"There's really nothing you can do!"
Nowitzki's effortless jumper left Carter feeling helpless.
The absolute height advantage. The absurd wingspan. That awkward, nearly impossible-to-contest shooting form. Add in his elite touch, and the one-legged fadeaway was simply unfair.
Unstoppable.
Helpless as he felt, Carter kept battling him. His goal was simple—take as much defensive pressure off Blake Su as possible so Blake Su could focus on offense.
Suns possession.
Curry pushed the ball up and handed it off to Blake Su at the top of the arc. Matched up against Caron, Blake Su went between the legs, shifted right, exploded forward, then pulled up sharply.
The shot was already in the air before Caron could fully recover.
Swish.
"So fast!"
Caron's eyes widened. His defensive focus on Blake Su instantly hit maximum.
Next possession—same story.
Blake Su blew past him with one sharp step, attacked the rim, extended with his right hand. Chandler rotated over to contest.
Midair, Blake Su switched hands, adjusted his body, and flipped in a left-handed scoop.
Swish.
"This…"
Caron stood frozen.
He had heard about Blake Su—the rookie center with elite speed and explosiveness. But only after guarding him in person did he understand how terrifying he really was.
Another trip down.
Caron ignored everything else on the floor, locking in completely on Blake Su, determined to stop him this time.
But Blake Su, standing a step beyond the three-point line on the left wing, suddenly rose up without hesitation.
Under Caron's stunned stare—
Swish.
Three more.
"No!"
Caron clutched his head, mentally unraveling. He had no idea what Blake Su would do next—and no way to stop it.
At the commentary table—
"Look at that speed. That burst. The change of direction. The shooting touch. Blake Su can drive and shoot. Even at 6'9", Caron is a mismatch here.
He can't guard him. Keep this up and it's just free points."
Van Gundy spoke bluntly.
"Exactly," Mike Breen added. "When Blake Su faces a forward who isn't a true star, he'll isolate and attack the mismatch every time. That's inevitable.
But Dirk isn't backing down either. His one-legged fadeaway is just as unstoppable. Even an All-Star like Carter can't do anything about it.
Right from the opening tip, it's turned into a duel between Dirk and Blake Su."
They weren't wrong.
The Mavericks couldn't stop Blake Su.
The Suns couldn't stop Nowitzki.
Both teams' offensive anchors were trading blows.
End of the first quarter.
Mavericks 29, Suns 28.
Blake Su: 7-of-9 shooting, 2-of-3 from deep, 1-of-2 at the line.
17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block.
Elite efficiency.
Nowitzki: 5-of-8 shooting, 1-of-3 from three, 3-of-4 free throws.
14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist.
"Unbelievable…"
"What kind of monster rookie is Blake Su? He's going shot-for-shot with the German giant—and he's actually ahead statistically?!"
"This is crazy."
"Two big men shooting from the perimeter at elite efficiency. Watching this is something else."
"Hmph. Trying to outshoot Dirk when he's got that one-legged fadeaway? Blake Su's still just a rookie. The Mavericks are winning this tonight."
...
During the break between quarters, the arena buzzed.
On the Suns bench, Carter shook his head at Gentry.
"Coach, I did everything I could. One quarter was my limit. If I keep guarding Dirk, I'm going to lose it.
That fadeaway… I've got nothing for it."
Gentry nodded.
He had known from the beginning. The only player on the roster who could realistically challenge Nowitzki defensively was Blake Su. He just didn't want Blake Su burning himself out on both ends too early.
But this also exposed a problem—the Suns lacked a truly strong forward defender aside from Blake Su.
That was something to address later.
Right now, the priority was winning.
Gentry turned to Blake Su.
"You're on Nowitzki from here on out. You're the only one who can do it. If you contain him, we've got this game.
On offense, don't worry. Curry and the others will help carry the load."
"Understood."
Blake Su nodded.
He wanted to see for himself just how strong Dirk's signature move really was—the move that had once dismantled the Heat's Big Three.
...
The second quarter began.
After four minutes and twenty-three seconds of rotations, both teams' starters returned.
The Mavericks led by four and had the ball.
Kidd brought it up, waited for Nowitzki to seal his spot, and lofted another high entry pass.
Nowitzki caught it at the left elbow.
Then—
A figure stepped up in front of him.
Blake Su.
"Oh! Here we go!"
"A showdown between two big-man shooters—who takes this one?"
Nowitzki looked at Blake Su calmly.
He knew Blake Su could shoot from outside. He knew he was talented.
But he trusted his own move more.
Back down.
One hard bump.
Half-turn.
He lifted one leg and rose into the fadeaway.
Blake Su exploded upward, arm fully extended.
High enough.
Still not enough.
Swish.
The crowd erupted.
"See? Even Blake Su can't block it!"
"Dirk is unstoppable! That fadeaway is unguardable!"
Mavericks fans were ecstatic.
Suns fans felt uneasy. If even Blake Su couldn't contest it, then who could?
On the court, Blake Su narrowed his eyes.
"So this is the one-legged fadeaway."
With Dirk's size and release point, paired with that shooting form, very few players could bother it.
But very few didn't mean no one.
Next possession.
Blake Su sought him out again.
Nowitzki repeated the same move.
On the sideline, a greasy middle-aged fan yelled at the top of his lungs:
"That's the one-legged fadeaway! Blake Su, you can't block that!"
Blake Su heard him.
He smiled faintly.
One-legged fadeaway?
That's exactly the one I'm blocking.
He planted, exploded upward—
Bang!
A heavy thud echoed through the arena as Blake Su's palm smashed the one-legged fadeaway clean out of the air.