One possession, two knockdowns.
The arena erupted in thunderous cheers. For Blake Su, it was pure admiration. For Pachulia, it was nothing but humiliation.
"Ugh..."
Amid the loud jeers, Pachulia slowly got to his feet, his face flushed red with shame. At that moment, he finally understood.
Blake Su was not someone he could handle.
He chose to give up.
Even after being repeatedly embarrassed, he swallowed his pride. He stopped stepping out to defend Blake Su on the perimeter and retreated to the paint, sticking to his role.
Otherwise, continuing to blindly guard someone he simply could not stop would only lead to more humiliation and could even affect his career. Pachulia was not an overly hot-headed player.
In the end, reason won out over anger.
But that possession, where he was dropped twice by Blake Su, was already set in stone. It was bound to make the highlight reels.
On the court, the game went on.
When Blake Su once again positioned himself at the top of the arc, Pachulia no longer stepped up. He stayed under the rim, focusing on rebounding. He could not guard Blake Su, and he refused to be embarrassed again.
By the end of the second quarter, the Suns had stretched what had once been a 2-point game back to an 11-point lead.
After all, with Horford out, the Hawks had lost their strongest interior presence. Pachulia could not replicate that impact, so the widening gap was inevitable.
...
At halftime, Van Gundy could not help but marvel again.
"Blake Su, this era-defining center, is just incredible. From what I remember, dropping a defender twice in a single possession... only 'The Answer' Allen Iverson has done that.
Allen Iverson, the 'Son of Philadelphia,' is one of the greatest ball-handlers in NBA history, a true master of rhythm.
It makes sense for him.
But Blake Su is a 215-centimeter center, a true big man, and he still managed to drop Pachulia twice in one possession.
Honestly, just thinking about that play gives me chills.
Amazing. That was absolutely insane."
Van Gundy was completely fired up, praising Blake Su nonstop.
Mike Breen was just as shocked.
"A center? Van Gundy, I do not see him as a center at all.
He is a tall guard. A tall rhythm master."
During the break, the two commentators could not stop talking about Blake Su, and the fans in the stands were just as captivated, still immersed in his dazzling performance from the first half.
More precisely, they were reliving how he toyed with Zaza Pachulia.
Inside the Suns locker room, the atmosphere was just as heated.
Everyone was still talking about how Blake Su had repeatedly embarrassed Pachulia in the first half.
Curry even eagerly asked Blake Su to share some of his ball-handling techniques.
George was full of admiration, acknowledging that even as fellow rookies, Blake Su was far ahead of him. Dragić looked at Blake Su like a devoted fan, his eyes filled with admiration.
Nash and Carter also watched him closely, expecting this "super rookie" to shine even brighter on the NBA stage.
At that moment, every player in the Suns locker room had their attention on Blake Su.
They might not have said it out loud, but deep down, they already saw him as the team's core, the most important piece.
Unspoken, yet fully understood.
Blake Su was the leader. The centerpiece. The one in charge.
...
Soon, the second half began.
Switching sides, the Hawks had possession.
Down by 11, the game was far from over. Joe Johnson brought the ball up, used a screen to shake his defender, and pulled up for a mid-range jumper from the right side.
"Clang!"
Missed.
Nash pushed the ball up. Blake Su feinted as if calling for it, but Nash swung it to Curry on the other side, already set to shoot. Curry caught it and fired a three.
"Clang!"
Also missed.
In the first four minutes of the half, both teams struggled offensively, largely due to the increased defensive intensity.
Blake Su cut toward the free-throw line and drove into the paint. Facing a double contest from Pachulia and Josh Smith, he hung in the air and adjusted for a layup, but it would not fall.
Rebound.
Bodies collided under the rim in a scramble. Frye came away with it and kicked it out to Nash. Seeing the chaos inside and no one guarding him, Nash drove straight in for a layup.
But at that moment.
Bibby, waiting on the wing, reacted instantly. As Nash gathered the ball, Bibby reached in from the front and stripped it clean.
A steal.
He immediately pushed the ball out and sprinted upcourt, glancing back as Joe Johnson moved into position to receive it for a fast break.
Joe Johnson charged forward and leaped to catch the pass.
But just as his hand touched the ball, Blake Su came flying in.
Leaping backward with superior height, he snatched the ball out of the air.
"What?!"
Joe Johnson was stunned. The other Hawks players, who had been anticipating a fast break dunk, froze for a split second.
And that was enough.
Blake Su took off.
With long strides, he stormed into the paint. From the left side, he planted, grabbed the ball with one hand, and exploded upward.
Under the rim, Pachulia finally reacted, but Blake Su was already in the air.
In the next instant.
A heavy collision.
Blake Su rose like a rocket and crashed into Pachulia, riding over him in mid-air.
Then came the thunder.
A one-handed slam, vicious and powerful, hammered through the rim.
And finally, Pachulia, caught off guard by the impact, stumbled backward and collapsed onto the floor.
Blake Su postered Pachulia and sent him crashing down.
The arena fell silent for a brief moment.
Then the noise came crashing back.
Cheers erupted like a tidal wave, shaking the entire building.