"My God!"
Jon Barry's mouth fell open as he exclaimed, "A triple-double before halftime? I never expected Blake Su—besides his lethal perimeter scoring—to have such impressive passing ability as well!
This center is just unreal."
"Uh…"
Mark Jackson pressed his lips together and thought for a moment before saying, "Blake Su definitely has passing ability. At least for a center, he's far ahead of most players at that position.
But—
I wouldn't say his passing is truly elite."
"Oh?"
Jon Barry prompted him to continue.
Mark Jackson went on, "Unlike traditional point guards who actively probe for passing angles, most of Blake Su's assists come from his own drives or the massive scoring threat he poses. He draws the defense in, then kicks it out to open teammates for easy buckets.
It's not pure playmaking in the classical sense."
"That's fair."
Jon Barry nodded, then added with a smile, "But using your individual ability to create shots for teammates—that's still a form of playmaking, isn't it? It counts.
The key is…
Blake Su is a center. For a big man to have this kind of distribution ability is enough to give opposing defenders and coaches a serious headache."
"Absolutely."
"Blake Su is incredible!"
The two commentators kept praising him, while the arena buzzed. Suns fans were electrified by Blake Su's triple-double.
As for the Nets fans, they sat stunned, overwhelmed by the relentless onslaught driven by Blake Su's explosive offensive intent.
"Beep!"
Play resumed after the timeout.
"Boom!"
Brook Lopez stayed composed, demanded the ball in the paint, backed down Frye, and powered up for a two-handed slam. The force of the dunk made the rim tremble.
"Oh!"
Nets fans roared in excitement.
After Lopez's violent dunk, it felt like another run might be coming—just like after the previous timeout.
But this time… they were mistaken.
Already with a triple-double in hand and chasing the 40-point milestone for his final task requirement, Blake Su flipped the switch into full scoring mode.
Second quarter.
Late in the half.
Blake Su went 5-for-6 in the quarter, pouring in 10 points with remarkable efficiency.
At halftime.
Blake Su looked at his stat line—25 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists. A spark of excitement flashed in his narrowed eyes.
"Just 15 more points in the second half and the system task is complete.
[Peak Curry Three-Point Shot]—I'm getting it tonight."
"Let's go."
Lost in thought, he was snapped back when Curry patted him on the shoulder. The two walked together toward the tunnel.
Nash came up beside them with a grin.
"It's only halftime and we're already up 30. The Nets really are weak. This one's been way too easy."
"Heh."
Carter, walking ahead, laughed without turning around.
"That's because Blake Su and Curry went off. A 25-point triple-double in one half? That's insane. Curry's got 23 at the break—his threes are automatic.
Those two alone blew the Nets off the floor."
Curry smiled and shook his head.
"Come on. It's because Blake Su keeps finding me. Most of my shots were wide open. Of course the percentage's going to look good. Otherwise I wouldn't have scored that much."
Blake Su's pupils suddenly tightened.
"What? We're up 30?"
"Yeah, Blake Su, you've been unbelievable. A center getting a triple-double in just one half… that's ridiculous," George praised from behind.
Until now, Blake Su had been completely focused on reaching 40 points, attacking nonstop without paying attention to the scoreboard.
Now that he heard the confirmation, his expression changed instantly.
"A 30-point lead? Doesn't that mean I'll probably get benched the whole second half?!
No. No way. I have to stay on the floor."
Back in the locker room.
Blake Su immediately went to Coach Gentry and made up a reason to keep playing in the second half. Unable to argue with him, Gentry reluctantly agreed.
"Phew…"
Blake Su finally let out a long breath.
Soon.
The second half began.
Blake Su rolled up his sleeves, ready to charge toward 40 points.
But unexpectedly—
The moment he stepped onto the court, the Nets committed a turnover. A missed shot followed, and the Suns pushed in transition.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Curry drilled a three.
Frye drilled a three?!
Yes.
Even Frye, the center, stepped out and knocked down a triple. The Suns' pace exploded. With such a massive lead, everyone was playing loose and completely in rhythm.
In just one minute, they went on another 6–0 run.
The 30-point lead ballooned toward 40.
"Ah…"
Avery Johnson let out a long sigh and signaled for a timeout.
Yes.
Only one minute into the second half, the Nets called timeout. During the break, they made a full five-man substitution, sending in the entire bench unit.
With a staggering 36-point deficit, they had officially waved the white flag.
Seeing that, Coach Gentry responded in kind, subbing in the reserves. The game officially entered garbage time.
Blake Su was naturally pulled and sat on the bench.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
He was completely dumbfounded.
He hadn't even had a chance to attack in the second half before the game was effectively over. He hadn't expected his teammates to be this dominant. He hadn't expected the lead to explode this quickly.
How did this even happen?!
After sitting there in a daze for a while, Blake Su finally realized—
Against a weak Nets team, he might have gone a little too hard in the first half.
Now.
With a 36-point blowout and the opponent already surrendering, even if he wanted to return, he couldn't. Forcing his way back in would draw criticism from fans and possibly anger the Nets.
If they decided to target him out of frustration and something happened—an injury, for example—it simply wouldn't be worth it.
With no other choice, Blake Su accepted the reality of having overdone it and stayed on the bench.
And in truth, even if he asked, Coach Gentry wouldn't let him back in.
Garbage time rolled on.
At the commentary table.
Mark Jackson smiled and said, "After beating the Thunder with a game-winner last game, and now dismantling the Nets by nearly 40 points at halftime, the Suns have officially entered the ranks of Western Conference contenders.
And tonight—
Blake Su, as a center, posted 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in just one half for a triple-double.
That's incredible. He's redefining what a center can be."
"Absolutely."
Jon Barry nodded, glancing at the stat sheet in front of him before saying excitedly,
"Blake Su recorded his first triple-double of the season tonight—and this triple-double also broke a record that had stood for 55 years!"
...
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