No surprises.
The Suns defeated the Celtics.
Pierce remained on the court, his eyes unfocused. "We can't even beat a rookie? Have we really gotten old? Is it really time for a new era?"
Beating the Spurs and the Heat back-to-back had filled him with confidence about the future.
But losing to the Suns—losing to rookie Blake Su, who knocked down 10 three-pointers and dropped 50+ points—sent that confidence plummeting straight into the abyss.
Garnett walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't get discouraged. The Suns are legitimately strong right now. An 11-game winning streak says it all.
Losing to them doesn't mean we're weak.
Keep your confidence. When we get back home, to our own court, we'll beat them and take our pride back."
"Exactly."
Ray Allen stepped over as well. Always steady, he smiled faintly. "As long as we believe, we're still contenders for the championship this year."
Hearing his brothers' reassurance, Pierce nodded. "I know. I won't fall that easily—especially not to a rookie."
"That's more like it!"
Rondo came over and pulled the four of them together, bringing them into a tight huddle.
...
As soon as the final buzzer sounded, the internet erupted.
"They won? The Suns actually beat the Celtics?!"
"Damn, that's the Celtics team that just beat the Spurs and the Heat! If the Suns can take them down, does that mean they're stronger than the Spurs and Heat?"
"Hey, it doesn't work like that—but yeah, the Suns are for real."
"Of course they are. When your team has a center who hits 10 threes and scores 50+ in a single game, it's hard to lose."
"Blake Su is insane!"
"Wait, you're telling me Blake Su, a center, hit 10 threes in one game?"
"My God! He's already deadly with his height and mid-range. Now he's drilling 10 threes in a game? How do you even guard that?"
"Eleven straight wins—who's stopping the Suns?"
"Relax. Their next opponents are the second-seeded Mavericks in the West and the second-seeded Bulls in the East.
Two Bulls charging at once? The Suns won't handle that."
Even in the early hours of the morning, fans were still buzzing.
After another dazzling performance, Blake Su's popularity was soaring to new heights.
...
The next day.
Early morning.
Major outlets like the Minnesota Bee, the Houston Chronicle, and News Daily rushed to run stories on Blake Su.
Speed meant money.
Blake Su dismantling the Celtics and knocking down 10 threes in a single game spread across the media in no time.
9 a.m.
Suns training facility.
Swish!
Swish!
Swish!
Curry was locked in, repeatedly firing up three-pointers. His numbers had improved since joining the Suns, but he knew that if he wanted to reach another level, he had to keep grinding.
Blake Su was training as well.
Even with the System, he didn't rely on shortcuts. Extra work only made him stronger.
Carter and Nash were putting in work too. Much of their routine focused on maintaining condition—after all, age and lingering injuries were real concerns.
Several hours later.
Soaked in sweat, the Suns players headed to the rest area.
George brought over water and towels. During the break, Goran Dragić was flipping through the latest sports section. As he read, his eyes lit up and he burst out laughing.
"Wow~ The Player of the Week results are out. Blake Su got Western Conference Player of the Week again! That's four straight weeks. As a rookie!
I mean…
Isn't that some kind of record?"
"Of course it is."
George nodded with a grin.
Nash shrugged. "With Blake Su? That's normal. Just look at what he's been doing on the court. Who's taking that award from him?"
"Fair enough."
Goran Dragić smiled and continued, "Blake Su beat out Tim, Kevin, Nowitzki, Kobe—an entire lineup of superstars—to win it again.
That's unreal.
Our rookie Blake Su is on another level."
"What about the East?" Carter asked.
He already knew the West would be Blake Su. What interested him more was the Eastern Conference.
"Let me check."
Goran Dragić flipped the page. "Eastern Conference Player of the Week went to the Bulls' Derrick Rose—the 2008 No. 1 overall pick."
"Oh?"
Carter raised his brows. "I thought it'd be between LeBron and Howard. Didn't expect Derrick to take it. That's impressive."
"Haha!"
Frye, who had been listening, laughed. "Vince, you might be underestimating Derrick. This year's Derrick Rose is on a different level.
'Windy City Rose'—I'd say he's playing at a 'Jordan's successor' level this season."
"True."
Blake Su spoke up. "His speed is unmatched. His explosiveness is frightening. And his hang time is elite. He can tear through a defense at will.
Honestly…
I'm not even sure I could stop him one-on-one."
That wasn't false modesty.
Even with Iverson's Talent, Blake Su couldn't confidently say he had the edge in pure speed or explosiveness before actually facing Rose.
"Windy City Rose"—his talent was explosive.
If not for injuries, the brilliant futures of guards like Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Stephen Curry might have looked very different.
Because the spotlight…
might have belonged to Rose alone.
Was that an exaggeration?
Not at all.
He took one of LeBron's five consecutive regular season MVPs and became the youngest regular season MVP in history.
"This isn't ideal."
Nash suddenly spoke up, drawing puzzled looks. "Our next two opponents are the Mavericks and the Bulls—both second in their respective conferences.
They're strong.
Beating both of them back-to-back won't be easy."
"Hiss…"
The room quieted as everyone felt the pressure.
But Carter, who had just picked up a paper of his own, smiled faintly.
"Steve, don't boost their confidence while cutting ours.
We're not weak either.
After beating the Celtics last night, we're 13–8. That's a 61% win rate. We just jumped past the Trail Blazers and the Nuggets.
We're fifth in the West now.
And we're only 1.5 games behind the Mavericks. No reason to be scared."
Hearing that, Nash let out an embarrassed chuckle.
"I just want everyone focused. As for the win? I still believe it'll be in our hands.
Tomorrow night—
let's take down the Mavericks."
"Yeah!"
The team shouted in unison, battle spirit surging.
[Ding! Random quest triggered.]
Blake Su, who had just joined the shout, suddenly heard the System's notification echo in his mind.