"What?!"
Jon Barry was still enjoying himself and hadn't quite processed it when Mark Jackson continued:
"In less than two minutes after the opening tip, Blake Su already has 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.
All 10 of the team's points have come directly from him.
And Blake Su has been extremely active on defense as well. That's why, even as a perimeter-oriented player, he's grabbed three rebounds in just two minutes.
Seriously.
Blake Su is unbelievably aggressive tonight. His desire to score is off the charts!"
It had to be said—Mark Jackson's eye was sharp. Blake Su, chasing a "40+ triple-double," had come out firing from the very first possession.
From offense to defense, he was fully engaged in everything.
Jon Barry thought back for a moment, then said in surprise, "What's going on? The opponent is the Nets—they're not exactly a powerhouse.
Logically, this shouldn't be happening."
"Uh…"
Mark considered it and said, "My guess is a shoe company has taken an interest in Blake Su. If he wants a big contract, he has to prove his value. That's probably why he's playing this hard."
"Ah, that makes sense!"
Jon Barry nodded in agreement.
That logic checked out.
If you wanted a major deal from companies like Adidas or Nike, of course you had to play hard and boost your stock.
And Blake Su had indeed drawn attention from those brands.
But… they would never guess that he was pushing himself like this purely to secure a "40+ triple-double" and claim the System reward.
On the court.
After the timeout.
Brook Lopez backed down Frye in the paint, powered his way inside, spun, and banked it in. As the team's primary offensive weapon, he finally ended their scoring drought.
"Clang!"
Curry, who had scored 8 straight points, tried to keep it going with another three, but it rattled out.
Possession changed.
"Swish!"
Harris knocked down a three off a screen. Then he drove into the lane, drew Frye's help defense, and dumped it off to Brook Lopez for an easy layup.
The Nets responded with a 7–0 run.
The timeout had an immediate effect, and it felt like they were starting to mount a comeback.
But Blake Su, whose offensive hunger was surging, had no intention of letting that happen.
7:17.
With a sharp crossover, Blake Su cleanly shook off Outlaw, attacked the rim, and before Lopez could rotate over, lofted a high bank shot that dropped in.
Immediately after.
When Morrow missed a layup, Blake Su secured the offensive rebound.
6:01.
Blake Su isolated against Harris at the free-throw line, faked a drive, and slipped a clever pass inside to Frye for a powerful dunk.
4:13.
Blake Su split Humphries' defense and drove into the paint. Contested by both Lopez and Morrow, his layup missed—
but he grabbed his own rebound.
"Swish!"
The putback was good.
2:14.
Blake Su first drove and kicked it back to Curry trailing behind for a successful layup.
Then, using his eye-popping vertical leap and wingspan—leaving Morrow staring wide-eyed—he intercepted a high lob intended for the paint in midair.
"Whoosh!"
He sprinted full speed into the frontcourt.
After drawing defenders on the drive, he kicked it back out to Carter waiting on the perimeter. Carter caught it in rhythm and fired a three—
nothing but net.
Final possession of the quarter.
After collecting the defensive rebound, Blake Su pushed the ball up calmly. At the top of the key, holding the ball in the middle, he methodically drained the clock. Whoever the Nets put on him, it was a mismatch.
With 7 seconds left on the shot clock, he lowered his stance and drove past Outlaw.
One step.
Two steps!
"Skrrt!"
He pulled up abruptly for a jumper. Outlaw hadn't even shifted his balance before Blake Su released the shot.
The ball flew as if guided by GPS.
"Swish!"
Straight through the net.
Nets (17): (31) Suns.
The Suns led by 14 after one quarter.
"Wow…"
During the break between quarters, Mark Jackson looked at Blake Su's stat line and shook his head in disbelief.
"In just one quarter, Blake Su has already put up 8 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.
Can you imagine a center posting numbers that complete in a single quarter?"
Jon Barry shook his head repeatedly.
"Blake Su's offensive drive is on another level tonight. Forget a single quarter—even over an entire game, very few centers could put up a stat line like that."
"Exactly."
Mark Jackson nodded.
"Even though Blake Su only scored 8 points in the first quarter, the team built a 14-point lead playing at his tempo.
He's been incredibly versatile tonight.
And on top of that, with Blake Su constantly setting him up, Curry dropped 13 points and 3 assists in the first quarter alone. Outstanding performance."
"Right."
Jon Barry glanced at the numbers and joked with a smile.
"Both Suns rookies, Blake Su and Curry, are playing great. Meanwhile, 'Son of the Wind' Nash only has 2 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist in the first quarter.
Compared to Blake Su and Curry, this All-Star point guard almost seems… optional."
"Haha!"
On the Suns' bench.
Nash heard the commentators teasing him. Not only was he not upset, he was genuinely pleased. The team had a big lead, and the young guys were playing brilliantly.
Why wouldn't he be happy?
Beside him, Blake Su looked like he was resting, but his mind was constantly calculating.
"Three more rebounds. Three more assists. Lock in the triple-double first, then start scoring.
Tonight, the '40+ triple-double'—[Peak Curry Three-Point Shot]—I'm getting it no matter what."
He clenched his fist, his competitive fire rising.
Soon.
The second quarter began.
Under normal circumstances, the Suns' bench unit would play four to five minutes before the well-rested starters checked back in. Of course, if they were trailing badly, the starters would return early.
But tonight.
With a 14-point lead, Blake Su—who had rested for barely two minutes—asked to go back in.
Even Coach Gentry was surprised.
Then he thought about it.
He's a rookie. Full of energy. If he wants to play, let him play.
Blake Su checked in early to lead the bench unit.
He quickly grabbed three more rebounds.
As for assists, he kept moving the ball, but his teammates just couldn't convert.
Not until the starters returned.
Not until 5:57 remained in the second quarter, when Blake Su drove and dished to Nash cutting inside for a floater, did he finally record his third assist of the quarter.
"Tweet—tweet!"
The Nets called another timeout.
Because after that assist from Blake Su, the Suns had stretched the lead to 19 points, closing in on a 20-point advantage.
At the broadcast table.
Mark Jackson laughed in amazement.
"With that assist, and with 6:03 left in the second quarter, Blake Su now has 15 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks—a triple-double.
A center reaching a triple-double in less than two quarters.
Blake Su has been unbelievable tonight!"