The next day.
Early morning.
"Rookie Blake Su single-handedly turned the tide, sweeping everything before him as he hit 11 threes in one quarter and scored 35 points. For the game, he made 14 threes and exploded for 68 points.
Then, with an alley-oop three, he set the entire arena on fire and beat the Magic at the buzzer!"
From The Charlotte Observer No. 1 Draft Pick News.
"In yesterday's battle between the Suns and the Magic, Magic center 'Superman' Howard put up dominant all-around numbers with 43 points, 25 rebounds, 3 assists, and 7 blocks.
Meanwhile, Suns center and 'Monster Rookie' Blake Su recorded a super all-around line of 68 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 4 blocks.
A flawless performance.
With that alley-oop three for the game-winner, he told the entire league that he, Blake Su, has surpassed Howard and become the 'No. 1 active center in the league.'"
From the Washington Black Rose Gazette.
"The closer you are to the basket, the easier it is to score. That is true. But if your outside three-point shot is accurate enough, it becomes even easier to win a game.
With 11 threes in one quarter, 14 threes in one game, and 68 points overall, Blake Su told the entire league that a center can also become an elite force on the perimeter!"
From the Sacramento Bee.
"..."
Every major newspaper worked overnight to write their stories, all rushing to put Blake Su on the front page. More and more fans learned about this earth-shaking battle,
and all of them were amazed.
"Tsk, tsk... Last night's Suns versus Magic game was way too good. It was incredible!"
"Exactly. Anyone who missed it is definitely going to regret it."
"Yeah. A rookie scoring 68 points in a single game, just one basket away from becoming a 70-point man. What kind of scene is that?!"
"Look at this. Just look at this. With Blake Su putting on such a crazy show, how are other rookies supposed to play?!"
"Too fierce!"
"Strong! Absolutely unstoppable!"
"Last night, 'Superman' Howard was already amazing enough. He dominated the first half and ruled the paint for the whole game. But in the second half, Blake Su exploded.
Those unreasonable threes left Howard with no way to respond!
Blake Su versus Howard, the battle for the 'No. 1 center in the league,' was decided the moment Blake Su hit that alley-oop three to beat the Magic. Blake Su won."
"That's right. Blake Su is the current 'No. 1 center in the league,' and he's also the most unique one, the one who can't be copied or surpassed."
"Bingo!"
"Blake Su is the strongest!"
"Blake Su is invincible!"
"Blake Su: the No. 1 center in the league!"
The fans discussed it with endless excitement. Blake Su's heaven-defying miracle also left countless haters silent. They could not find any reason to criticize him.
Some haters even secretly marveled at Blake Su's strength.
...
As soon as last night's game ended,
#BlakeSu68PointsAlleyOopThreeGameWinner#
#BlakeSu11ThreesInOneQuarter35Points#
#BlakeSu14Threes#
#BlakeSuNo1CenterInTheLeague#
#Suns15GameWinningStreak#
#...#
all kinds of trending topics like these flooded the charts in an extremely short time, and every one of them was burning hot.
There was no helping it.
In this game, Blake Su hit 11 threes and scored 35 points in one quarter, finished with 14 threes and 68 points, and even pulled off an unimaginable alley-oop three for the game-winner.
That series of earth-shaking, soul-stirring performances was more than enough to set the basketball world ablaze.
More importantly, Blake Su defeated "Superman" Howard, who before him had been widely recognized across the league as the "No. 1 active center."
This game was the battle for the title of "No. 1 center in the league." Blake Su won it in spectacular fashion, which meant he had defeated Howard and become the "No. 1 active center in the league."
And yet.
Even at Yao Ming's peak, he was only ranked alongside Shaquille O'Neal and Howard as one of the "three great centers of the league." But now, Blake Su stood alone at number one.
With that being the case, how could fans not be happy? How could they not be thrilled?!
The greatest vote king in history plus the No. 1 center in the league. Blake Su, who had both popularity and strength, became the favorite of more and more fans, and his fanbase soared wildly.
...
Tomorrow was All-Star Weekend.
But today, some teams still had games. Only... the fans' attention was not on today's games at all.
It was still on last night's epic battle between the Suns and the Magic.
Because of that,
the TNT commentators gathered once again for a roundtable discussion.
Topic: Blake Su: "The No. 1 Active Center"?
Commentator Reggie Miller was the first to speak. "I think... from the moment the Suns beat the Magic last night and Blake Su defeated Howard,
the answer to this topic was already clear.
That's right.
In my view, Blake Su is unquestionably the 'No. 1 active center.' In fact, he already was. It was just that because of the schedule,
the moment when he defeated Howard had been pushed back."
"Yes."
Charles Barkley nodded and said, "Blake Su not only beat Howard, he did it with his unique 'small ball era' style and became the 'No. 1 active center.'
That is what makes it so valuable!"
"Tsk, tsk..."
Clyde clicked his tongue and said, "Blake Su only used half a season to show center ability even stronger than 'Superman' Howard's.
That is the most terrifying part.
This rookie is even more ferocious than the 'Basketball God' Michael Jordan was back then. His future has no ceiling. It is impossible to measure."
"Exactly."
Thompson agreed. "In this era, more and more players are starting to take transition threes from the outside, and the pace of the game is getting faster and faster.
Because of that,
we are gradually entering what we call the 'small ball era.'
Slow centers cannot keep up with this rhythm. Even if they have good interior skill and ability, they may not be able to fully use it.
Then they will gradually be eliminated by the era.
But at a time like this,
if a center follows the era, starts shooting from the outside, adapts to fast-paced offense, and plays it well,
then... he will become someone like Blake Su.
Of course.
For a center, this path is almost like starting from zero, and it is undoubtedly extremely difficult.
But Blake Su is the one walking it the fastest. He is adapting to the 'small ball era,' and step by step, he is also creating his own unique 'small ball era'!"
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (40 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.