"Swish!"
Blake Su blew past David Lee and knocked down the mid-range jumper.
"Why is David Lee just standing there like a post? Why isn't he defending?"
"Maybe… maybe he's too excited."
A wave of murmurs rippled through the stands.
But the truth was simple: Blake Su was so fast that David Lee didn't even have time to react. He could only freeze in place like a wooden post, completely motionless.
"No… no way…"
David Lee's mind buzzed loudly. He could feel Blake Su's terrifying speed, yet he couldn't quite believe it.
"I must've lost focus."
He instinctively tried to comfort himself. But on the very next possession, Blake Su did the same thing again—like stepping past a wooden post, he beat him with a single move, clean and decisive.
"Swish!"
Another mid-range jumper dropped.
With Blake Su's speed under the boost of Iverson's talent, going up against a power forward like David Lee, whose speed was only average, that first step was simply too fast—completely unguardable.
"Too fast!"
David Lee's pupils shrank violently. He was genuinely shaken by Blake Su.
Even though he'd heard that Blake Su was a center with good athleticism, this kind of terrifying speed still caught him totally off guard.
Then came the next possession.
David Lee was just about to go all out on defense when Blake Su suddenly came to a hard stop, rose up right in front of him, and took the jumper. David Lee rushed to contest, but he couldn't affect the shot at all.
"Swish!"
Blake Su scored again.
"So good!"
Steve Nash laughed happily, once again marveling at Blake Su's elite athleticism as a center, and that mid-range jumper that was even more accurate than a guard's.
"Swish!"
Monta Ellis attacked the basket and answered with a layup.
"Blake Su!"
Nash pushed the ball up and found Blake Su again at the right high post.
"Pop!"
The instant Blake Su caught the ball, David Lee's body trembled uncontrollably. He panicked—he was already starting to fear Blake Su. But Blake Su had no intention of showing mercy.
"Whoosh!"
He caught the pass and immediately pulled up for another mid-range jumper.
David Lee, still hesitating over whether to guard the shot or the drive, once again stood there like a wooden post, only able to watch helplessly. But this time… Blake Su's jumper clanged off the rim.
After all.
Even with the [Peak Anthony Jump Shot] boost, there was no way his shooting percentage could be 100%. Missing was perfectly normal.
"Beep—beep!"
But even with the miss, Warriors head coach Keith Smart called a timeout, stopping Blake Su's unstoppable offensive momentum.
"Wow~ 'Yao Ming 2.0' Blake Su, just like last game, is using his sharp drives and accurate jump shots to help the Suns seize the advantage,"
Van Gundy said loudly.
"'Yao Ming 2.0'?"
Mike Breen looked puzzled. Van Gundy laughed and explained, "You didn't know? Some Suns fans have started calling Blake Su 'Yao Ming 2.0.'
Indeed.
A center as outstanding as Blake Su can absolutely be mentioned in the same breath as Yao Ming—specifically Yao Ming at his peak."
"No."
Mike Breen shook his head. "Blake Su is very good, but after watching two games, I think his offensive style is completely different from Yao Ming's.
Honestly, he's not like Yao Ming at all, so calling him 'Yao Ming 2.0' doesn't really fit."
"Uh…"
Van Gundy thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "That actually makes sense."
On the court.
After the timeout.
The Warriors switched the defender on Blake Su to small forward Dorell Wright, hoping that Wright's size and decent speed could limit him.
But…
They were thinking too much.
Dorell Wright's speed was meaningless in front of Blake Su.
What's more, in terms of speed, height, wingspan, explosiveness, and everything else, Blake Su completely overwhelmed this 19th pick from the 2004 draft, effortlessly tearing apart his defense.
"Swish!"
Easy and smooth.
Jump shot, score.
End of the first quarter.
Warriors (25) : (31) Suns.
The Suns led by 6.
"Blake Su already has 14 points in the first quarter tonight, going 7-for-9 from the field—a ridiculous 77.7% from the perimeter. For a center, that's just insane,"
Mike Breen said in disbelief.
"Exactly,"
Van Gundy agreed. "Honestly, with this Warriors starting lineup, there's simply no one who can guard Blake Su one-on-one on the perimeter.
The only reason they're down just six is because Ellis and Curry have been scoring well and keeping the game close.
In other words, if the Warriors want to win tonight, they shouldn't be thinking about how to lock down Blake Su. They need to focus on scoring nonstop themselves—that's the only way they'll have a chance."
"Good point, and…"
During the break between quarters,
the two commentators continued their analysis.
At the same time.
In another game, the Lakers faced the 76ers at Staples Center. The arena was packed to the brim, roaring with noise—this was the popularity and market power of a major city.
No.
More accurately, it was the popularity of Kobe and the city of Los Angeles.
Yes.
Over the past two years, Kobe had led the team to back-to-back championships after parting ways with "Shaq" O'Neal, allowing the Purple and Gold dynasty to rise again after a brief slump.
With five championship rings and two Finals MVPs, Kobe had firmly established his status as the league's top player.
If LeBron's move to Miami to team up with Wade and Bosh to form a "super Big Three" was about challenging the league and chasing championships,
then Kobe—already holding five championship rings—was officially challenging the "God of Basketball," Michael Jordan, in an attempt to shake his position as the greatest in history.
The defending champion Lakers, and Kobe himself, were the hottest and most talked-about force in the league.
As the game began,
Kobe drilled two picture-perfect three-pointers from beyond the arc in succession.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
The crisp sound of the net rang out again and again.
Three-point shots fell one after another.
"Boom!"
Kobe's powerful and stylish offense instantly ignited the home crowd. Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom all showed their skills as well.
In less than half a quarter,
the Lakers had already built a 10-point lead, forcing the 76ers to call a timeout.
"Boom!"
The defending champions' dominance and Kobe's sheer authority pushed the atmosphere to an even greater frenzy. Even after the 76ers called timeout, the Lakers had completely taken control of the game.
...
The focus returned to the Warriors–Suns matchup.
Second quarter.
First came the battle between the benches.
Jeremy Lin, who joined the Warriors as a free agent this summer and averaged just 3.1 points per game, exploded the moment he stepped on the floor tonight. Driving and shooting, he scored five straight points.
That burst nearly helped the Warriors tie the score.
On the Warriors bench, Coach Smart's eyes lit up. The way he looked at Jeremy Lin now carried a few more traces of approval.
At the 4:17 mark of the rotation,
thanks to Jeremy Lin's sudden outburst, the Warriors' bench unit erased the deficit, bringing both teams back to the same starting line.
"Beep!"
The Warriors called a short timeout.
The starters returned. Curry brought the ball to the top of the arc, called for a screen, drove to the right side of the arc, and got the mismatch he wanted—
against Blake Su.
"Oh?"
Blake Su looked at Curry and snorted. "Curry, you're really trying to take me one-on-one?"
"Mhm."
Curry focused, replying with rare seriousness, "For the team, I don't have a choice."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser