US Airways Center.
Between quarters.
At the commentary desk, Jeff Van Gundy glanced at the stats and said, "Eight three-pointers, 51 points through three quarters. Blake Su is facing the 'Heat Big Three,' the nearly unsolvable trio of LeBron, Wade, and Bosh.
"To put up this many points against them...
"Blake Su's individual ability is beyond question now. He is the 'best center in the game,' and more than that... he is the strongest perimeter-scoring center.
Even "Superman" Howard could only trail behind him.
"But.
"When we look at the game as a whole, the gap between the two rosters is huge. Even though Blake Su has pushed his individual offense to the absolute limit, the deficit is still 7 points.
"Tonight, Blake Su may be taking individual heroics as far as they can go, but leading his team to a win will be extremely difficult."
"That's right."
Mike Breen nodded, then added, "The Suns' other players, like Curry and Nash, are being held in check offensively by Wade, Bosh, and the others.
"And on defense.
"They simply can't contain Wade, LeBron, and Bosh.
"With things like this.
"Relying completely on Blake Su to carry the offense is asking too much.
"But this is the Suns' roster, and that can't be changed. So far this season, the Suns have won so many games mostly because of Blake Su's individual scoring and how forcefully he has carried the team.
"There's still one quarter left. I think... with Blake Su playing this well, he won't hand over the win that easily.
"Let's see who comes out on top."
Before long.
The final quarter began.
"Step!"
Blake Su did not rest. He stayed on the floor, and it was clear that his desire to win tonight was intense. The Heat also sent LeBron back in, and the two continued their matchup.
Suns ball.
Blake Su held the ball at the top of the arc against LeBron. He lowered his center of gravity, burst toward the right wing, stopped suddenly, then accelerated again. When he saw LeBron keep up.
"Screech!"
"Whoa!"
Blake Su stopped on a dime again and rose straight up for a three. LeBron lunged over from the side to contest, but the ball still flew over his fingertips.
The basketball traced a beautiful arc through the air.
"Swish!"
Nothing but net.
"Knowing he couldn't match James in strength, Blake Su used his smooth handle and changes of rhythm to create a shooting chance, then hit the three.
"That was a really smart play by Blake Su."
Jeff Van Gundy praised him with a smile.
Mike Breen nodded, then continued, "LeBron has found Blake Su again. How will he attack? Wow. Same as always, he's looking for contact.
"He's attacking the rim.
"He bumps Blake Su away in the paint and goes up for the layup. Blake Su chases from behind to contest, but he's just a little short. James finishes the layup.
"Suns ball.
"Goran Dragić brings it up and hands it off to Blake Su again. James steps forward. With the second units on the floor, this has clearly become a personal scoring duel between Blake Su and James.
"Facing James.
"Blake Su raises the ball high, gives a three-point jab fake, then a probing drive. James doesn't bite on either one. Is Blake Su probing for another jumper?
"No!
"This time, Blake Su pulls straight up for three, firing another sudden shot right over James's defense.
"That is a very difficult shot!
"But... it's good!
"My goodness. Blake Su is a rookie, and he just hit back-to-back threes against the 'best small forward in the league.' That takes serious nerve!
"How will James respond?
"He's still going to use his body. Then a half-spin creates half a step of space, fadeaway mid-range jumper. Blake Su closes in. Is he going to block it?!
"No!
"James still releases the ball from an extremely high point. The ball... hits the rim, bounces up, then drops in.
"That's good too.
"Both of them are putting their gifts on full display. Neither one can stop the other. This game is incredible."
Mike Breen was practically glowing as he called the action with passion.
On the court.
"Clang!"
Blake Su drove and kicked to Goran Dragić, but Dragić missed the mid-range jumper.
On the change of possession.
LeBron called for a screen, then charged into the paint like a bulldozer. He took off, soaring like an eagle, and threw down a flying dunk over Robin Lopez!
"Boom!"
That powerful poster over Lopez ignited the Heat's momentum.
But before that momentum could truly build, Blake Su brought the ball up, stopped at the left side of the arc, a full meter beyond the three-point line, raised his hand, and fired another three.
"Swish!"
Straight through the heart.
Another make.
"Boom!"
The arena erupted in deafening cheers again, but this time, the cheers no longer belonged to the Heat.
They belonged to the Suns.
"Beep, beep!"
Spoelstra called a timeout.
"Wow!"
Jeff Van Gundy slapped the table and shouted, "Another deep three! With that shot, Blake Su has already hit 11 threes tonight.
"He has 60 points.
"This rookie center is just too cold-blooded!"
"That's right."
Mike Breen was just as shocked. He clicked his tongue and said, "11 three-pointers, 60 points. Blake Su's performance has been unbelievable. Even LeBron can't stop him.
"But.
"'King James' attacking the rim is just as unstoppable. The way these two are trading blows is absolutely spectacular. You can't help but applaud.
"However.
"The situation still seems the same.
"If they're relying on Blake Su alone to score, it doesn't look like they can win. Hm? Wait, no? What? How is the deficit only 4 points? Wasn't it 7 just now?!"
What happened?!
In the stands.
Yi Jianlian had the same confusion. "LeBron just scored every time too, and he did it efficiently. How did the gap suddenly shrink?!"
"Heh."
Yao Ming smiled and said, "It's the threes. Blake Su and LeBron both went three for three just now, and both were extremely efficient.
"But.
"All three of Blake Su's possessions were three-pointers, so he scored 9 points. LeBron's three possessions were drives to the rim and mid-range shots, so he only scored 6.
"Even though they both made everything.
"Blake Su scored 9 points and forced the deficit down by three with his three-pointers."
"So that's it. Blake Su really is amazing!"
Yi Jianlian finally understood, his face full of shock.
Across the stands.
"Skyhook" Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shook his head in amazement. "Blake Su, this center, has hit 11 threes again and scored 60 points. That really is incredible."
"The Round Mound of Rebound" Charles Barkley chuckled and said, "The key is that he found a way to close the gap. LeBron scores two, he answers with three.
"Even if both of them make their shots.
"Blake Su can still gain back one point. Three threes, and even with both players shooting perfectly, he forcibly cuts three points off the lead. That's genuinely impressive."
"Yeah."
"Magic" Johnson also shook his head in shock. "So what if you can't stop him? You score two, I score three. Blake Su's way of chasing points is just unreasonable!
"And the key is.
"He's still a center. His three-point shooting is absurd. Time and again, he keeps changing what I think a center can be."
"Haha!"
"The Dream" Hakeem Olajuwon laughed. "Do you guys know what this means?"
"Oh?"
The three legends looked over.
Olajuwon smiled faintly and said, "Using unreasonable three-pointers to chase down the score means this era is rapidly moving toward the 'Small-ball era'!"