"Wow! A record that's been standing for 55 years?!"
Mark Jackson's eyes widened in exaggerated shock, playing along perfectly.
Jon Barry almost broke into laughter. Shooting Mark a look, he said,
"In 1955, Jim Tucker of the Syracuse Nationals, in a game against the Knicks, recorded 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists in just 17 minutes, becoming the fastest player in NBA history to post a triple-double.
Tonight, Blake Su secured his triple-double in only 16 minutes, officially breaking that 55-year-old record for the fastest triple-double.
Let's congratulate Blake Su—congratulations to this outstanding rookie center!"
"Boom!"
Almost the moment Jon Barry finished speaking, the arena—though the game was still ongoing—erupted once again in thunderous cheers for Blake Su.
The outcome was already decided.
Even many Nets fans applauded. Breaking such a record was extraordinary in itself.
And now, it had been done by a center.
That alone made the record even harder to surpass in the future.
"Wow!"
On the Suns' bench, Curry raised his hand high, grinning like a kid. Blake Su slapped palms with him, offering a polite, professional smile.
But inwardly, he was thinking—
What a loss.
As for the game, there was no suspense.
The Suns ultimately crushed the Nets by 27 points.
Blake Su broke the 55-year-old "fastest triple-double" record, but… because he had gone too hard early, he failed to complete the System task.
After the game.
Riding an eight-game winning streak, the Suns celebrated wildly in the locker room, cheering Blake Su's triple-double and record-breaking performance.
Only Blake Su himself looked dejected.
...
Next opponent: the Hornets.
They had already met once earlier in the season. Although the Suns won that game, the Hornets—led by "The Point God" Chris Paul—were a strong team and not to be taken lightly.
And after overdoing it last game and taking a heavy loss in terms of his System mission, Blake Su was determined to complete it this time.
One day later.
Time Warner Cable Arena.
9:00 p.m.
The Hornets and Suns met for the second time this season…
Tip-off.
Before the game.
During warm-ups, the Heat's "Big Three" came to watch. On one hand, they were there to support their good friend Paul. On the other, they wanted a close-up look at Blake Su—the hottest rookie in the league right now.
"LeBron, do you think Chris can beat Blake Su tonight?"
Wade puffed his cheeks slightly as he asked.
"Hard to say."
Even speaking about his close friend, LeBron answered honestly.
"The Suns are stronger than last year. The Hornets might not have enough overall firepower."
"It depends on Chris,"
Bosh said calmly.
"If he controls the tempo, anything is possible."
"That's true."
LeBron smiled, noncommittal. Wade grinned as well.
"It's starting. Let's watch."
As they spoke—
The game began.
"Jump ball!"
Okafor and Blake Su rose for the tip, just like last time. Once again, Blake Su got higher—by more than half a palm—and easily controlled it.
The Suns got the first possession.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Blake Su brought the ball up himself. Facing Ariza, he exploded on his first step, shook him on the second, pulled up abruptly at the free-throw line—
and elevated.
That jump… was absurdly high.
"Thud!"
Ariza couldn't keep up. And even if he had, he wouldn't have been able to contest it.
"Swish!"
Mid-range jumper good.
Hornets (0): (2) Suns.
"Blake Su looks active again tonight! Right out of the gate, a smooth mid-range jumper to get the Suns on the board. Are the Hornets about to get blown out too?!"
In the broadcast booth.
Van Gundy had barely begun speaking when Paul answered on the other end with a mid-range jumper of his own.
Then he assisted Belinelli for a three.
Then West knocked down a mid-range shot.
A 7–0 run in response.
Suns possession.
Nash pushed the ball up, drove hard along the left wing. When West rotated to help, Nash whipped a pass behind him to Blake Su at the right wing.
Wide open.
Blake Su rose for three.
"Clang!"
Just short.
But the moment it left his hand, Blake Su knew it was off. He burst toward the rim, soared inside, and snatched the offensive rebound.
He kicked it back out to Curry.
Curry fired from deep again—
"Clang!"
Still no.
West secured the rebound and handed it to Paul to push.
Matched up against Frye—small against big—Paul used quick stop-and-go moves to shake Frye off balance, then leaned back for a jumper.
"Swish!"
Good.
Hornets on a 9–0 run.
Blake Su brought it up again.
At the top of the key against Ariza, he dribbled with his left, hesitated, exploded forward, then suddenly pulled back into a step-back.
Ariza bit hard and was completely thrown off balance.
Blake Su adjusted once—
From the left wing, he launched another three.
"Clang!"
A good look.
But again, slightly short.
Okafor secured the rebound. Paul immediately pushed in transition.
"Whoosh!"
A threading pass.
The ball zipped past Carter and flew to the left corner. As Ariza cut in at the perfect moment, the pass met him in stride.
Catch. Layup. Good.
11–0.
"Beep beep!"
The Suns had scored first.
But the Hornets responded with an 11–0 run and forced a timeout.
Hornets (11): (2) Suns.
"Wow!"
"11–0! The Point God is on fire! We can take down the Suns tonight and snap their eight-game winning streak!"
The home crowd was already roaring.
"Not bad. Chris really has the game under control. If this keeps up, they might actually win tonight."
LeBron smiled.
Bosh raised an eyebrow and said lightly, "Told you."
On the Suns' bench.
Gentry clapped his hands.
"Stay calm. Our offense is just cold to start. That happens on long road trips.
It's fine.
We'll adjust."
The players nodded.
They weren't discouraged. Eight straight wins—including a victory over the Thunder—had given them confidence. They weren't afraid of the Hornets.
Blake Su leaned quietly against the bench, staring at the scoreboard.
Down nine.
"More than I expected."
After last game's lesson, he knew he couldn't let the game turn into a blowout too quickly.
But he hadn't planned on falling behind either.
Still—both he and Curry had missed consecutive threes, and the Hornets were clicking offensively.
Nine points down wasn't good news for the team.
But for Blake Su?
Not necessarily bad.
A faint smile curved at the corner of his mouth.
"Down nine… that's actually perfect."
It lasted only a brief second.
But Van Gundy caught it immediately.
He blinked in surprise.
"What's going on with Blake Su? The Suns are trailing—and he's smiling?!"