"Are you kidding me?!"
"A center hit 11 threes in one quarter and scored 35 points on 100 percent shooting? Seriously, am I dreaming?!"
"This has to be a dream. This... this can't be real!"
"Am I living in a dream?!"
"Oh my god!"
"..."
The Magic fans were stunned, dumbfounded, and dazed. One by one, their eyes went blank. Blake Su's insane third-quarter performance had left them in deep shock.
And it was not just the fans.
The Magic players were frozen too, their eyes vacant.
Blake Su's cold-blooded, unreasonable threes made their scalps tingle and filled them with panic. Even though they knew Blake Su was an elite three-point shooter, no one could believe it.
A center producing such a heaven-defying performance in a single quarter.
This... this was simply too crazy.
However.
Unlike the dispirited Magic, the Suns fans and players had already entered full celebration mode. The deafening, excited roars filled the arena.
Anyone who did not know better
would have thought the Suns had already beaten the Magic.
Because of Blake Su's godlike performance of 11 threes and 35 points in a single quarter, the Suns, already holding home-court advantage, had completely taken control of the building.
During the break between quarters.
At the commentary table.
Jon Barry took several minutes to calm down before speaking, but his face was still full of shock. "Blake Su. This rookie Blake Su is just too strong!
Really.
He's the strongest rookie I've ever seen. No question."
"Heh!"
Mark Jackson smiled and said, "I feel the same way. That's why... even when Blake Su was struggling, I kept believing in him.
Always believe in the heart of a shooter.
Only this shooter isn't a traditional small guard. He's a center standing 215 centimeters tall. No, he's an era-defining center!"
"Hahaha!"
Jon Barry laughed too, then continued, "Blake Su really is strong. Eleven threes in one quarter and a 35-point explosion. He has completely wiped away the Magic's unstoppable momentum from the first half.
However.
For the Magic, the only thing worth being thankful for is that they led by a full 22 points at halftime, and after 'Superman' started facing double-teams, he still played reasonably well.
Even with Blake Su exploding for 35 points in one quarter, the Suns still haven't fully caught up.
Right now.
The Magic still have a 3-point lead.
There is still one quarter left. This game... is still very much alive!"
"Yes."
Mark Jackson picked it up and said, "After three quarters, Blake Su has 48 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. Howard also has 37 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 blocks.
Both Blake Su and Howard have been absolutely outstanding."
As he was speaking,
the break ended.
The final quarter began.
First came the bench matchup. In the second quarter, the Magic bench had caught fire. This quarter, they did not. Instead, George, who had played the entire third quarter,
was gradually finding his rhythm.
Aside from his defense, his outside shooting tonight had also been fairly good.
After 2 minutes and 13 seconds of rotation time,
the deficit was erased, and the Suns took a 2-point lead.
"Beep! Beep!"
Stan Van Gundy called a timeout and first brought "Superman" Howard back in, letting him lead four bench shooters.
The moment Howard returned, the Magic's situation on the court changed sharply. From defense to offense, the threat Howard provided was simply too great.
The Suns had to collapse their defense.
And once they did, Howard could not only keep attacking by himself, he could also kick the ball out to his teammates on the perimeter and create better offensive chances for them.
Because of that.
In less than two minutes, Howard led the bench on an 8:2 run and took back a 4-point lead.
"Beep, beep!"
Alvin Gentry decisively called a timeout. He brought back every starter except Blake Su, along with George. In the third quarter, it had practically been Blake Su attacking alone.
The other players were still in decent shape, so they came back early.
Blake Su rested for a while. As for the Magic, they used the timeout to bring all their starters back, already beginning the final battle.
At this point.
Aside from George, almost everyone on the floor was a starter.
But precisely because they were missing Blake Su, the Suns' firepower could not keep up at all. They were no match for the Magic. In barely a minute,
the Magic hit them with another 4:0 run.
An 8-point gap.
"Beep, beep!"
Alvin Gentry called another timeout and had no choice but to bring Blake Su back in, replacing Carter. Once Blake Su returned, he immediately faced a net-like double-team on the perimeter.
The goal was simple. Do not let him shoot threes anymore.
And to be fair,
the frantic double-teams really did work on the perimeter.
But... Blake Su's offense was not limited to threes. When he faced constant double-teams, Blake Su chose to post up from the high post, and his unstoppable back-to-the-basket game showed its power once again.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Blake Su kept scoring.
On the Magic side, the Suns also guarded Howard extremely tightly, almost having George and Frye keep their eyes on him at all times while giving him off-ball contact.
They fought to keep "Superman" away from the basket.
Howard had seen plenty of this kind of defense before, so... he did not panic at all. After drawing enough defensive attention, he began kicking the ball out to the perimeter.
At that point.
The shooters Lewis, Nelson, and Turkoglu began to show their value. When Howard's first pass did not create an opening, the perimeter players used a second pass, even a third pass.
They could always find a chance.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
One good look after another, all created by Howard drawing the defense, went in. At the same time... their defense against outside shooting was also extremely aggressive.
As a result.
Aside from Blake Su, the other Suns players were not shooting well from the outside. When they attacked the rim, their efficiency was not high either against "Superman's" airtight defense.
Although Blake Su could score with his unstoppable [Jordan Post-Up], the combined firepower of the Magic shooters was not weak at all.
For a time.
The two sides became locked in a struggle.
No.
More precisely, in the final quarter, once the Magic starters found their shooting rhythm, their combined firepower was even fiercer than Blake Su's. By the time only one minute remained in the game,
even with Blake Su dropping another 15 points in the quarter, and even with "Superman" playing only average basketball, the Magic relied on the astonishing firepower of their perimeter shooters.
Suns (118): (120) Magic.
The Magic led by 2.
And the crucial possession still belonged to the Magic. The pressure suddenly fell on the Suns.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Nelson held the ball above the arc and took a little time off the clock. Once Howard successfully established position under the basket, Nelson lobbed it in to him. Just like before, this drew Frye and George, and even Blake Su, who was faintly drifting over, into a collapsing defense.
"Whoosh!"
Howard passed it out to Lewis. The look was not great, so Lewis moved it to Nelson in the left corner. Nelson raised his hand and fired another three.
"Step!"
Curry read it in time and contested right in his face.
"Swish!"
But Nelson, who had already hit four threes tonight, was in rhythm. He made another one.
The lead became 5 points.
And the Suns had only 41 seconds left. They were in serious danger.
"Beep, beep!"
Alvin Gentry quickly called a timeout.
At the commentary table.
Mark Jackson said in confusion, "Blake Su scored 15 points in the quarter, so how are the Suns somehow still down 5 with only 41 seconds left?
This is going to be tough for the Suns."
Jon Barry played off him and said, "Because the Magic brought out their strongest trump card this quarter: the 'one star, four shooters' system!"
...
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