"What the hell?!"
Baron's eyes went wide. "A center… actually crossing guys up like Allen Iverson and driving in for a layup?!"
For a moment, his expression was dazed, as if his entire understanding of basketball had just been overturned.
"What am I even doing?!"
DeAndre Jordan, who had been shaken clean out of the play, was left stewing in frustration. If it had been a guard blowing past him, fine—that would've been understandable. But Blake Su was a center, and a taller one at that.
Getting beaten like that… what was that supposed to mean?
Jordan was seriously annoyed.
But then… Griffin stormed into the paint, facing Frye and Hill at the same time, and powered through for a tough finish at the rim, drawing the foul with a violent attack.
That instantly lifted Jordan's spirits.
"Swish!"
Griffin knocked down the free throw.
"Five straight points to start. Griffin carried over his red-hot form from the last game, easing the embarrassment of DeAndre Jordan getting blown by like he wasn't even there."
Suns possession.
Nash sold the drive, pulled in the defense, then kicked it to Blake Su at the left high post. DeAndre Jordan didn't dare step out to contest, leaving small forward Gomes to rotate over.
Blake Su… Blake Su rose straight up for the jumper.
Already fourteen centimeters taller than Gomes, and with explosive lift and a long wingspan, Blake Su was shooting right in his face. Gomes had no answer—he could only hope for a miss.
But Blake Su's jumper was even more accurate than most star guards'.
Bang!
Another one drops.
"Baron brings it up, Griffin sets a screen at the free-throw line and drifts left. Baron drives, fires a no-look pass, and finds Griffin again.
Griffin the Beast cuts hard, charging straight at the rim.
Shouldering Frye through contact, he twists in midair and banks it in—pure toughness!"
"Blake Su pushes the ball up, mismatched against Baron near the free-throw line. He suddenly explodes forward, long strides eating up space, blowing past the short-legged guard in one step and gliding to the rim.
The ball is laid in—smooth and effortless."
"Griffin brings it up himself this time, looking to go coast to coast for a dunk, but the Suns' interior is too crowded. His attack on the rim fails.
Nash pulls down the rebound.
Wow—what a full-court laser. The ball slices through the air like a scalpel, finding… finding Blake Su already waiting up front.
Attacking from the right wing, Gordon stays with him. Blake Su takes a hop step, shakes him off, and flips up a left-side bank shot with his back to the basket.
It's good!
Wow—what a gorgeous play!"
"Even though neither team is a playoff contender, these two breakout rookies—Blake Su and Griffin—one a 'center version' of Allen Iverson, the other Griffin the Beast—
are trading blows nonstop, cranking an already thrilling game to another level.
The score is tight, and we're heading into a timeout. When we come back, what adjustments will both sides make? And what kind of sparks will fly next between these two superstar rookies?"
At the commentary table.
Jon Barry was fully in his element, delivering a vivid, high-energy call, completely absorbed in the game.
Mark Jackson was enjoying it so much that he didn't even notice the spit flying from Jon Barry's rapid-fire commentary landing on his face.
"Boom!"
The home crowd pumped their fists and roared, the arena blazing with energy!
"Beep!"
Out of the timeout.
Clippers (19) : (21) Suns.
A two-point game, with 2:47 left in the first quarter.
Suns possession.
Blake Su brought the ball up. Seeing a center handling the ball, Baron instinctively went for the steal—then immediately checked himself.
This was Blake Su. Not a traditional center.
That ball… you couldn't reach it, and you couldn't take it.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Top of the key.
Blake Su dribbled, just about to accelerate, when a figure suddenly flashed in front of him, cutting off his path.
It was none other than… Griffin.
"Wow~"
"Finally! The head-to-head between these two super rookies is about to begin."
As Blake Su and Griffin matched up, fans clenched their fists, hearts pounding. This moment… they had been waiting for it.
"Blake Su!"
Griffin narrowed his eyes, staring at Blake Su, who stood a head taller.
He growled, "This rookie class—it looks like we're the ones running it.
Come on.
Let's settle this.
Let everyone see which one of us really controls the game—your unstoppable 'guard-style' offense, or my violent attacks at the rim that carry a team to victory."
"Oh?"
Blake Su let out a low hum, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"Here we go!"
The instant the ball settled in his left hand, Blake Su planted his foot and burst left. With his speed and those long legs, his first step was explosive.
Blindingly fast!
"Whoosh!"
Griffin's eyes tightened. With elite athleticism of his own, he slid over, ready to meet Blake Su head-on with raw power and shut down the drive.
"Swish!"
But Blake Su smoothly spun back the other way, slipping past Griffin and rising into a mid-range jumper.
"Rip!"
Griffin whipped around and leaped, but it was far too late. Even at full extension, he couldn't block Blake Su's sightline.
He turned and watched the ball rip through the net.
"Wow~"
"A drive into a spin jumper—pure, flowing offense. Who would've thought a move like that, straight out of a guard's playbook, would look this beautiful on a big man?"
Jon Barry couldn't help but marvel.
"So quick… that big and still that agile. He's a nightmare to deal with."
Griffin muttered to himself, but the fire in his eyes only burned hotter.
The stronger the opponent, the sweeter it would be to crush him.
"Smack!"
At the left high post, Griffin called for the ball and went straight at Blake Su. No fancy handles, no spins—just pure, Beast-like power.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
He backed Blake Su down hard.
In sheer strength, Blake Su couldn't match Griffin. Each collision forced him back a step—but he kept his spacing, keeping Griffin squarely within his defensive range.
"Now!"
On the next bump, Griffin finally felt space. Inside the paint, he bent his knees and floated the ball up.
But the instant it left his hand, a massive palm came crashing down.
"Smack!"
The ball was swatted away.
"What?!"
Griffin froze in midair. As Blake Su landed, he smiled faintly.
"Hey. I've been waiting for you. Consider this block a little welcome gift."
"Tch!"
Griffin clicked his tongue.
"My god!"
"That's Griffin the Beast! With Griffin's insane athleticism and vertical, he just got blocked straight up—and it was a full-on swat!"
"And the crazy part—Griffin had already knocked Blake Su back, and he still got stuffed!"
"Absolutely unbelievable!"
The crowd was stunned.
"Blake Su… is terrifying."
On the sideline, Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro was shaken. He knew better than anyone how freakish Griffin's talent was—which made that block all the more shocking.
On the floor.
Nash scooped up the deflected ball outside and pushed the break, then handed it off to the trailing Blake Su, setting him up at the top of the key against Griffin once again.
"Step!"
Griffin closed the distance in one stride, crouching low with his arm out, crowding Blake Su's space and giving him nothing.
This time… he was determined to lock him down completely.
Blake Su raised the ball high, calm and unhurried, swaying his arms as he read the defense and waited.
Then—
He went.
Exploding to the right.
"Whoosh!"
Griffin chased.
"Screech!"
Suddenly, Blake Su slammed on the brakes, pulled the ball back between his legs, gathered, and rose for the jumper. Griffin tried to stop, fighting his own momentum.
He twisted midair to contest.
But… he had chased too hard. His center of gravity never fully recovered, and as he forced himself sideways into the jump—
"Thud!"
His feet tangled, and he crashed face-first onto the hardwood.
"Swish!"
A crisp sound followed immediately.
Blake Su… had broken Griffin's ankles and calmly knocked down the jumper.
"Boom!"
After a split second of stunned silence, the arena exploded again—cheers and shouts surging like a tidal wave.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser