"What?!"
"He blocked it even with that much separation?!"
Wall looked completely stunned.
"Why wouldn't he be able to block it?!"
Facing Mike Breen's equally puzzled look, Van Gundy laughed.
"Wall drove in, stopped on a dime, then stepped back for a jumper. If it were a guard, they'd lack the height to block it.
If it were a center, they'd have the height, but not the speed—they wouldn't keep up in time.
But... he's facing Blake Su, a player who has both speed and height, with elite talent. Of course he can block it. That same move even got 'The Point God' Chris Paul blocked.
Wall may be the No. 1 pick, but he's still a rookie. That won't cut it."
"Right."
Mike Breen nodded, simply agreeing with the obvious.
On the court.
Out-of-bounds.
The Wizards still had possession, but there were only 6.4 seconds left on the shot clock. Wall caught the ball again and, under Blake Su's towering defense, forced up a very difficult shot.
"Clang!"
Missed.
Frye secured the rebound and passed it to Curry to push the break. At the top of the arc, Curry handed the ball off to Blake Su before drifting to the side, giving him a look.
A look that clearly meant: teach Wall a lesson.
Step!
Wall stepped up to meet him. With his elite speed and explosive athleticism, he actually could defend big men fairly well—especially on the perimeter.
If his offense wasn't working…
He'd make up for it with defense.
Wall was ready to go all-out against Blake Su.
Blake Su looked at the extremely focused Wall in front of him, raised the ball high as if preparing to pass…
Then—
He casually pulled up for a three.
Swish!
The slightly leaning three-pointer completely caught Wall off guard. He didn't even have time to jump to contest.
Swish!
The ball traced a perfect rainbow through the air and dropped cleanly through the net.
"Huh?!"
"That three looked so casual, and it still went in?!"
"Was that a shot or a pass?!"
Blake Su's nonchalant three-pointer left the fans completely confused.
At the commentary table, Van Gundy laughed.
"Using his absolute height advantage, just holding the ball over Wall's head and shooting a three... Blake Su is being completely unreasonable here."
"Heh."
Mike Breen chuckled.
"That's true. But honestly, only Blake Su can attack Wall like that. Most centers don't have the three-point accuracy to even attempt that kind of shot."
"That's fair."
On the court.
"Tch."
Wall grew even more irritated.
That kind of shot—where someone ignores your defense and shoots right in your face while you can't do anything about it—feels awful once it goes in.
Still.
He was the No. 1 pick, and he'd been playing great lately. He quickly calmed himself down.
"So what if he's taller? I'll score on him… just like I scored on Durant last night."
Thinking of that, Wall fully settled down, his eyes burning with even stronger fighting spirit.
At the left wing near the arc, he isolated Blake Su again.
Between-the-legs dribbles flowed one after another, flashy and rhythmic, as he searched for his timing while reading the defense.
The moment he noticed Blake Su's center of gravity shift slightly to the right—
Whoosh!
He exploded forward.
His body shot left—but it was just a feint. As Blake Su shifted left with him, Wall immediately followed with a huge crossover in front.
Swoosh!
He shook Blake Su cleanly and accelerated past him with the ball in his right hand.
"Hmph."
A smile crept onto Wall's lips.
If he finished this with a layup after beating Blake Su, it would be the perfect response.
However—
Just as he gathered the ball for the layup, he suddenly realized something.
His hands… were empty.
The basketball was gone.
At that moment, the entire arena erupted in shock.
"Wow! There it is—Blake Su's 'Look-Back Steal'!"
"That steal was beautiful!"
"A center pulling off a steal like that is unbelievable!"
"…"
After being beaten off the dribble—and without even turning around—Blake Su, using [Eagle Spear], perfectly timed his reach and stripped the ball from Wall's hands.
Before anyone could even process what happened—
Whoosh!
Blake Su took off on the fast break, racing downcourt alone.
Thud!
BOOM!
He soared into the air, spun 360 degrees, then finished with a reverse dunk.
The flashy, almost performance-like slam brought thunderous cheers from the crowd.
"Damn it… when did that happen?"
Wall's face turned pitch black.
One moment it was a dazzling drive to the basket.
The next moment he'd been stripped and dunked on in transition.
The contrast couldn't have been greater.
"S**t!"
Wall cursed loudly, fury burning in his eyes.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
He went right back at Blake Su again.
Wall accelerated on a drive from the left side, instantly colliding with Blake Su's body. His explosive physique held its own even against Blake Su.
Swoosh!
During the contact, Wall spun, creating half a step of separation, then burst down the right lane, shaking Blake Su off.
But the very next second—
Blake Su caught back up.
Both of them charged toward the rim.
Wall reached the basket first. He stopped abruptly and prepared to bank the shot.
Right behind him, Blake Su's eyes narrowed.
Jump!
He bent his knees and exploded upward from behind, flying in for what looked like a huge chase-down block.
But—
Wall had only faked the shot.
He never released the ball.
Blake Su, completely baited, flew past Wall and straight under the backboard.
"WOW! Wall just sent Blake Su flying with that fake!"
"That was a real ankle-breaker!"
Fans shouted excitedly.
"Rookie."
Wall snorted under the basket, smug.
As Blake Su completely flew past him toward the stanchion, Wall gently pushed the ball up off the glass.
"This one's in!"
"Wall's finally scoring on Blake Su!"
But—
Just when everyone thought the basket was guaranteed—
Blake Su, already flying under the rim with his back to Wall, tilted his head slightly. Using the corner of his eye to track the play behind him, he suddenly reached his left hand backward.
Smack!
Perfect contact.
At the exact moment Wall released the ball, Blake Su's palm slapped it away.
Even after being completely faked out, he reached back with a look-back block and swatted the shot.
"What?!"
The sudden giant hand not only blocked the ball—it left Wall completely stunned.
Boom!
The arena exploded with deafening cheers.
At the commentary desk.
Van Gundy's eyes went wide.
"A behind-the-back block after getting faked out?! What kind of move is that?! How is that even possible?!"