(Extra Chapter)
...
Did Blake Su single-handedly bring a torrential downpour to US Airways Center?
Yes—and no.
Blake Su hit five threes in a single quarter, an explosive display. But Curry added two of his own, while Pierce knocked down two for the Celtics and Ray Allen buried three.
In that quarter alone, those four combined for 12 three-pointers, flooding the arena in a shooting storm.
Suns (82) : (76) Celtics.
The Suns led by six with 1:15 left in the third. Celtics ball.
Rondo brought it up, faked a three at the top of the arc—but Nash didn't bite.
He knew "Rondo doesn't shoot."
Sure enough, once Pierce sealed his position, Rondo lofted a high pass inside. Pierce went at Blake Su, backing him down, spun, and rose for a fading jumper.
Blake Su extended his long arms to contest.
Clang!
Missed.
Rebound?
Frye stepped toward it, but Blake Su casually reached out and secured the board. He pushed upcourt at a measured pace, slowed at the top of the key, glanced at the shot clock—
Then, from a full step beyond the three-point line, facing Pierce—
He pulled.
"What?!"
Pierce froze, too stunned to even contest.
"A deep three?!"
Mark Jackson locked onto the spinning ball. The moment it dropped cleanly through the net, he exploded—
"Great shot!"
The crowd erupted with him.
That was Blake Su's sixth three of the quarter.
Cheers crashed through the arena like a tidal wave.
"What is this?"
Pierce stood there, dazed.
Beside him, Garnett was just as shaken.
He had downplayed his own height in his career to avoid being confined to the paint. Yet here was Blake Su—a 215-centimeter center—drilling threes from everywhere, now even hitting one from deep range over tight defense.
Could a center really play like this?
After years in the NBA, Garnett was genuinely stunned by a rookie.
On the Celtics bench, Coach Rivers clutched his head, staring at Blake Su like he was watching a monster—a guard trapped in a giant's body.
On the Suns bench—
"Hahaha!"
Alvin Gentry laughed loudly, thrilled at the sight of the arena being rocked by Blake Su's shooting spree. Seeing Rivers' stunned expression only made it sweeter.
On the court, the game continued.
With 31.4 seconds left in the third, Rondo slowed it down, trying to leave Phoenix as little time as possible.
Ten seconds.
Pierce attacked Blake Su off the dribble, then kicked it out to Ray Allen for three.
Clang!
Missed.
Carter grabbed the rebound and immediately tossed it ahead to Blake Su.
Nine seconds left.
One step.
Two steps.
Blake Su crossed half court and stopped nearly two meters beyond the arc.
In front of a wide-eyed Pierce—
He launched again.
Another ultra-deep three.
The ball soared as the third-quarter buzzer sounded—
Bank!
Swish!
In again.
Back-to-back ultra-deep threes.
The arena went silent for a split second—
Then exploded.
"Amazing!"
"Nice!"
"My God!"
Fans stood frozen, mouths wide open.
"Unbelievable!"
Jon Barry stared for several seconds before speaking, voice trembling.
"Two straight ultra-deep threes. Seven threes in the quarter. Ten threes for the game. Blake Su's shooting tonight is… unreal."
"Incredible," Mark Jackson added, still stunned. "Seven threes in the third quarter alone. Twenty-five points in the period. Forty-three through three quarters.
Those two deep bombs send the Suns into the fourth with a 12-point lead."
"Exactly," Jon Barry said. "Against a Celtics team that's been red-hot lately, beating powerhouses like the Heat and Spurs, a rookie leading his team with 43 through three quarters—that's elite.
But it's the Celtics. You can't relax. One quarter is enough for them to flip a game."
...
The fourth quarter began.
After just 2 minutes and 19 seconds of rotation, both starting units were back. Neither side wanted to lose this marquee matchup.
Right away, the Celtics pulled Shaq, whose movement had slowed, and inserted the 206-centimeter power forward Glen Davis. He and Pierce focused on hounding Blake Su.
Even beyond the three-point line, the two shadowed him aggressively.
Mark Jackson laughed.
"It's still wild to see a center getting double-attention at the three-point line."
Jon Barry smiled.
"Blake Su is a wild kind of center."
On the floor, Blake Su called for a screen, shook Pierce, spun past Glen Davis, and sliced between both defenders into the paint.
A high scoop off the glass—
Good.
On the way back, he flashed Pierce a slight smile, as if to say: I'm not just a shooter.
Over the next 4 minutes and 17 seconds, with his three-point line tightly guarded, Blake Su attacked the rim repeatedly, scoring nine points during a 12–4 run.
The lead ballooned to 20.
Gentry subbed Blake Su out to rest. With such a gap—and the Suns still keeping starters on the floor—the Celtics had no path back.
With three minutes left, they waved the white flag.
"Tsk…"
Mark Jackson clicked his tongue as the game slipped into garbage time.
"The run-and-gun Suns just took down the surging Celtics. This Phoenix team right now? They're on another level."
"Right," Jon Barry agreed. "The Suns' run-and-gun is back. But tonight's difference-maker was Blake Su—the rookie center who finished with 52 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 blocks.
Ten three-pointers in a single game—he drowned the Celtics and led the Suns to their 11th straight win.
'Shooter' Blake Su… is something else."
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