"MVP!!!"
Amid the deafening MVP chants, Blake Su finished his interview and headed back to the locker room with his teammates.
With that, this massive showdown before the Christmas games finally came to an end.
However...
Even past midnight that night, Twitter was still exploding with discussion. Fans talked about the game endlessly, like ants on a hot pan.
"Are you kidding me?!"
"Blake Su, a rookie, drops 65 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks?! Hits 13 threes and then steals the ball for a game-winning layup to beat the defending champions?!"
"Oh motherf**k! Is that something a rookie can even do?!"
"Even if a rookie could do it, is that something a center can do?!"
"Even if a center could do it, all of that together—is that something a rookie center can pull off?!"
"Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous!"
"Wait, hold on. A rookie center hits 13 threes, then with 3.8 seconds left steals the ball, runs half the court, and beats the defending champs with a layup?
Haha... hahaha!
I'm dying laughing. Even in a basketball movie, no director would come up with something this crazy. How could this happen in real life? This has to be fake news!"
"Fake news? Seriously?"
"I watched the whole game live... and even I'm still laughing."
"Hahaha, there's only one explanation—Blake Su is just too good."
"Bingo!"
This Suns vs. Lakers showdown—grand enough to be written into basketball history—left fans too excited to sleep.
...
The next day.
It was Christmas Eve.
There were no NBA games that day. Players headed home to spend time with their families.
For basketball players, Christmas Eve was their real Christmas.
Because on Christmas Day itself, many players and staff would still be working—playing in the Christmas Day games to entertain fans celebrating at home.
Early that morning, major newspapers released their headlines.
"Blake Su becomes the second 60-point scorer of the season. His 65-point performance surpasses Kobe Bryant for the highest single-game scoring total this season.
13 three-pointers in one game breaks the previous single-game record of 12 held by Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall."
— News Daily
"After becoming the youngest 50-point scorer in NBA history, Blake Su now becomes the youngest 60-point scorer as well.
This rookie center is writing one legend after another."
— Bilgewater Sports Net
"Suns defeat the Lakers to reach 17 straight wins, tying the franchise record.
Rookie Blake Su explodes for 65 points, outscoring 'the best player in the league' Kobe Bryant's 46 points.
This rookie is ruthless."
— The Daily Sports Report
Early in the morning, newspapers published sensational stories one after another—reports written overnight.
Word spread from one person to ten, ten to a hundred.
In an extremely short time, the Suns-Lakers battle from the night before spread everywhere.
Any fan who saw the news couldn't help but marvel at Blake Su.
This rookie who seemed to appear out of nowhere was unbelievably strong—his talent felt limitless.
Online, a new wave of discussion exploded.
"Yeah, Blake Su is insanely good. Not just the 13 threes and 65 points—more importantly, he beat the 'best player in the league,' the current 'top shooting guard' Kobe Bryant!"
"Exactly."
"If LeBron, Durant, Carmelo, Wade, or Rose beat Kobe in a game, that's understandable.
But a rookie center beating Kobe in a one-on-one battle on the perimeter?
That's just crazy."
"Exactly!"
"This super rookie Blake Su represents a new era. Beating Kobe last night—is that him telling the league Kobe's era is ending?"
"Hey, don't go that far."
"I don't care. Su God is the strongest!"
"Blake Su is the most accurate mid-range shooting center I've ever seen—no debate!"
"Blake Su has the best driving ability of any center I've ever seen!"
"Blake Su is the best three-point shooting center I've ever seen!"
"Blake Su is the most athletic center I've ever seen!"
"Blake Su has the best steal ability I've ever seen from a center!"
"Blake Su pulls off the most acrobatic layups I've ever seen from a center!"
"Blake Su… he's not even a center!"
"No way. In last night's interview he said himself that he really is a center."
"No, no. To me he looks like a giant guard or small forward. Only those positions usually have that kind of terrifying physical talent and skill."
"Exactly!"
"But the question is… who does he resemble?"
"I know! Blake Su is a giant version of Allen Iverson, an enlarged Kobe or Jordan, a two-sizes-bigger LeBron, a bigger Kevin Garnett, and an upgraded Kevin Durant."
"Honestly… he kinda resembles all of them."
"Damn…"
"Any comparison like that is terrifying."
"Blake Su is insane!"
Fans continued discussing Blake Su endlessly.
Among them, the comment calling Blake Su a "giant version of Allen Iverson" was liked and reposted by Iverson himself, sending Iverson fans into a frenzy.
Beyond that—
LeBron and Wade, who had watched the game the night before, posted on Twitter congratulating Blake Su for becoming the youngest 60-point scorer and breaking the single-game three-point record.
They added a message:
Blake Su is a generational super center.
Meanwhile, legendary centers such as "The Admiral" David Robinson, "The Dream" Hakeem Olajuwon, and "The Skyhook" Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also posted congratulations on Twitter.
Derrick Rose, Stephen Curry, Steve Nash, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady did the same.
...
Meanwhile, across Asia.
Many professional players and basketball figures spoke to reporters, praising Blake Su's incredible performance and expressing excitement over the stunning game he had delivered.
They hoped Blake Su would continue to improve and help elevate basketball to an even greater global stage.
At the time, Weibo had only been around for about a year.
It was rapidly gaining popularity among young people, though internet access was still far from widespread.
The platform itself was still in its early stages, and news continued to spread mainly through newspapers and television broadcasts.
Even so, after the Suns vs. Lakers showdown and the wave of media reports about Blake Su's nearly flawless performance, the story quickly spread.
Fans everywhere began hearing about the incredible rookie.
Across Asia and around the world, people were amazed by Blake Su's dominance.
They praised the player who hit 13 three-pointers, scored 65 points, and delivered a steal-and-layup game-winner.
As Blake Su's popularity skyrocketed—
one game was enough to turn him into a legend.