West commits an offensive foul.
Blake Su twists his body and gets the shot up off the contact, but it doesn't fall. He does draw the foul.
"Clang!"
"Swish!"
He misses the first free throw and makes the second.
"Beep! Beep!"
Hornets head coach Monty Williams immediately calls a timeout.
Only a few minutes into the game, Blake Su has gone 3-for-3 from the field, pouring in 7 straight points for a 7–0 run. A flawless opening that forces the Hornets to stop play. If there's any blemish at all, it's that one missed free throw.
"Explosive!"
"So explosive!"
Mark Jackson is full of praise. Jon Barry follows up, "Blake Su's accuracy is impressive on its own, but the key is that all his points are coming from the perimeter, off jump shots.
A center who attacks like this? It's unheard of—absolutely unbelievable!"
"Exactly," Mark laughs. "I'm guessing Coach Monty is already pulling his hair out, trying to figure out how to deal with a player like this."
Hornets bench.
"Is he messing with me? What kind of speed is that? What kind of shooting? Is this really a center on offense? I've never seen anything like it. I seriously can't guard him."
West blurts it all out in one breath, still looking stunned.
"Can't guard him?"
Chris Paul purses his lips, clearly dissatisfied. "A center shouldn't even be able to survive on the perimeter. It's not that Blake Su is fast—it's your defense that has a problem."
"Alright, alright."
West doesn't argue back.
After years as teammates, he knows Paul too well. He understands that relentless hunger to win. A 0–7 start, caused by a rookie center of all people.
He gets why Paul is upset.
Maybe… maybe only after Paul personally matches up with Blake Su will he truly understand how strong this guy really is.
Coach Monty steps forward with the clipboard, his tone serious. "This center, Blake Su, is stronger than we expected—especially his offensive style.
It's extremely rare.
West's foot speed isn't enough to keep up, and that's normal. From here on out… we'll have the quicker Ariza pick him up. West stays on the weak side, ready to help and double at any time.
As for offense—
Let Chris handle him. He's got plenty of experience going small against bigs. When a center gets pulled out to the perimeter, Chris always knows how to toy with them.
Score on him again and again. Break his confidence. Finish him completely."
Paul gives a light nod. "That's exactly what I was thinking."
"Chris, take it seriously. Don't underestimate him," West reminds him.
Paul nods again. "Relax. I know what I'm doing. I'll give this center who likes drifting outside a proper lesson."
Suns bench.
"Hahaha!"
Manager Lance is beaming. He came specifically tonight to see whether Blake Su was just a flash in the pan, or if he really was consistently accurate and dominant.
This 7–0 run answers that question loud and clear.
"Gentry, you really struck gold."
Lance can barely contain his excitement.
Alvin Gentry is smiling too. Trading away Stoudemire in the offseason had set the team on a clear tanking path, but Blake Su's sudden emergence completely disrupted those plans.
"It's still too early. We need more time. Blake Su… everyone's watching. Don't let us down."
He glances at Blake Su, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Soon.
The timeout ends.
The game resumes.
Hornets ball.
Paul controls the dribble at the top of the arc. Ariza comes up to set a screen. Paul turns the corner, creates a switch onto Hill, then calls for another screen, circling back to the top.
This time, the mismatch is—
Blake Su.
"Tsk…"
"Monty's adjusted. On offense, he's letting Paul attack Blake Su off the switch," Mark says immediately.
Jon Barry nods. "Chris Paul's ability to play small against bigs is legendary. Let's see if it works against Blake Su."
On the court.
Blake Su watches Paul closely, already reading his intention. He narrows his eyes.
'Wants to isolate me? That might not be so easy.'
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Paul goes to work, chaining together crossovers to find his rhythm. He shifts the ball to his left hand, then suddenly explodes to the left.
"Screech!"
A hard stop—between-the-legs pullback.
The sequence is smooth and fluid, but Blake Su stays right with him, not biting at all. Paul frowns slightly.
"Whoosh!"
Paul drives again. The instant he sees Blake Su drop his center of gravity, he stops sharply and snaps the ball back between his legs once more.
This time, Blake Su is shaken off.
"Wow~"
The crowd erupts.
With half a step of space, Paul rises confidently into a fadeaway jumper.
"Screech!"
Sneakers shriek against the hardwood.
Blake Su forcibly twists his body against his momentum, explodes off the floor the moment Paul releases the ball, and launches upward.
Like a meteor shooting backward through the sky, he reaches his apex in an instant. His massive hand stretches high enough to command everything.
One hand comes down.
The sky is blotted out.
"Smack!"
He grabs the ball cleanly out of the air and comes down with it.
A clean, face-up grab block on Paul.
Blake Su is already tall, but at the peak of his jump, the height difference between him and Paul becomes even more glaring, making the play feel like a giant descending from the heavens.
The visual impact is overwhelming.
"Boom!"
The arena explodes with thunderous cheers.
"Unbelievable! Rookie Blake Su just grabbed a block right in Chris Paul's face—and that was after getting shaken! His defensive range is insane!"
"And his reaction speed is crazy fast!"
"Exactly. He loses his balance for an instant, recovers immediately, and still gets up that high. For a center to do this—it's outrageous."
The Suns' home crowd is in absolute frenzy.
On the bench.
Goran Dragić exclaims loudly, "Chris Paul completely shook Blake Su, and still got blocked. That level of talent is unreal."
"Yeah," Carter says, eyes wide. "Normally, once Chris shakes a center, they just don't have the speed or the vertical to contest, even with the height advantage.
But Blake Su did it.
Even 'CP3' has no answer for this guy. He's a truly unconventional center."
On the court.
"Easy."
Blake Su mutters indifferently as he pushes the ball up.
Paul, still shaken by the block, feels his expression darken as the crowd's gasps blend with Blake Su's casual taunt.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Blake Su holds the ball at the top of the arc. Ariza steps up tight, and West flashes over as well, the two moving in for a double-team.
He reacts instantly, swinging the ball to Steve Nash, who quickly feeds it inside to Frye. Frye flips up a soft hook off the glass.
"Clang!"
No good.
Okafor secures the rebound. Paul brings it out and once again finds Blake Su on the perimeter. He tries to isolate him again, but no matter how he drives, Blake Su's shadow is always there.
Of course.
At 215 centimeters tall, combined with Iverson's Talent, Blake Su's defense is nothing short of a nightmare for the 183-centimeter Paul.
"Clang!"
Paul forces the shot. Another miss.
Fortunately, West grabs the offensive board and puts it back in, finally breaking the Hornets' scoring drought.
Suns (7): (2) Hornets.
Suns ball.
Steve Nash pushes it up, draws the defense to one side, and swings it back to Blake Su at the top of the arc. Facing Ariza, Blake Su lowers his center of gravity, preparing to drive.
"Step!"
A figure suddenly cuts in front of Ariza and appears directly in Blake Su's path.
It's none other than Paul.