Hubie Brown and Dave Pasch were chatting in the live broadcast room.
Meanwhile, on the court.
Warm-ups ended quickly, and both teams' players took the floor.
Phoenix Suns Starting Lineup: 191 cm point guard Steve Nash, 188 cm shooting guard Stephen Curry, 198 cm shooting guard Vince Carter, 211 cm power forward Channing Frye, and 215 cm center Blake Su.
Minnesota Timberwolves Starting Lineup: 188 cm guard Luke Ridnour, 201 cm small forward Wesley Johnson, 206 cm power forward Michael Beasley, 208 cm power forward Kevin Love, and 213 cm center Darko Milicic.
"Jump ball!"
The tip-off between Blake Su and Milicic.
As the second overall pick from the "Class of '03," Milicic was a well-known bust. Blake Su easily outjumped him by more than half a hand and tipped the ball away.
"Thud, thud, thud!"
Steve Nash collected the ball, pushed it upcourt, and initiated the Suns' first possession.
He fed it to Blake Su at the top of the key, then spaced out to the side. Beasley stepped up to defend. Blake Su lowered his center of gravity, planted his foot.
Then exploded forward.
Fast as the wind.
"Whoosh!"
He blew past Beasley instantly. Johnson on the wing was just about to help when Blake Su suddenly stopped and rose up. That pull-up jumper from his towering frame left defenders with no chance to contest.
"Swish!"
The shot drops cleanly.
Suns (2): (0) Timberwolves.
Blake Su opens the scoring with a jumper.
...
Ridnour brought the ball up, drove and kicked to Johnson in the left corner for a three, but it missed. Love grabbed the offensive rebound and kicked it back out.
"Clang!"
Johnson caught it again. Another open look. He fired without hesitation.
But still.
"Clang!"
No good again.
The rebound, however, was once again secured by the "new king," Kevin Love, whose rebounding instincts were exceptional. He kicked it out once more.
"Whoosh!"
Beasley caught it and pulled up for a mid-range shot.
"Clang!"
Still no good.
They simply couldn't buy a bucket. Another miss. Yet Love, that rebounding machine, snatched the ball again out of the crowd.
He went straight back up himself.
"Clang!"
His turnaround bank shot missed as well. This time, Frye finally secured the rebound, clearly frustrated.
"Wow... three straight offensive rebounds. Love's sense for where the ball will land is incredible. A power forward averaging 15.5 rebounds per game, leading the league. He truly lives up to the reputation."
Hubie Brown's eyes lit up as she praised him.
"Exactly."
Dave Pasch nodded, then added, "But... his teammates just aren't delivering. Three straight misses, and even Love himself isn't in great form offensively.
One team is first in the West, the other is last. The stronger team isn't just better, they're also in rhythm. The weaker team isn't just worse, they're completely out of sync.
Facing a Suns team that's both stronger and hotter...
The Timberwolves are in serious trouble tonight."
Yes.
Just as Dave Pasch analyzed, the Timberwolves were ice-cold while the Suns were red-hot. The result was inevitable.
A completely one-sided blowout.
10:13.
"Swish!"
From the left corner, Blake Su drilled a three over Beasley's defense. A perfect swish.
9:22.
"Swish!"
Curry drove to draw defenders, then pulled it back out to Blake Su at the right elbow. Beasley rushed up, but Blake Su immediately accelerated, shifting his weight.
"Whoosh!"
He blew past him, sliced into the paint like lightning, slipped under the rim, and finished with a reverse off the glass.
7:31.
A Blake Su and Curry connection. Off a solid screen from Blake Su, Curry rose from the right wing and fired.
"Swish!"
Nothing but net.
On the very next possession, Curry pushed the ball up, stopped at the top of the key, a full step beyond the three-point line. Riding the hot hand, he launched another deep three.
"Swish!"
Again, pure.
That shot was completely unreasonable, and it dealt a heavy blow to the Timberwolves' confidence.
"Clang!"
Johnson tried a transition three. Still no good.
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su grabbed the rebound, pushed the pace, and from well beyond the arc at the left wing, he decisively launched a deep transition three.
"Swish!"
A crisp, satisfying sound as it dropped through.
Another three.
"Haha!"
Hubie Brown laughed. "Whenever Curry heats up and starts hitting threes in bunches, shaking the opponent's confidence, Blake Su always follows up.
He delivers an even more lethal blow.
And the key is, he always makes those backbreaking shots. He has an incredible sense for timing, wiping out opponents in a single surge."
"Exactly."
Dave Pasch smiled and nodded. "That's what makes Blake Su so dangerous. He always delivers the decisive blow at the most critical moment.
That's what a true leader does."
On the court.
First quarter.
The Suns were firing on all cylinders, while the Timberwolves were completely out of rhythm.
The Suns led by as many as 14 points in the opening quarter. Although Kevin Love grabbed 8 rebounds in the first, it hardly made any difference.
Second quarter.
After rotations.
The Suns extended their lead even further. Love's scoring picked up slightly, but Blake Su and Curry's offensive barrage was overwhelming. Those threes were downright demoralizing.
Halftime.
The Suns had built a 21-point lead.
Down more than 20 at the half, the Timberwolves were already on the brink of collapse.
Second half.
Switching sides, the Suns showed no intention of letting up. After two minutes of back-and-forth play, they unleashed a 15–6 run that completely put the game away.
"Beep. Beep!"
Coach Kurt Rambis, who seemed to have no intention of fighting for the win from the start, calmly called a timeout, subbed out his starters, and sent in the bench, effectively conceding as the game entered garbage time early.
Tonight.
Blake Su was incredibly efficient: 12-of-15 shooting, 6-of-8 from three, 2-of-4 from the line. In under three quarters, he put up 32 points, along with 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
Curry was just as efficient: 8-of-13 from the field, 4-of-6 from three, and a perfect 3-of-3 from the line, finishing with 23 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal.
With both stars playing at this level, how could the Timberwolves possibly keep up? Even though Love grabbed 20 rebounds, he was fighting alone and had no chance of turning things around.
In the end.
The Suns cruised to an easy victory over the Timberwolves.
After the game.
In the broadcast studio.
Hubie Brown said, "A game without any suspense. The Suns have now won four straight. Their next opponent is the Jazz. In their last road matchup, Blake Su was affected by altitude sickness but still led the team to a tough win.
This time.
Back home against the Jazz. What will happen next?"
...
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