The two commentators were stunned by Blake Su's dazzling display of ball-handling.
The fans in the stands were no different. Mouths hung open as they stared in disbelief, repeatedly marveling at a center with such refined dribbling skills.
At the same time, it turned Zaza Pachulia into a complete punchline.
Even on their home court, the boos kept coming.
"Hmph!"
Being shaken to his knees was humiliating enough. Now, with waves of jeers pouring down on him, Pachulia burned with even greater anger. As teammates helped him up, his eyes blazed as he glared at Blake Su.
If looks could kill, Blake Su would already be ashes.
"Beep, beep!"
Just as Pachulia was thinking about how to get his revenge, Larry Drew called a timeout and firmly kept him on the bench.
Blake Su's early return had an immediate impact.
The Hawks were forced to bring their starters back in early to contain him, while the Suns also sent their starters back out after enough rest.
Play resumed.
The Hawks, trailing by six, had the ball.
Joe Johnson held it at the top of the key against Carter. With his left hand, he used an in-and-out dribble, then suddenly accelerated, catching Carter off guard.
He beat Carter by half a step and drove into the paint, only to be met by Blake Su rotating over on help defense.
Joe Johnson immediately kicked the ball out to Al Horford on the opposite side under the rim. Horford caught it, bumped once against Frye, then spun free.
He rose up strongly. Frye also jumped from the side to contest. Horford leaned back slightly to avoid the block and released the shot.
The whistle blew.
Frye got called for a foul on the arm.
"Swish!"
"Ah!"
Horford still made the basket, but immediately let out a cry and fell to the floor, clutching the inside of his left thigh.
"What happened?!"
The Hawks' team doctor rushed onto the court, while the big screen showed a slow-motion replay. It revealed that Horford's left foot hesitated awkwardly upon landing.
The doctor suspected a muscle strain.
After a brief rest, Horford still felt discomfort and was helped off to the locker room for further evaluation.
On the court, with Horford out, Pachulia was sent back in.
"Hmph, what luck."
Pachulia smirked as he returned, paying no attention to his injured teammate. All he cared about was getting another chance to redeem himself against Blake Su.
Although Larry Drew had warned him not to provoke Blake Su and to focus on his role in the paint, Pachulia only agreed on the surface.
After being shaken, dropped, and toyed with by a center, no one could swallow that.
Play continued.
Bibby stepped up to take Horford's free throw.
He made the extra shot.
Suns ball.
Nash brought it up and took a three from the top of the key. It missed, bouncing off the rim. Pachulia hustled for the rebound under the basket.
But.
Blake Su read it first, crashing in from the perimeter and securing the offensive rebound with his superior vertical.
The moment Pachulia saw it was him, he immediately stepped up to defend.
Exactly what Blake Su wanted.
At the top of the key, Blake Su faced Pachulia again. On the Hawks bench, Larry Drew rubbed his forehead, a bad feeling creeping in.
Josh Smith started to come over for a double team, but Blake Su swung the ball to Curry on the right. Smith had to follow, and Curry quickly returned it.
Pachulia took the chance to step closer, setting himself in front of Blake Su in a textbook defensive stance.
Blake Su lowered his body as well, eyes locked on him, holding the ball low, ready to either drive or pull up. The pressure alone made Pachulia tense.
Blake Su planted his right foot.
His left foot stepped sharply forward to the right, releasing the ball mid-step to avoid traveling. The step was wide and explosive.
In an instant, he slipped past Pachulia's position.
Pachulia reacted instinctively, stepping forward to chase.
But he overcommitted.
As he forced himself to slide, his upper body kept up, but his lower body lagged. His feet slipped, and his balance gave way as he started falling backward.
He managed to catch himself with his hands, barely avoiding a full fall.
At that same moment.
Blake Su stopped abruptly, pulling the ball back between his legs into his left hand.
Pachulia, driven by sheer determination, forced himself upright again and lunged forward to recover.
But then.
Blake Su hit another quick crossover. The moment the ball returned to his right hand, he exploded forward again.
"What?!"
Pachulia panicked and tried to chase, but he forgot his weight was already shifting forward. Forcing himself backward in that instant completely broke his balance.
His feet tangled again.
This time, he could not recover.
He fell straight back and landed hard on the floor.
"Swish!"
Blake Su brushed past him and finished an easy layup off the glass.
The arena fell silent for a split second.
Then it erupted.
A thunderous roar surged through the building, echoing everywhere.
"Unbelievable!"
Van Gundy's voice shook as he shouted, "One possession, two knockdowns. Blake Su, a center, just recreated Allen Iverson's signature move.
This is unbelievable. How is this even possible?!"
"Are you kidding me?!"
Mike Breen jumped to his feet, overwhelmed with excitement.
"What did I just see? Blake Su dropped Pachulia twice in a single possession.
What kind of move is that?!
Incredible. That was incredible!"
He was nearly at a loss for words.
On the Suns bench, George, Dragić, and the others leaped up, waving towels and shouting wildly.
The entire arena hit a boiling point the moment Blake Su dropped Pachulia twice in one possession.
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (40 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.