"This… they're already up by 5?!"
"Hiss~"
"Gotta admit, the Suns really do have some serious firepower!"
"Right? They've won 18 straight after all. That kind of team definitely has its level. Curry's sudden explosion is terrible news for the Spurs.
The key is… this is only Curry going off. Blake Su, their strongest core, hasn't even started attacking much yet.
We had such a dream start, but now something feels off with the rhythm. It feels like… the Suns are the ones controlling the pace of the game?!"
"This is rough!"
"..."
In the stands, the Spurs fans at home looked uneasy.
"Beep—beep!"
Back from the timeout.
Both teams' starters returned to the court. Meanwhile, George Hill replaced Ginobili, and Paul George replaced Curry.
The game resumed.
Spurs ball.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Parker dribbled at the top of the arc. George stepped up to defend him. Even though it was a small forward guarding a point guard, Parker didn't panic at all.
Lowering his center of gravity, Parker leaned his right shoulder forward and took a step to the right before suddenly accelerating. With pure speed, he blew past George, gaining half a step.
"Whoa!"
He charged into the paint and rose for a layup. As he neared the rim, he released his signature floater.
That shot?!
"Clang!"
No good!
George's physical ability was undeniable. Even though Parker had shaken him off, George lunged from the side with his excellent vertical, long arms, and tall frame.
Just enough to disrupt the shot.
Rebound?!
Frye and Tim Duncan fought for it, Hill and Carter battled as well. Steve Nash slipped in to grab the loose ball. Just as he was about to push the fast break, his eyes sharpened, and then…
"Whoosh!"
A long pass across the entire court.
The ball flew like a surgical strike, perfectly finding Blake Su, who had already sprinted to the frontcourt. He caught it, took three steps, and soared toward the rim.
"Boom!"
Like an eagle striking the sky, a one-handed tomahawk slam!
George Hill chased desperately from behind, but there was nothing he could do. They had started almost at the same moment, yet a guard simply couldn't catch a center. Hill shook his head repeatedly.
Ridiculous!
And from that fast-break dunk onward, Blake Su's offensive floodgates officially opened.
6:11.
At the left arc, Blake Su faced Parker in a mismatch. One dribble. No fake drive.
He rose straight up and launched a three right over Parker's face.
The height difference was already a full 27 centimeters. Once Blake Su jumped, it looked even more absurd.
Parker didn't even bother contesting. He simply turned to watch the rim.
But what followed completely defied his expectation.
The ball pierced through the net.
"Swish!"
Three-pointer!
5:23.
Blake Su called for a screen and shook off Jefferson, cutting in from the right wing straight to the basket. Hill rotated over from the side, but Blake Su was simply too fast.
He reached the paint first.
"Bang!"
"Boom!"
With a violent push off the floor, he exploded upward. Duncan didn't even have time to jump before Blake Su hammered down another one-handed dunk.
The arena erupted with cheers.
3:41.
At the top of the arc, Blake Su faced George Hill. A quick low-center fake drive created immense pressure, forcing Hill to instinctively retreat several steps.
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su raised the ball and fired a three.
Clean release.
Another triple!
"F**k!"
If he guarded the drive, Blake Su shot. If he guarded the shot, Blake Su drove. Hill, completely frustrated, cursed under his breath.
But it didn't change the reality.
He simply couldn't guard Blake Su.
2:17.
Paul George used his body to power past Parker and drove in from the right wing. But Duncan stepped up to defend, leaving him no real opening.
Or perhaps lacking a bit of confidence, George kicked the ball back to Nash behind him.
"Whoosh!"
The ball swung to the left.
Blake Su cut in from the weak side, caught the pass, planted one foot, gathered, and immediately exploded upward.
He's going for the dunk!
"Bang!"
Duncan slid over and jumped almost at the exact same time, arms fully extended as he tried to block the attempt.
But the difference in vertical leap between the two was simply too large.
Both jumped at the same moment, yet Blake Su rose a full palm higher, the ball appearing directly above Duncan's head.
"Bang!"
"BOOM!"
Blake Su knocked Duncan's arm aside with one hand, palmed the ball with the other, and viciously hammered it through the rim right over Duncan.
A poster dunk!
"Step! Step! Step!"
Duncan, who had just been dunked on, stumbled backward from the contact.
"Thud!"
Blake Su hung on the rim with domineering confidence. After stabilizing himself, he dropped smoothly to the floor.
"BOOM!"
The arena exploded like a tidal wave of noise.
He had just dunked over Tim Duncan.
"Unbelievable!"
At the commentary table.
Jon Barry shouted in disbelief:
"My God! Blake Su, a rookie center, just dunked over All-Star starting power forward Tim Duncan!
This… this is absolutely shocking!"
"Interesting!"
Mark Jackson shook his head repeatedly in amazement.
"Blazing speed, lightning-quick first steps, and terrifying vertical leap. Combine all of that together…
Once he gets moving with that kind of explosive power, there's simply no stopping him.
And the key is… Blake Su also has the height that shouldn't belong to that kind of explosiveness. Even a top-tier power forward in this league, or even a top center like Duncan, can't stop him.
They can only end up as the victim on a poster.
Blake Su is just too strong."
The two commentators continued praising Blake Su, a player who combined both talent and skill.
The crowd roared endlessly.
On the Suns' bench, Alvin Gentry couldn't stay seated when he saw Blake Su dunk over Duncan. He jumped to his feet, fists clenched, his face full of excitement.
His favorite player was, as a rookie, going head-to-head with one of the league's elite players.
And… he won that confrontation.
How could he not be excited?
How could he not!!!
Alvin Gentry was ecstatic.
And just as one Spurs fan had predicted earlier, the first quarter belonged to Curry, while Blake Su hadn't erupted yet.
But in the latter part of the next stretch, it became Blake Su's turn.
Throughout the entire first half.
Even though the Spurs' fast-paced opening had given the Suns a heavy blow, Curry and Blake Su erupted one after another.
The Suns not only erased the deficit.
They surged ahead by as many as 15 points.
With a full 15-point lead, the Suns entered halftime, completely flipping the momentum on the road and firmly seizing control of the game.
"Tsk, tsk…"
At halftime.
Jon Barry looked at the scoreboard and couldn't help exclaiming:
"The Spurs led by 10 points just a few minutes into the game, yet by halftime they're trailing by a full 15.
The key is…
From leading by 10 to trailing by 15.
That's a 25-point swing.
And this is on their home court.
That's a huge blow to the Spurs.
The Spurs… are now in serious trouble!"
...
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