Let's rewind a few hours.
Right around the time the NBA officially announced the Player of the Week awards and the first round of All-Star voting results.
On YouTube.
Two videos suddenly went viral overnight, skyrocketing in popularity and even taking over several top spots on the trending charts.
Both videos were interviews, and both featured Blake Su.
The first was a pregame interview from the Suns' second matchup against the Wizards after Christmas, conducted by ESPN's well-known reporter "Woj."
Rather than the whole video going viral, it was one line from Blake Su that exploded online.
Facing a provocation from the Wizards' No. 1 pick, he calmly said,
"The last No. 1 pick who said that has grass six feet high growing on his grave."
The result.
He shut down Wall for an entire quarter and proved his point on the court.
The second video was also from that same game, but this time from the postgame interview.
When "Woj" asked Blake Su how he felt about his performance, he casually replied,
"Against Wall, I only used 50 percent of my ability."
And yet.
That "50 percent" performance still produced 37 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks, while holding Wall to just 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Those calm, almost indifferent words hit even harder, completely flipping Wall's earlier provocation back onto him.
The first line perfectly captured the feeling of trying to show off and failing.
The second line pushed the postgame mockery to the limit.
After a few days, once people edited the clips together with fitting captions and sound effects, the videos exploded across YouTube overnight.
They quickly turned into two viral memes, with countless people jumping in to imitate them.
And that led directly to what just happened.
Blake Su was still confused.
George rushed over, crossed his arms, and imitated Blake Su's tone as he shouted at Curry,
"Heh, Steph, let me tell you, the last guy who challenged me one-on-one has grass six feet high growing on his grave."
???
Blake Su just stood there, baffled.
You two are older than me. Why are you acting like this?
He shook his head slightly and ignored them, walking toward the court.
At that moment, Steve Nash came over smiling and explained everything, recounting how his interview had gone viral on YouTube.
"Huh?!"
"I'm the new 'King of Swagger' in basketball?!"
Blake Su was stunned at first.
The new "King of Swagger"?
Yes.
Before Blake Su earned that title, many stars in the league had delivered iconic, swagger-filled lines.
For example.
Gary Payton, the defensive specialist known as "The Glove," once responded to criticism about his offense by saying,
"Getting past you is like crossing the street in the morning."
He then backed it up by dominating his opponent, turning that line into a classic.
Kobe Bryant once said,
"Have you ever seen Los Angeles at 4 a.m.? I have."
One of his most iconic quotes.
Tim Duncan, after sweeping the Cavaliers 4-0 in the 2007 Finals, smiled at LeBron and said,
"The future of the league is yours."
That line aged in a way no one expected.
Kevin Garnett, famous for his trash talk, once taunted Carmelo Anthony with,
"Your wife tastes like a doughnut."
That sparked a confrontation after the game and became widely talked about.
Michael Jordan, the "God of Basketball," rarely spoke, but when he did, it cut deep.
A simple line like,
"Nice try, you almost defended me,"
was enough to break opponents mentally.
And when he returned after retirement, his "I'm back" sent shockwaves across the league.
Then there was Larry Bird.
At a three-point contest, he walked in and said,
"Which one of you is coming in second?"
Then went out and won it.
He even once told a defender exactly where he would hit the game-winner from, then did it.
Moments like these are everywhere in NBA history.
And now.
Blake Su, without even thinking too much when responding to John Wall, ended up creating two lines that pushed him into that same category.
"The last guy who said that has grass six feet high growing on his grave."
"Against a player like you, I only used 50 percent of my ability."
These two lines became his signature quotes.
At Curry's urging, Blake Su watched the most popular version of the video on YouTube, which had already surpassed five million views overnight.
Looking back at it now.
Yeah, it did sound a little like showing off.
"Heh... heh..."
Blake Su let out an awkward laugh.
"Go ahead and copy it if you want. As long as you're having fun."
...
Those two lines quickly spread everywhere.
Fans, players, and even people outside basketball started using them.
They became not just Blake Su's signature lines, but full-blown internet memes.
And without him even trying, they brought him another wave of popularity and attention.
That was the upside.
But Blake Su himself was not focused on any of that.
His attention was on the next game against the Rockets.
A chance at a 22-game winning streak.
A record on the line.
He had to take it seriously.
He had to win.
And the fans, especially those following closely, were eagerly waiting for that matchup, hoping to see Blake Su match the winning streak once set by Yao and McGrady.
Amid all that anticipation.
That night arrived.