In the commentary booth.
Watching Blake Su's performance, Van Gundy shook his head in amazement.
"Blake Su... while his teammates were all struggling, he, as a rookie and someone dealing with a headache who should be resting, still stepped up, gritted his teeth, and led the team in a comeback. He's really giving it everything tonight!"
"That's right."
Mike Breen nodded.
"Curry's shot isn't falling, the team's been on a long road stretch, and now they're in the Jazz's 'Devil's Home Arena.' Everyone's out of rhythm.
To make things worse, they were already down by a staggering 21 points in the first quarter.
At this point, a comeback is about as hard as it gets. But Blake Su hasn't given up. Even as an injured player, he's taken responsibility and stepped up to score through the pain.
That kind of grit and determination is incredible.
If I were on the Suns, if I were his teammate, I'd be deeply moved."
Yes.
Watching Blake Su grit his teeth to block shots, frown as he fought for rebounds, dive on the floor for loose balls, and finish fast-break dunks while gasping for air, every Suns player saw his refusal to give up.
They saw the desire to win.
As the team's absolute core, and someone who could become the leader with a single word if he chose, Blake Su had already earned the complete trust and loyalty of his teammates through his actions.
Blake Su was fighting this hard.
So what excuse did they have not to fight as well? What reason did they have to feel defeated?
"Roar!"
No one knew who shouted.
From the moment Blake Su finished that dunk while gasping for breath, the Suns players, inspired by his determination to play through injury and never give up, began to erupt.
6:11.
Carter, face cold, pushed through the arena full of boos, tore apart Deron's defense, gathered the ball, and rose for a powerful dunk.
It no longer had the raw explosiveness of his younger years.
But the proud look on his face and the roar as he raised his arms sent a clear message to the Jazz fans. Boos and adversity only make us stronger.
5:31.
"Whoosh!"
Steve Nash changed pace on his drive, shook off Kirilenko, and charged into the paint. As he took off for a layup, Millsap and Jefferson both collapsed on him.
"Whoosh!"
Nash rose as if going for the finish, but instead whipped a pass behind his head across the court.
"Snap!"
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su curled out to receive it, pulled up, and knocked down the jumper cleanly.
4:14.
"Swish!"
Deron used a double crossover to shake Carter and hit a mid-range jumper. Steve Nash took the baseline inbound and fired a long pass across half court, hitting Curry in stride, who quickly swung it to Blake Su on the opposite side.
"Whoosh!"
Another three-pointer to keep the comeback going.
"Clang!"
It came up just short, bouncing off the rim. Al moved in under the basket, ready to secure the rebound, but Blake Su charged in again.
"Snap!"
He beat Al to the ball in midair and tipped it out. Frye, trailing the play, caught it at the top of the key and immediately launched another three.
"Swish!"
It went in.
Frye, though listed as a power forward, often had to play center due to the team's lineup, staying in the paint to protect the rim and grab rebounds.
But in reality, he was one of the few big men in the league with a reliable three-point shot.
Tonight.
Inspired by Blake Su and driven by a firm belief in victory, he stepped up, scoring from beyond the arc to help the team close the gap.
2:55.
Carter moved without the ball, curling out to receive a pass and drawing defensive attention with him. Steve Nash reacted instantly, swinging the ball to Curry on the other side, who fired a three.
"Clang!"
Still no good.
Despite his determination, Curry's shot just would not fall.
"Snap!"
Millsap grabbed the rebound and passed it to Deron, who pushed the ball upcourt while directing the offense. But just as his attention shifted to the defense,
"Whoosh!"
Curry spotted his moment and burst forward, quick and decisive.
"Snap!"
He stripped the ball from Deron and took off at full speed. Deron hesitated for a split second before turning to chase, but it was already too late.
A one-on-zero fast break.
"Boom!"
Curry drove straight to the rim, gathered, and rose up, finishing with a powerful dunk.
"Roar!"
Hanging briefly on the rim before dropping down, Stephen Curry let out a roar, releasing all the frustration from his cold shooting night.
1:14.
Blake Su established position on the left block and called for the ball. Steve Nash locked eyes with him, appearing ready to lob it inside.
Instead, he suddenly passed to the opposite side.
"What?!"
Millsap, who had just been preparing to help defend Blake Su, was caught off guard.
The next moment.
"Boom!"
Carter appeared under the basket, rising for an alley-oop dunk and scoring again.
Could you imagine a 34-year-old Carter, whose explosiveness and athleticism had declined significantly due to injuries, throwing down multiple dunks in a single game?
Tonight, inspired by Blake Su, he did exactly that.
On the Jazz's final possession before halftime, the ball went to Deron.
Steve Nash, who had struggled to contain him all game, relied on experience, anticipation, and sheer determination to shut him down, forcing the play to break down completely.
Halftime.
Jazz (55): (49) Suns.
"Wow!"
Van Gundy glanced at the scoreboard and exclaimed,
"The Suns were down by 21 points, and in the Jazz's 'Devil's Home Arena,' they managed to cut it to a 6-point game in a single quarter?
My God.
What just happened? That's unbelievable!"
Mike Breen chuckled.
"The Suns had contributions across the board this quarter, and their defense was extremely aggressive. They executed well on both ends of the floor.
That's how they managed to claw back 15 points."
"But they've been on the road, they're in the Jazz's 'Devil's Home Arena,' dealing with constant boos, and they were down by 21. How did they suddenly break out like this?"
"..."
Mike Breen thought for a moment.
"Maybe it's because of Blake Su. His effort and refusal to give up inspired his teammates, and that led to this team-wide surge."
"Ah."
Van Gundy nodded, suddenly understanding.
"Blake Su, still just a rookie, yet his words and actions can unite and inspire his teammates like this.
That's truly remarkable."
...
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