"Right in Westbrook's Face!"
"A center pulling up over a gifted guard on the perimeter—Blake Su is unreal!"
"Smooth as flowing water—Blake Su made that look effortless!"
"..."
The home crowd leapt to their feet, roaring.
Russell Westbrook frowned. "He's even faster than I imagined. That speed… even most guards couldn't keep up with that.
I got careless.
But I'm Russell Westbrook. I'm not just any guard!"
Buzz!
The fire in his eyes burned brighter. He pushed the ball up, isolating against Blake Su. Lowering his stance, he planted hard and exploded forward at full speed.
The burst was terrifying.
In an instant, he got past Blake Su—
But with Iverson's Talent boosting him, Blake Su was anything but slow. Add in those long legs—
Three strides in two.
Beaten one second.
Back on him the next.
Thinking he had shaken him, Russell Westbrook went into his three-step layup motion, lifting a left-handed scoop from the wing. But just as the ball left his hand—just as it kissed the backboard—
Bang!
Blake Su soared in from behind and swatted it off the glass.
A chase-down block!
"Whoa!"
"He got blown by one second, caught up the next, and still pinned it on the glass? Is Blake Su even human? How is he that fast?!"
On the court—
Boom!
The arena exploded as Blake Su's block on Russell Westbrook sent the crowd into a frenzy.
"What?!"
"He caught up? That's impossible!"
Russell Westbrook was stunned. Against most centers on the perimeter, he could simply outrun them and finish at the rim. But against Blake Su—despite clearly beating him off the dribble—he was tracked down and blocked.
It made no sense.
There was no time to dwell on it.
Curry scooped up the loose ball and pushed in transition. From the left wing, he pulled up for a trailing three.
Quick release.
Swish!
Nothing but net.
Curry's second three-point attempt—good.
Durant answered immediately. Bringing the ball up, he attacked the mismatch against Steve Nash. One step beyond the arc, he accelerated, stopped on a dime, and rose into a jumper at a release point Nash could only look up at.
Swish!
Durant drilled the three in response.
Possession changed.
Blake Su caught it at the left high post against Jeff Green. He used a crossover to find his rhythm, then suddenly exploded toward the right.
Just one step.
Lightning fast.
Too fast for Jeff Green to react.
Whoosh!
He blew past him and reached the free-throw line. Westbrook rotated over to help, but Blake Su didn't slow down—he sped up, launching into his gather.
Into the paint.
With Westbrook and Ibaka both contesting, he adjusted midair and finished with a hanging layup off the glass.
Swish!
Good.
Boom!
It was just a hanging layup—but coming from a center like Blake Su, the visual impact was overwhelming. The arena erupted again.
"Unbelievable!"
"That's ridiculous!"
On the Thunder bench, Harden and Collison froze, stunned by the move.
On the other end, Russell Westbrook's violent drives were shut down again and again by Blake Su. He nearly got blocked a second time.
Westbrook refused to back down—but possession after possession, he was denied.
What kind of athleticism is this?!
He couldn't believe a center could match — or even surpass — his speed, explosiveness, and vertical leap.
And on top of that—
Blake Su had a massive advantage in height and wingspan.
After several empty trips, Westbrook felt a chill crawl up his spine.
Beep—beep!
Thunder head coach Scott Brooks quickly called a timeout.
Suns (11) : (6) Thunder.
Phoenix led by five.
On the Thunder bench—
"Blake Su doesn't move like a center," Russell Westbrook said bluntly. "Against him, you don't feel any speed advantage at all. Not even a mismatch."
Scott Brooks nodded. He had seen it clearly from the sidelines.
Westbrook's physical tools were elite—but against Blake Su, they simply didn't give him an edge.
Rubbing his chin, Scott said, "Russell, take a breather and reset. And on offense, don't attack Blake Su directly. Use more pick-and-roll, target other defenders. That's how you'll get going."
"Got it."
Westbrook nodded.
He hated admitting he'd been contained by a rookie—but it was true.
Scott continued, "Jeff, you guard Blake Su. Have Sefolosha shade over for help. If necessary, trap him. We need to slow him down."
"Understood."
Both men nodded.
Jeff Green had size and strength. Sefolosha was a tough perimeter defender—that defensive reliability was one of the reasons he started over Harden.
"Coach, let me guard Blake Su. I'll handle it."
Kevin Durant, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
As a rookie, Blake Su had taken Player of the Week from him. Durant hadn't forgotten that. Tonight, he wanted to beat him head-on and show the league who really deserved that honor.
"No."
Scott shook his head. "I trust your defense. But you've got a bigger job. We need you scoring."
"Alright."
Durant shrugged and said nothing more.
Beep!
Timeout over.
Thunder ball.
Inbound from the sideline. James Harden, checking in off the bench, caught it at the top of the key. Seeing Nash in front of him, he started to drive—
But Blake Su flashed over to cut him off.
Harden immediately swung the ball to the left high post.
Durant caught it.
Carter was in front of him. Durant went into a double crossover—maybe not flashy, but dangerous. Carter instinctively retreated, wary of the drive.
Durant rose suddenly.
Mid-range pull-up.
Swish!
The net snapped crisply.
Possession changed.
Nash brought the ball up and settled at the top. Curry made a sharp back cut, shaking Harden and sprinting toward the right corner. Jeff Green slid over to help.
Nash swung the ball—
Not to Curry.
To Blake Su at the right high post, matched up against Sefolosha.
Dribble. Dribble. Dribble.
Blake Su went into a double crossover of his own.
But unlike Durant's, his stance was lower—his handle wider, more exaggerated. The move had real flair.
Sefolosha instinctively retreated a step.
Blake Su's eyes sharpened.
He rose into his jumper.
Swish!
Pure.
The crowd buzzed.
Same move. Same pull-up.
Blake Su answered Durant face-to-face.
...
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