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...
Van Gundy said, "Blake Su put up an incredible all-around stat line tonight: 37 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. Meanwhile, the No. 1 overall pick who was hyped up as his matchup before the game…
John Wall finished with a measly 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists.
In the first quarter alone, he was completely shut out in one-on-one matchups with Blake Su. The same Wall who dropped 44 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists last night ended up looking this miserable tonight."
"Exactly."
Mike Breen continued, "Tonight's clash between Blake Su and John Wall—the battle of the top rookies—ended in a decisive victory for Blake Su. But… the gap in their stats is almost unbelievable."
"Heh."
Van Gundy chuckled.
"Honestly, I'm not surprised. The hype around this Blake Su vs. Wall matchup came from several factors.
It was a revenge game, Wall had just exploded the night before, it was the 'No. 1 pick' versus the 'monster rookie,' plus the pregame challenge.
All those things combined made everyone expect a huge showdown.
But in reality—
From talent to actual ability, Blake Su has always been far ahead of Wall. You could already see that in their first matchup.
You might say Wall has adjusted to the NBA and improved.
But Blake Su has improved even more.
He started with mid-range jumpers, then developed strong driving finishes, added accurate three-point shooting, and now he's even got that 'Look-Back Steal'—those sudden steals that come out of nowhere.
Blake Su's improvement has been greater than Wall's.
When a player who's already stronger than you improves even faster than you do, how could you possibly beat him?
That's exactly the situation Wall faces against Blake Su."
"True."
Mike Breen nodded.
"So Van Gundy, give us a final summary of this matchup between Wall and Blake Su."
"Hmm…"
Van Gundy thought for a moment.
"If rookie talent were divided into tiers, let's say there are ten levels. From T1 to T9, with T1 being the strongest and T9 the weakest."
"Huh?"
Mike Breen looked confused.
"If there are ten levels, why only T1 through T9? What about the tenth?"
"Right."
Van Gundy's expression grew serious.
"There are ten tiers in total. T1 through T9 belong to the normal scale, with T1 being the best among them.
But Blake Su doesn't belong in that range.
He exists at a higher level—
T0.
In other words, Blake Su at the T0 tier represents the absolute ceiling for rookies. He stands far above every other rookie and can already compete with many established stars, even superstars."
Buzz—
Mike Breen paused for a moment, then nodded firmly.
Yes.
"Super Rookie" Blake Su had already surpassed the level of ordinary rookies. His strength was enough to stand alongside many NBA stars—perhaps even surpass them.
...
Postgame.
ESPN's famous reporter "Woj" approached Blake Su with a smile.
"Mr. Blake Su, you delivered another perfect performance tonight. You were unquestionably the MVP of the game.
Also, congratulations to the Suns on their 18th straight win, breaking the franchise record of 17 consecutive victories.
And in your matchup with John Wall, you completely dominated. After being provoked before the game, you shut the No. 1 pick out in the first quarter with your full strength.
That was incredible.
When you get serious, you're truly unstoppable. How would you evaluate your first-quarter performance?"
"Uh…"
Blake Su thought for a moment.
"It's true that hearing certain things made me take the game more seriously.
But there's one thing you got wrong."
"Oh? What's that?"
Woj blinked.
Blake Su smiled faintly.
"I did take the whole game seriously.
However…
Against Wall, I only used about fifty percent of my strength."
"Only fifty percent?!"
Woj froze, then smacked his lips in disbelief.
"You shut Wall out completely—and you're saying you only used half your strength? That's unbelievable."
Blake Su simply shrugged and said nothing more.
Nearby, Wall—who hadn't left yet—heard this and stared in disbelief.
"What? Only fifty percent? How is that possible? What kind of joke is that? What nonsense!"
Whether Blake Su was bragging or not—
Wall was clearly furious.
So when Woj finished interviewing Blake Su and later went to the Wizards' locker room hoping to interview Wall—
Wall refused outright.
...
That night, fans online were buzzing with discussion about the game.
"Huh? Shut out? This is the No. 1 pick's level? This is the guy who dared to challenge Blake Su? My god, even I could do that."
"Blake Su is the bright moon, Wall is just a firefly. How could a firefly's glow compete with the moon's brilliance?"
"Honestly, expectations were too high. I thought it'd be at least a 70–30 matchup. Turns out… it was a complete one-sided beatdown by Blake Su."
"The gap is enormous."
"Wall got completely destroyed. At this rate the grass on his grave will be six feet tall—just like Griffin's."
"Griffin: Why am I catching strays again?!"
"Hahaha, did you hear Blake Su's interview? He said he only used fifty percent of his strength against John Wall. That's brutal."
"Seriously tragic."
"Tch—this matchup's outcome was obvious from the start. Fans and media just overhyped it to make it seem competitive.
Honestly, forget Wall. He's not even worthy of being compared to Blake Su.
Instead, focus on the next game.
Suns vs. Spurs.
Second in the West vs. first in the West.
That's the real showdown."
That comment instantly woke everyone up.
Fans quickly shifted their attention from the Wizards to the Spurs.
Yeah, Tim, Tony, Manu — the Spurs' "GDP" Big Three have always been a powerhouse.
As a Spurs fan, if I remember correctly, after the first five games of the season when they started 4–1, they climbed to first place in the West and never came down.
Now they're 21–7 and still the No. 1 seed in the West."
"Hey, I noticed something interesting.
The Spurs are 21–7 and first in the West. The Suns are 20–8 and second in the West.
Two days from now—
If the Suns beat the Spurs, the Spurs would be 21–8, and the Suns would also be 21–8.
But because the Suns would win the head-to-head matchup—
That means…
If the Suns win the next game, they'll jump straight to first place in the Western Conference!"
Boom!
The moment that point was raised, countless fans were stunned.
And instantly—
Their anticipation for the Suns vs. Spurs matchup skyrocketed.
...
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