situation, Blake Su and LeBron were trading blows for real. Neither of them could stop the other.
Over the final five minutes of the third quarter, Blake Su and LeBron faced each other head-on seven times. Blake Su attacked four times and scored every time. LeBron attacked three times and also scored every time.
Even against the "league's top small forward," a two-time FMVP, and the player most expected to become the next "best player in the league," LeBron.
Blake Su fought him to a standstill.
However.
After three quarters.
Suns (96): (103) Heat.
The Suns trailed by 7 points.
...
Inside the ESPN studio.
"Wow!"
Jeff Van Gundy said excitedly, "The 'best active center' versus the 'best active small forward,' Blake Su versus LeBron. A showdown between two of the league's best players is just incredible.
"And in the third quarter, Blake Su hit four threes and scored another 22 points in the quarter. Through three quarters, he's made eight threes and exploded for 51 points.
"Against a Heat team with the 'Big Three.'
"Blake Su has 51 points in three quarters. That is unbelievable!"
"Yes."
Mike Breen nodded repeatedly, but he was not as excited as Jeff Van Gundy, who was clearly praising Blake Su. He gave a more measured assessment. "Blake Su's performance is unquestionably godlike.
"But.
"The Suns have gone right back to relying on him alone for scoring. Down 7 points, their situation doesn't look good!"
...
...
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