"Oh my God!"
"What did I just see?! Blake Su shook Wall to the floor! A rookie center just dropped the No. 1 overall pick! This… this is unbelievable!"
"Haha, Blake Su is insane!"
"A generational center! Blake Su really is a generational, magical center!"
"No, no, no! With Blake Su's driving and shooting ability, he really… really doesn't look like a center at all. He's not playing like a center!"
"Hey, if I remember correctly, Blake Su's NBA debut was against the Wizards. In that game he already shook Wall flying past him—that was crazy enough.
But tonight—
Not only did he send him flying, he actually dropped him to the floor.
And on top of that, there were those dazzling 'Look-Back Steal' steals and blocks. From offense to defense, Blake Su completely locked Wall down.
Hey, those of you who thought Wall could go toe-to-toe with Blake Su before the game—step forward. I've got a question: does your swollen face… hurt?!"
"A guard known for his speed getting toyed with on the perimeter by a center!"
"The No. 1 pick? Getting dropped by a center? With that level of play he still dared to provoke Blake Su before the game? Where did he get the courage?!"
"It's obvious—Wall can't compare to Blake Su. Blake Su is the best rookie!"
"Not only can't he compare, the gap is huge."
"Bingo!"
"Exactly!"
"Wall got completely hammered. At this rate, the grass on his grave will be six feet tall."
"Hahaha!"
The crowd was in an uproar, filled with mockery and ridicule aimed at the No. 1 pick, John Wall. The noise reached his ears as he lay on the floor, making his head buzz.
"Am I really this weak…?"
Wall began to doubt himself.
At that moment—
"You haven't improved at all. You're still just as weak."
Blake Su's casual remark landed in Wall's ears like the final straw that broke the camel's back, completely shattering his mindset.
That's right.
Their first meeting—
Everyone could say they had underestimated Blake Su, allowing him to stage that comeback and game-winner. Wall himself hadn't even gone all out.
But now—
After scoring a career-high 44 points last night against the Thunder's "Big Three," Wall came into this game in blazing form, stronger and more confident than ever, determined to take revenge on Blake Su.
He had enough confidence.
He had absolute belief.
And yet…
The Wall who believed he could dominate Blake Su—not only failed to do so, but went from merely getting shaken off last time to being completely dropped to the floor this time.
He thought he had gotten stronger.
But he performed even worse.
That feeling—working so hard believing you've improved, only to realize you haven't improved at all and may even be worse—is devastating.
For someone with Wall's status as the No. 1 pick—
It was crushing.
In that instant—
Wall completely broke down.
Realizing the enormous, unbridgeable gap between himself and Blake Su…
Wall mentally checked out.
...
Late in the first quarter.
After Blake Su attacked him several more times, Wall's shots were wildly off, completely lacking the level expected from a No. 1 pick—let alone the player who had just scored 44 points the night before.
Clang!
With Blake Su missing a three, the first quarter came to an end.
Both players returned to the bench to rest.
Blake Su walked back with the same calm confidence he had when he stepped onto the court.
Wall, meanwhile…
walked back with his head hanging low, his eyes dull and unfocused.
At the commentary table—
Mike Breen watched the scene and said calmly,
"Wall has lost tonight—and he's lost badly."
"Indeed."
Van Gundy nodded.
"At the end of the first quarter, Blake Su is 8-for-10 from the field with an incredible stat line: 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.
Meanwhile, Wall—
He went 0-for-6 in the quarter and scored zero points.
In one-on-one matchups, Blake Su shut him out completely in the first quarter. In this battle of super rookies, I think everyone can see who won."
...
Thanks to Blake Su's 18–0 head-to-head domination over Wall, the Suns led by 13 points after the first quarter.
Second quarter.
Wall continued to disappear from the game, and the Suns extended their lead further. By halftime, the margin had grown to 23 points, nearly turning the game into a blowout before the break.
However—
After halftime, with encouragement from the coaches and teammates, Wall gradually regained some composure.
Third quarter.
He deliberately avoided Blake Su and attacked players like Curry and Nash instead. Though he couldn't replicate last night's dominance, he at least managed to break his scoreless streak.
Even so—
With 3 minutes and 17 seconds left in the third quarter, the lead had stretched to 31 points.
The game was effectively over.
Soon afterward, during dead balls and free throws, Coach Saunders began gradually pulling the starters and sending in the bench, turning the game into garbage time early.
However—
Normally the team with the lead waits for the trailing side to substitute first.
So when the bench players checked in, Blake Su was still on the court.
A few possessions later—
Coach Gentry began rotating the starters out one by one, and Blake Su was also substituted out shortly afterward, leaving the floor entirely to the bench units.
The game fully slipped into garbage time.
In the end—
The Suns crushed the Wizards by 23 points, completing a season sweep and finishing the season undefeated against Washington.
Game over.
"Hiss—"
Van Gundy glanced at the head-to-head stat comparison between Blake Su and Wall and couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.