"Anytime."
Stoudemire replied calmly.
A rookie's taunt wasn't enough to stir his emotions—especially since he had just locked Blake Su down on two straight possessions.
"Swish!"
Fields caught Felton's bounce pass, cut into the lane, took two steps, and floated a soft runner. The ball bounced lightly off the front of the rim and dropped in.
Tie game.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Blake Su brought the ball up himself. Seeing a center dribble past half court, Felton suddenly lunged in, trying to steal it—only to wrap his arms around empty air before realizing his mistake.
"That handle… doesn't look like a center at all,"
Felton muttered, shaking his head as he backed off.
At the top of the arc, Blake Su squared up against Stoudemire. A few quick crossovers, his center of gravity dropping low. The ball shifted to his right hand and then—
He exploded to the right wing.
"Whoosh!"
Stoudemire's eyes sharpened as he slid over to stay in front. With his own elite athleticism, he wasn't beaten off the first step.
"Screech!"
Blake Su reached the free-throw line and stopped hard. He glanced at the rim and brought the ball up with both hands.
"Another jumper? I already told you—this one-dimensional offense won't work against me."
Stoudemire read it instantly and lunged forward, ready to contest or block the shot.
But at the exact moment he committed—
Blake Su accelerated again.
"What— a fake?"
Stoudemire froze for a split second.
"Whoosh!"
With his weight already shifted upward, he was blown past. Blake Su slipped by in one step and went straight to the rim, the sudden drive catching the entire Knicks defense off guard.
"Swish!"
Blake Su gently laid the ball in.
"What?"
"A drive? Was that really a drive just now?"
"Not really… He probably had no choice under Stoudemire's pressure. The Knicks defenders just didn't react in time."
Some Knicks fans spoke with uncertainty from the stands.
At the commentary desk, Van Gundy's eyes lit up.
"Great play! That pump fake was incredibly convincing. Stoudemire completely bit on it and got beaten cleanly—easy layup for Blake Su."
"Wow~"
Mike Breen couldn't hide his surprise. "Blake Su actually shook Stoudemire off completely. Honestly, he doesn't play like a rookie at all.
He looks more like a seasoned NBA veteran."
"Exactly,"
Van Gundy agreed.
On the court—
"Oh? A drive and a layup?"
Stoudemire had been caught off guard, but… only that much. On the next possession, he was confident he'd stop him.
Possession changed.
Felton brought the ball up and lofted a high entry pass to Stoudemire on the left block. Backing Blake Su down with sheer strength, Blake Su simply couldn't match him.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Powerful post-ups, smooth footwork. Stoudemire bumped him aside, turned halfway, and rose for the jumper.
"Thud!"
Half a step behind, Blake Su planted and sprang upward. His terrifying vertical leap and shocking wingspan allowed him to recover midair. A massive hand descended from above.
"What?!"
"Smack!"
At an extreme height, Blake Su swatted the ball away. Nash reacted instantly, snatching it and pushing the fast break coast to coast for an easy layup.
"Half a step behind Stoudemire, jumping late, and still blocking him—what kind of bounce and wingspan does Blake Su have?!"
In the stands, a chubby kid stared blankly, mouth wide open as popcorn spilled onto the floor.
"Boom!"
One pump fake. One clean block.
Blake Su won on both offense and defense, and the arena erupted with cheers, shouts, and screams.
"Tch."
Stoudemire clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed by the crowd's reaction.
Of course he was.
Getting outplayed on both ends by a rookie—how could an All-Star starter possibly feel good about that? He immediately tore past Hill's defense and powered his way to the rim.
Payback.
Only then did he feel a bit better.
But right after, he sought Blake Su out again, his gaze sharp and hostile. Only by shutting down this rookie completely could he reclaim his pride.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
The two matched up once more.
Blake Su dribbled between his legs repeatedly, fluid and rhythmic. Even though it wasn't the first time fans had seen it, watching a 215-centimeter center handle the ball like a guard still felt unreal.
"Whoosh!"
His eyes focused, and he burst forward. That Iverson-like speed, paired with his long strides, made a single step feel impossibly long.
"So fast!"
Stoudemire's heart jumped. He reacted instantly and chased at full speed. Just as Blake Su raised the ball to shoot, Stoudemire lunged to contest.
But—
Another pump fake.
"Whoosh!"
Stoudemire flew past, frustration flashing across his face. Blake Su accelerated again, stormed into the paint, and took off. Gallinari tried to rotate over, but Blake Su's explosion was too violent—
He didn't even get the chance to jump.
"Boom!"
A one-handed tomahawk slam detonated the rim.
"My—God!"
"Blake Su with the drive and dunk!"
Van Gundy shouted, while Mike Breen clenched his fist in excitement. "If I remember correctly… this is Blake Su's first dunk!"
"That's right,"
Van Gundy roared back. "Rare as it is, this drive-and-dunk was absolutely dominant—and spectacular!"
"Aaaaah!"
Fans in the stands screamed again, especially Blake Su's female fans, faces flushed as they covered their cheeks and melted into infatuation.
The home-court atmosphere surged to a boiling point.
"Damn it!"
Stoudemire's face darkened. Letting a rookie dunk on him under his defense was pure humiliation—and getting faked repeatedly was even worse.
"Blake Su!"
He gritted his teeth, staring at Blake Su with a ferocity that looked ready to devour him.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
He attacked Blake Su head-on in the frontcourt, playing with emotion, determined to overpower him. But Nash, who had been watching closely, struck without warning.
"Smack!"
He stripped the ball clean.
The Suns pushed the fast break, but the Knicks hustled back. Nash reached the free-throw line and ran into Felton's defense, yet he didn't stop—
"Whoosh!"
He kicked the ball back to the trailing Blake Su.
"Whoosh!"
Stoudemire, who had chased the entire way, lunged from behind for the steal. Blake Su caught the pass, spun smoothly to evade him, and burst toward the rim.
At that moment—
Felton, Fields, and Chandler were all waiting in the paint.
But Blake Su, already in full stride, didn't slow down. He charged into the lane, planted, and leapt.
One versus three.
Hanging in the air, he twisted his body to avoid the block.
"Swish!"
Off the glass and in.
"Unbelievable!"
"One versus three! Blake Su finishes with an air-hang layup off the backboard!
Who still dares to say he can only shoot mid-range? Step out and say it again!"
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser