On the court.
Although Blake Su answered with a pull-up three in transition, the Celtics' home momentum remained strong.
"Ray!"
Pierce called out as Rondo drove and kicked it out once again to Ray Allen. Catching it in the left corner, Allen stayed aggressive and fired another three.
"Clang!"
This one finally missed.
But the Celtics were not relying on Ray Allen alone. The ball bounced off the rim and fell into Garnett's hands. He immediately went back up and banked in the putback.
Suns possession.
Nash brought the ball up and delivered a sharp entry pass to Blake Su at the left side of the arc. Pierce and Ray Allen closed in immediately, looking to trap him.
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su swung the ball across to Curry at the top. Curry kept it moving, sending it to Carter in the left corner.
"Whoosh!"
Carter caught it and exploded forward. Rondo was a step late on the rotation and got left behind. Carter drove into the paint and rose for a dunk, but Garnett and O'Neal rotated over in time.
"Whoosh!"
Instead of forcing it, Carter pushed the ball forward midair. Frye caught it under the basket.
"Boom!"
He went straight up and hammered it home.
Clean and easy.
"That sequence showed excellent ball movement. All five players touched the ball, and the Suns executed it well as a unit. Right now, they are not only strong, but their chemistry continues to improve. They have already surpassed the Thunder as the biggest dark horse this season."
Hubie Brown commented.
"Right."
Dave Pasch followed up.
"They have won 22 straight and sit atop the Western Conference. The Celtics' All-Star Five are a tough matchup, but the Suns are not a weak team either. The outcome tonight will likely come down to how both sides execute under pressure."
On the court.
After Ray Allen, Curry, and Blake Su combined for an early barrage of threes, the game settled into a high-intensity exchange, with both teams trading baskets at a fast pace.
End of the first quarter.
Celtics (33): (35) Suns.
Both teams scored over 30 points, showing strong offensive efficiency. The Suns carried a narrow two-point lead into the break.
Soon after.
Second quarter.
The game moved into bench rotations.
Curry led the second unit alongside George, while the Celtics paired Ray Allen with Garnett to anchor their lineup, balancing inside and outside play.
George matched up against Garnett.
Meanwhile, Curry and Ray Allen entered another shooting exchange.
However, as a second-year player, Curry was still slightly behind Ray Allen in consistency and did not gain the upper hand in their three-point battle.
After five minutes of rotation.
The Celtics erased the deficit and moved ahead by three.
"Beep!"
Gentry called a timeout. The starters returned, while Ray Allen and Curry briefly went to the bench. Nate Robinson and George stayed on the floor.
Play resumed.
Blake Su came up using a screen from George. From the right side of the arc, a step beyond the three-point line, he rose and fired over Rondo's closeout.
"Clang!"
Missed.
On the next possession, Rondo pushed straight to the rim. Carter rotated over, and Rondo kicked it out to Garnett on the other side, who gathered and finished the layup in stride.
"Swish!"
Good.
In the following possession, Pierce isolated Carter at the left high post, powered through contact, and finished at the rim in traffic.
"Swish!"
Another one.
Riding the momentum, Pierce used a Garnett screen at the high post, caught the ball in the left corner, and immediately rose for three.
"Swish!"
It went in.
Five straight points.
"Swish!"
Blake Su answered with a driving pull-up jumper.
But then O'Neal backed Frye down under the basket, turned, and finished.
A 9-2 run.
The three-point gap quickly stretched to ten, the largest lead of the game so far.
"Ten-point lead at home. The Suns are in trouble tonight."
"Ten is not enough. Keep it going and push it to twenty."
"End the streak."
The home crowd grew louder.
In the stands.
Wall narrowed his eyes.
"A ten-point lead is not safe. The Celtics still need to stay sharp. Blake Su has the ability to turn games around."
Nearby, Howard was visibly pleased seeing the Suns down ten. He was eager to see them fall further behind.
He wanted to see Blake Su lose.
That way, the attention around Blake Su would fade.
"Boom!"
The Celtics' run further ignited the arena. With a ten-point lead and control of the game, they held the momentum.
"Beep beep!"
Gentry called another timeout to slow things down.
After the timeout.
Curry checked back in.
"Snap!"
Blake Su received the ball at the left side of the arc, facing Pierce. The crowd continued to boo, implying that a rookie like him was not on Pierce's level.
But compared to the atmosphere in Utah, this was nothing. Even the intense pressure there had not affected Blake Su.
Still.
"Whoosh!"
Just as it seemed he would take Pierce one-on-one, Blake Su suddenly passed to the middle. Curry caught it on the move, but the ball slipped out of his hands.
He quickly chased it down and recovered before it crossed midcourt. The pass had been slightly off, nearly resulting in a turnover.
"Whoosh!"
Curry swung it to Nash on the opposite side. Facing Rondo, Nash adjusted his rhythm and suddenly pulled up for three.
But Rondo reacted immediately. Despite being only 185 cm tall, his 213 cm wingspan allowed him to contest effectively.
"Smack!"
He blocked Nash's shot cleanly.
"Great defense."
"Excellent timing."
The crowd responded with another surge of energy.
The ball bounced loose again. Curry sprinted after it, securing it past midcourt. With only 5.3 seconds left on the shot clock, there was little time to set up.
"Whoosh!"
Without hesitation, Curry crossed into the logo area and launched a quick push shot from deep.
It was clearly a forced attempt. Players under the basket were already preparing for the rebound.
But.
The ball spun toward the hoop.
"Thud!"
"Swish!"
It struck the backboard and dropped through the net.
Curry hit from the logo.
The crowd fell into brief disbelief.
Most saw it as a fortunate make.
Then, on the very next possession, Blake Su brought the ball up slowly to the logo area.
"Whoosh!"
With defenders watching, he rose and fired.
"Swish!"
The ball snapped cleanly through the net.
Another logo three.
And this time, nothing but net.
...
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