A 5-point gap.
Thanks to the steady offense of the Big Fundamental in adversity, the Spurs stabilized the situation, and the game's suspense remained.
Soon.
The final quarter began.
It started with a battle between the bench units. Both teams sent out their reserves with a simple goal: let the starters rest and prepare for the final showdown.
Even without Manu.
With players like Hill, Neal, and Bonner, the Spurs' bench depth was still stronger than the Suns'.
However, George also stepped up tonight. Offensively his performance was fairly ordinary, but on the defensive end he repeatedly matched up against Hill and Neal.
Time and again he shut down the two guards' attacks.
The future "General George," with his elite physical tools, was already beginning to show his defensive potential in his rookie season.
Over a 4 minute 22 second stretch.
Under George's defense, the Spurs bench unit managed to recover only one point, leaving the deficit at 4.
"Beep! Beep!"
Alvin Gentry called a timeout.
Both teams' starters returned to the floor, and the decisive final seven minutes began.
"Smack!"
Blake Su slapped hands with George as he checked out and smiled.
"Nice work, George!"
"Yeah!"
George nodded vigorously with a grin. Whether it was because he had played well or because Blake Su praised him, one thing was certain.
George was very happy at that moment.
On the court.
The game resumed.
Suns possession.
Nash handled the ball at the top of the key, then passed to Curry, who curled out from behind Blake Su's screen. Curry pump-faked, getting Parker off his feet, then accelerated past him and drove into the left side of the paint.
"Step!"
Duncan rotated over.
"Whoosh!"
Curry tossed the ball high into the air. Blake Su, rolling to the basket after the screen, immediately understood the play. He leaped up, stretched out his long arm, caught the ball with one hand, and then...
"Boom!"
Alley-oop connection.
A thunderous dunk.
"Wow!"
"The Su-Curry connection!"
The arena shook.
Even though it was only two points, the connection between Curry and Blake Su greatly boosted the team's morale and drew even louder cheers from the crowd.
However.
Parker pushed the ball up the court. With a high-quality screen from Duncan at the high post, he drove into the lane, spinning like a little top and squeezing through the tightest gaps.
"Swish!"
He twisted through traffic and finished with a scoop layup.
An immediate response.
Curry brought the ball up again, and Blake Su stepped up to set another screen before drifting toward the top of the arc. Even though Curry had the ball, Jefferson still had to keep his eyes on Blake Su.
"Whoosh!"
Curry, who loves shooting threes, drove again instead. He attacked the right side of the paint. Seeing Duncan rotate over once more, he didn't pass and instead released a floater.
"Swish!"
It went in.
Manu received the inbound pass, pushed the ball up the floor, and positioned himself on the left side of the top of the arc. Parker was constantly running along the baseline while Duncan set screens for him.
This play was clearly designed for Parker.
But then.
"Whoosh!"
With Carter guarding him closely, Manu suddenly pulled up for a quick shot, catching Carter completely off guard. Carter could only twist around and watch.
"Clang!"
But the shot lacked a bit of strength and bounced off the rim.
"That would've been a big momentum shot if it went in. Just a bit unlucky."
Frye secured the rebound and passed it to Blake Su, who brought the ball up himself. A center pushing the ball in transition, with small forward Jefferson trailing him closely, yet Jefferson didn't dare attempt a steal.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
Right side of the arc.
About a meter beyond the three-point line, Blake Su settled into position. Jefferson stood at the three-point line watching him closely.
"Should I press up more? From that distance, if it's Blake Su, he can shoot a three."
The thought lasted only a split second.
The next moment.
Just as Jefferson prepared to step up and tighten his defense, Blake Su, standing a meter beyond the three-point line, suddenly pulled up and fired without warning, just like Manu earlier.
"Ah!!!"
Jefferson shouted and rushed forward to contest, but he was already too late. The ball flew above his fingertips at a height he couldn't reach.
"Please miss!"
Jefferson prayed silently.
But the spinning ball seemed to have a built-in GPS, flying straight toward the rim before dropping cleanly into the net.
"Swish!"
Nothing but net.
The more he hoped it wouldn't happen, the more it did. Tonight Jefferson was getting torched from deep by a center, and a rookie at that. Even though he knew Blake Su was extremely strong.
The bitter feeling still lingered.
"Tsk, tsk..."
"The Suns starters are back on the floor, and Curry plus Blake Su have produced a quick 7–2 run. In the blink of an eye, the lead has grown to 9 points.
And with that three-pointer.
Blake Su now has 34 points tonight. It's also worth noting that Curry already has 30.
The team's core and second option.
This pair has combined for 64 points.
Incredible!"
Jon Barry exclaimed.
"Yeah."
Mark Jackson nodded and chuckled.
"Jon, Blake Su isn't a perimeter player. He's a legitimate center standing 215 centimeters tall."
"Haha!"
Jon Barry slapped his forehead and laughed.
"My bad, my bad. Blake Su's drives and three-pointers look nothing like a center. I mixed it up subconsciously."
"True. Aside from his height, Blake Su really doesn't play like a center."
On the court.
While the commentators were chatting.
With the Spurs' attention focused on Curry and Blake Su, Carter knocked down a three from the left corner. Meanwhile, Nash isolated against Manu.
He drove into the paint and finished with a one-handed scoop off the glass.
In just three minutes.
The Suns exploded with scoring from multiple players, producing a 12–2 run. Adding that to the earlier 4 points, the lead suddenly ballooned to 14.
Only 4 minutes and 38 seconds remained.
A 14-point deficit.
"Beep! Beep!"
Popovich immediately called a timeout.
"It's over!"
In the stands, Wall shook his head repeatedly.
"Less than five minutes left and they're down 14, and both Curry and Blake Su are playing great.
The Spurs are finished.
Sigh... even the Spurs can't stop Blake Su?"
At the commentary table.
Jon Barry spoke confidently.
"Since joining the Suns, Curry has played even better than he did with the Warriors. His rookie season only looked average because he overlapped with Monta Ellis.
And on top of that.
This rookie Blake Su might be even more terrifying than Curry.
With these two young players, I believe it won't be long before the Suns become a championship contender.
Actually, they already have a chance to win it all this season!"
"Yes."
Mark Jackson agreed, paused for a moment, then brought the discussion back to the game.
"There are only 4 minutes and 38 seconds left, yet the deficit is already 14 points. The Spurs suddenly collapsed.
They're already in a desperate situation tonight."
"No."
Jon Barry shook his head and smiled slightly.
"I think the Spurs still have a chance. As long as they have Manu Ginobili, they won't lose that easily."
"Oh?"
Mark Jackson paused for a moment, then understood and spoke calmly.
"Right. After all...
Parker in good times, the Big Fundamental in bad times, and when things look hopeless...
Manu cuts through everyone."
...
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