There were 7.3 seconds left on the shot clock.
As Gordon kept reaching in, Blake Su had his back to him and raised the ball high with the same one-handed grip once used by superstars like Jordan, Kobe, and McGrady, placing it at a height Gordon simply could not reach.
"Bang!"
One hard bump, then a turnaround jumper, released straight away.
With that absolute height difference, Gordon had no answer for Blake Su's turnaround after contact. He could only watch and pray the shot would not fall.
But...
"Swish!"
The basketball pierced the net once again.
In just one possession, Gordon lost all desire to defend Blake Su tonight. The heavy responsibility of guarding him could only be handed over to "The Blake Show" Griffin.
However, even Griffin could not stop him at all.
On another possession, Blake Su backed down Griffin and kept working him in the post, using his body in repeated physical clashes. Griffin did not back down in terms of strength, but Blake Su suddenly eased off in the middle of the contact.
Immediately after that, he made a half-turn, accelerated again, and blew right past Griffin, who was still bracing for more contact. Blake Su attacked along the baseline, planted, and rose up.
"Boom!"
A two-handed slam for DeAndre Jordan, who did not even have time to jump.
"Clang!"
Gordon missed a three.
Nash pushed the ball up. It looked like he was passing to Curry, who was moving off the ball and calling for it, but in reality, he lobbed it once again to Blake Su on the left high post, where he had his back against Griffin.
"Slap!"
Another one-handed grip.
"Wow!"
"Blake Su's ball grip looks so cool!"
"That height, that grip, it's so dominant!"
"So handsome!"
"Tall, handsome, and strong. Blake Su is way too charming!"
"I'm in love!"
"..."
Watching Blake Su grip the ball like that, a group of women in the stands had hearts in their eyes. One by one, they were completely captivated by his handsome one-handed ball grip.
And then.
"Swish!"
After gripping the ball, Blake Su used a shot fake as a threat, accelerated past Griffin, stopped on a dime, and hit another mid-range jumper. That smooth drive into a pull-up instantly made the fangirls scream again.
Even many male fans had to admit it looked cool. They all wished they could grip the ball one-handed and score on the court like Blake Su.
"Tch!"
Griffin snorted.
He was completely unhappy.
And of course he was. He was clearly the No. 1 pick, but in front of Blake Su, he looked dim and unnoticed. No one was paying attention to him at all. How could he not be angry?
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, he was determined to stop Blake Su.
However, over the next two quarters, Blake Su used [Jordan's Post-Up Ability] against Griffin in all sorts of dazzling ways. Griffin, still only a rookie, could not defend him at all.
He was beaten to the point that whenever Blake Su caught the ball and posted him up, he felt panic and unease.
Because he really could not stop him.
In just three quarters, Blake Su dropped 37 points. With one unstoppable [Jordan's Post-Up Ability] after another, he helped the team stretch the lead to as many as 22 points.
The Suns blew out the Clippers in three quarters.
"What even is this?!"
Griffin sat dejectedly on the bench, completely unable to stop Blake Su and completely unsure how to defend him. His mentality had collapsed.
Deep down, he sighed.
Blake Su had improved again. The gap between them was getting wider and wider.
There was no suspense left in the game.
In the end, the Suns crushed the Clippers by 19 points and claimed their 11th straight win. Of course, this was also a game whose outcome had basically been decided from the start of the season.
...
After the game.
Inside the broadcast studio.
The commentators praised him again and again. "Blake Su is a super genius. With only half an hour of learning, he can already use Jordan's Post-Up Ability so naturally and skillfully.
"That talent... it's almost abnormal."
"Yes," another commentator agreed. "Elite learning ability, astonishing athleticism, and outstanding shooting accuracy, all three combined.
"Blake Su is truly a once-in-a-generation talent. He really is an unbelievable player."
...
The next day.
The league announced the All-Star Game starters and reserves.
Eastern Conference starters: point guard Rose, shooting guard Wade, small forward LeBron, power forward Amar'e, center Howard.
Western Conference starters: point guard Paul, shooting guard Kobe, small forward Anthony, power forward Durant, center Blake Su.
Eastern Conference reserves: Ray Allen, Bosh, Garnett, Horford, O'Neal, Pierce, Joe Johnson, and Rondo.
Western Conference reserves: Duncan, Pau Gasol, Ginobili, Love, Nowitzki, Westbrook, Yao Ming, and Deron.
At the same time, the Rookie Challenge rosters were also released.
First-year rookies: Blake Su, Griffin, Wall, Cousins, Neal, Monroe, Favors, Wesley, and Bledsoe.
Second-year rookies: Curry, Harden, Ibaka, Jennings, Matthews, Holiday, Evans, Gibson, and DeRozan.
With that, Blake Su was confirmed to participate in two events: the Rookie Challenge and the Slam Dunk Contest.
As soon as the news was announced, it once again sparked heated discussion among fans. After all, being able to watch a whole group of stars play together during All-Star Weekend was exciting just to think about.
For the players, All-Star Weekend was a kind of disguised relaxation and rest period. But before it arrived, the regular season still had to continue.
The Suns first hosted the Mavericks at home.
This matchup undoubtedly became another personal duel between Blake Su and Nowitzki. However, Nowitzki, whom Blake Su had partially modeled his game after, was once again suppressed.
As for the battle between the role players, the Suns, who excelled at run-and-gun fast breaks, had Curry, Nash, and Carter. Even Frye could pull out to the perimeter and shoot threes.
Their firepower was nothing to look down on.
The Suns once again won a firepower battle and defeated the Mavericks.
Of course, Blake Su's unstoppable post-up game created a lot of trouble for the opponent again tonight. More importantly, his offensive tools were not limited to post-ups.
When the Mavericks started targeting his post-up game defensively, Blake Su used threes and drives again and again to tear through them.
Another win.
12 straight victories.
After that, the Suns hosted the Spurs. Everyone originally thought it would be another tough battle, but unexpectedly, Popovich found excuses to rest both Parker and Ginobili.
With two key players missing, the Spurs' combat strength dropped sharply.
"The Big Fundamental" was left alone and could not hold the team up by himself. By the third quarter, the West-leading Suns had blown the game open. Yet Popovich remained calm.
It was as if...
Everything was still under his control.
No matter what Popovich was planning, the Suns had once again pulled out the thorn for real, claiming their 13th straight win and keeping the streak alive.
They continued to charge forward with unstoppable momentum.
...
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