Second year possession.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Curry dribbled the ball across half court. After leaving the Warriors and coming to the Suns, Curry had been able to show off his talent more fully, and his popularity had risen even higher than it had been in Golden State.
That recent game winner against the Nuggets, in particular, was the perfect finishing touch.
When he reached the top of the arc, he threw a behind the back pass to DeRozan in the left low post. DeRozan caught it, rose for a mid range jumper, and knocked it down.
On the other end.
Wall pushed the ball up and took a three himself, but it missed. Griffin grabbed the rebound, with only token defense under the basket.
"Boom!"
He threw down a two handed dunk, showing off his "The Blake Show" presence.
Jennings brought the ball up, accelerated past Wall, and looked as if he was going to attack the rim. But no. He swung the ball sideways to Curry at the top of the arc on the right.
"Whoosh!"
Curry accelerated, as if he were about to go straight at the basket.
"Tap!"
Blake Su, stationed in the left low post, planted his foot and was just about to step up for the block when he saw Curry suddenly slam the ball into the floor.
"Bang!"
The basketball bounced up off the court and flew toward the rim.
"Thump!"
"Boom!"
Curry jumped along with it, creating his own opportunity. He caught it in the air and finished with a reverse dunk. It was forced, sure, but it was still a reverse dunk.
"Tap!"
Curry dropped down from the rim, pounded his chest, and roared at Blake Su, as if to say, See that? I, the Sun Elementary School kid, can dunk.
"Heh!"
Blake Su smiled and shook his head without saying anything.
As possession changed, Blake Su took the ball at the top of the arc and went straight to Curry. Curry did not even move aside. Instead, he stepped up to meet him, a little excited.
"Blake Su, let's go at it. Just like usual."
"You mean like usual, with me crushing you?"
Blake Su smiled faintly.
"What are you talking about?!"
Curry glared at Blake Su and lunged in for the steal, but Blake Su gave him no chance. He dribbled behind his back repeatedly, his body shifting along with the ball.
"Whoa!"
Another wide behind the back lateral crossover opened half a step of space between him and Curry.
"Whoa!"
Blake Su lifted the ball and fired a three.
With that half step of separation, plus Blake Su's overwhelming height and wingspan advantage, Curry had been shaken loose and had no way to contest. All he could do was watch him shoot.
Then...
"Swish!"
The three pierced the net, clean and pure.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
After hitting the three, Blake Su pounded his chest, pointed up at the sky, then looked at Curry and mocked him.
"Stephen, that's your defense?"
"Hmph!"
"Don't look down on me!"
Curry rolled his eyes at him.
On the court.
DeRozan brought the ball up and tried to take Griffin one on one, but he failed to break through and immediately passed to Curry on the left high post.
"Tap!"
Blake Su stepped out, closed in, and struck quickly, accurately, and fiercely, trying to snatch the ball from Curry's hands.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Curry reacted fast. He used a half spin to avoid it, but that left him in a post up stance against Blake Su.
That's right.
Curry, who stood only 188 centimeters tall, was now in position to post up Blake Su, who stood 215 centimeters tall. And there was not much time left on the shot clock.
"Bang!"
With his back against Blake Su, Curry bumped him once, then half turned into a fadeaway jumper.
"Thump!"
Blake Su went up to contest, but he had no intention of really blocking it. He only gave a token bit of interference. After all, the game had just started. There was no need to get serious.
"Swish!"
Curry hit the fadeaway.
"Heh heh heh!"
Forced into a post up, Curry laughed after making the fadeaway jumper and shouted at Blake Su, "How was that? Tell me, how was that post up?"
"Not bad."
Blake Su shrugged and laughed. "About thirty percent as good as mine."
"Tch! Come on!"
Curry looked at Blake Su with disdain and tugged at the corner of his mouth. His expression was full of contempt, but somehow still looked a little adorable.
Wall brought the ball up and broke through again before passing to Blake Su. Blake Su slid sideways and moved the ball again. In the right corner, DeMarcus Cousins caught it and raised up for a three.
A center shooting a three?
Yes.
DeMarcus Cousins took it.
"Clang!"
Unfortunately, it did not fall.
The rebound?
Griffin tipped the ball out, and Blake Su and Curry fought for it on the perimeter. The result was obvious. Blake Su snatched it right over Curry's head.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Facing Curry again, Blake Su did not simply pull up. Instead, he used another series of behind the back dribbles to find his rhythm, faked a drive on the left wing, then suddenly went into another wide behind the back move.
"Whoa!"
He shook Curry off again, then launched another three.
"Swish!"
Another make.
"That move again?"
Curry frowned, as if he had realized something. Blake Su, meanwhile, mocked him straight to his face.
"Stephen, that's your best rhythm change and crossover. I didn't expect it to work so well on you, too."
"Heh."
"So you really are using my moves against me. You even copied my celebration."
Curry confirmed the thought in his mind, and his heart sank.
"Damn you, Blake Su. You're using my moves to shake me off, then using my celebration after scoring. The offensive aggression might not be that high, but for me, the insult is off the charts. I have to get payback!"
As he was thinking that, Curry found Blake Su again, still with his back to him. If the last possession had been out of necessity, then this time, he was posting up on purpose.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
After several bumps, Curry used a half turn, then gave a shoulder fake. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Blake Su's center of gravity shift toward him, so he spun back and went into a turnaround jumper.
But.
"Thump!"
Even though Blake Su bit on the fake, he recovered his balance, jumped, and with his absolute leaping ability, height, and wingspan, still reached an extreme height as he rose backward.
"Smack!"
He blocked Curry.
"Hey, Stephen, trying to use my offense against me? Not happening."
Blake Su shrugged.
"Ah..."
After getting blocked, Curry growled and had no time to think. He rushed out, grabbed the ball, then from one step beyond the right side of the three point line, fired a three.
"Swish!"
Right through the heart.
A clean make.
"Hey!"
After hitting that three, Curry also realized something. Blake Su had ball handling ability, so it made sense for him to use Curry's behind the back changes. But Curry did not have the body for it.
He simply did not have post up ability.
If he kept taking it so seriously, he would only get taught a lesson and humiliate himself even more. Three pointers were still the offensive rhythm he knew best.
After making the three and settling back down, Curry shouted at Blake Su, "Hey, Blake Su, do you dare settle this with threes? A real showdown!"
"Why wouldn't I?!"
"If you want to fight, then let's fight!"