During the timeout.
During the broadcast.
"This game is absolutely thrilling!"
Mike Breen stared at the tight score and said in a deep voice, "Blake Su has already put up 36 points tonight, along with 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks. Rose has 28 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals.
Both players have dazzling stat lines.
But… Blake Su is just a rookie who's newly entered the league, while Rose is the reigning Rookie of the Year and a former No. 1 overall pick who's already spent two seasons in the NBA.
When you compare the two like this…
Blake Su is truly on another level!"
"Exactly."
Jeff Van Gundy nodded with a smile. "Blake Su has been outstanding, and performances like this are certainly encouraging. But right now, the priority is closing out this game.
The final three minutes are going to be a brutal battle."
"Mhm."
As the commentators spoke, the timeout ended.
The Bulls subbed out Bogans and brought in Korver, who had been shooting well tonight. The Suns took out Carter and sent in their rookie who was also having a strong game tonight… Paul George.
The final three-minute showdown began.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Blake Su handled the ball at the top of the arc as Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer, the two forwards, stepped up aggressively. Blake Su signaled, and Paul George moved up to set a screen.
As George rolled, drawing a bit of Luol Deng's attention—
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su suddenly rose up and fired from deep. Luol Deng reacted immediately and leapt to contest. By all logic, it should've been blockable.
But… with the [Peak Curry Three-Point Shot] boost, Blake Su's release was simply too fast. Even an instant contest wasn't enough.
The ball arced high.
"Swish!"
Nothing but net.
"Great shot!"
Steve Nash pumped his fist and shouted. In moments like this, every possession mattered—especially a clutch three.
"Smack!"
George rushed over and high-fived Blake Su. It didn't look like two rookies hyping each other up—it felt more like a junior teammate celebrating his leader.
Bulls ball.
Rose brought it up and targeted Curry. A series of between-the-legs crossovers, then a sudden burst down the left wing. He slammed on the brakes and rose for a mid-range jumper.
Curry, half a beat slow, lunged from the side—but he was nowhere close.
"Swish!"
Rose drilled it cleanly.
Nash quickly inbounded from the baseline. Blake Su caught it and took off. Luol Deng sprinted after him, but the harder he chased, the wider his eyes grew.
"I'm a small forward—how am I not catching a center?!"
Luol Deng couldn't believe it, yet the widening gap was undeniable.
Fortunately, Boozer had already retreated and stepped up to cut him off. Blake Su didn't slow down—he accelerated straight into the paint. As he collided with Boozer, he whipped a pass sideways.
Curry, trailing behind, caught it and immediately launched a wide-open three.
This one…
"Clang!"
Off the rim.
The rebound bounced straight into Luol Deng's hands. He quickly pushed it ahead to Rose, and the Bulls were off on the break.
Rose burst forward. George and Nash both slid over to contain him, while Frye guarded the paint. Rose suddenly fired a no-look pass behind his back.
In the left corner, Korver was ready. He caught it and let it fly from three.
An open look for a hot shooter—
"Clang!"
Missed.
Noah grabbed the offensive board and kicked it back out to Korver for another attempt.
"Clang!"
Still no good.
Frye secured the rebound this time.
"Tsk…"
"Korver missing two wide-open threes—that's brutal!" Parker said from the stands.
But before his words had even faded—
"Clang!"
On the Suns' fast break, Curry's pull-up three in transition also missed.
"Curry isn't much better," Ginobili said, shaking his head. "In crunch time, every possession is crucial. And every possession tests a player's ability to handle pressure.
Whether you can perform under that pressure—that's everything.
Curry's only a second-year player. In big moments, he still gets rattled. His clutch ability just isn't there yet. And Korver? He's just a shooter. Clutch scoring isn't his strength either."
"Right."
Tim Duncan nodded.
Off to the side, Howard curled his lip. "See? That's the weakness of shooters. You really think you'll make every shot? But if it's at the rim—if it's a dunk—on a possession that big, you're not missing."
Allen Iverson shrugged and said nothing.
On the court.
1:44 remaining.
The Suns led by one.
Bulls possession.
Rose brought it up. Blake Su stepped forward to guard him, but Luol Deng immediately set a screen. Rose turned the corner, forcing a switch onto George.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
At the right side above the arc, about a meter beyond the three-point line, Rose dribbled deliberately with crossovers, lowering his center of gravity. The moment the ball shifted to his left hand, he exploded left. George stayed glued to him.
When Rose reached the right side of the free-throw line—
"Screech!"
He stopped on a dime and crossed over in front. And… without decelerating, he changed direction in an instant.
The move was so fast that George's mind reacted—but his body couldn't.
He tried to twist and recover.
His feet tangled.
"Bang!"
George crashed to the floor.
"Swish!"
Rose sliced into the lane like a gust of wind and finished the layup.
"It's here!"
"Derrick's cutting without decelerating!"
"Too fast!"
"That athleticism is unreal!"
"Rose!!!"
In the clutch, Rose's outrageous "cutting without decelerating" drive put the Bulls ahead. The arena erupted, Bulls fans roaring as the sound shook the building.
George scrambled up, dusty and stunned. Rose's blinding speed and explosive athleticism left the rookie momentarily dazed.
On the Suns bench, Alvin Gentry narrowed his eyes. There was no disappointment in his gaze. To him, this was the kind of lesson George needed.
1:27 remaining.
Suns ball.
Nash pushed it quickly upcourt. Frye and George set a double screen. Blake Su curled back the other way, using the screen to pop out, and Nash delivered a precise pass right on time.
Blake Su rose for three.
This time?
"Clang!"
Still no.
"Oh my—three straight missed threes in crunch time for the Suns. That hurts. Boozer grabs the rebound and finds Rose to push in transition. The Windy City Rose is on the move again.
At the free-throw line—one explosive step, blowing past Nash. Into the right side of the paint, sudden stop, rising for a mid-range shot. Frye rotates early—going for the block?!
Rose?
Wow!
Rose adjusts in mid-air, pulling the ball back to avoid the block, hanging in the air before firing a cross-court pass to the left corner where Korver is waiting.
Korver's third three of the sequence—
This time…
"Swish!"
Nothing but net.
Unbelievable!
Rose uses an air handle pass to set up Korver for three. That core strength is simply absurd!
...
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