"Is that even possible?!"
Turiaf had jumped too, but he still could not touch the ball. He was completely stunned.
"He jumped way too high!"
"F**k!"
"His head was above the rim! What kind of vertical leap is that? What kind of insane athleticism is that? How does a center even do that?!"
The fans were just as shocked.
Many Knicks fans already knew Blake Su had talent far beyond that of an ordinary center, but that pass had clearly been thrown too high. It should have been a turnover, yet Blake Su still managed to catch it.
Forcing an alley-oop dunk out of that kind of pass was simply unbelievable.
"That's incredible!"
Some Knicks fans gaped and instinctively praised Blake Su's talent.
"Boom!"
Because of Blake Su's violent alley-oop dunk off a bad pass, the Suns' momentum seemed ready to overwhelm the Knicks. But it clearly was not going to be that easy.
Throughout the first quarter, aside from his first two possessions and that alley-oop just now, Blake Su was smothered by the Knicks' defense.
His offensive output was limited and not especially efficient.
The Knicks, meanwhile, were different.
Anthony continued scoring with his kaleidoscope of offensive moves, while "STAT" showed strong ability both attacking the basket and protecting the rim.
The two of them attacked from inside and out.
Knicks (31): (26) Suns.
At the end of the first quarter, the Knicks led by 5 points.
In the second quarter, it started with the bench units.
Stoudemire stayed on the floor, while the Suns also sent Curry in. But in terms of pure firepower, Curry, who was only in his second year, was still no match for Stoudemire's explosiveness.
After just 3 minutes and 33 seconds, the lead grew to 9 points.
"Beep! Beep!"
Alvin Gentry called a timeout and brought Blake Su back early. The Knicks did not hesitate either, sending Anthony back in ahead of schedule as well. Both teams' starters returned to the court early.
"Step!"
Blake Su took on Stoudemire defensively.
With Blake Su's talent, unless Stoudemire was using his body to overpower him in the paint, his drives from the perimeter and his contested jumpers were not very efficient.
Once Blake Su applied enough defensive pressure, "STAT's" impact dropped sharply.
However, the current Knicks did not only have "STAT." They also had "Melo" Anthony. Whether it was Curry, Nash, or Carter, none of them could guard him one-on-one.
And Blake Su, who was busy covering Stoudemire, could not split himself in two. He had no way to guard both of them at the same time.
So.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Anthony's scoring firepower remained fierce.
At the same time, the Knicks' targeted defense on Blake Su was still extremely intense. Whenever he was double-teamed, Blake Su usually chose to pass first and find his teammates.
Meanwhile, Nash saw that it was difficult to feed Blake Su, so he had no choice but to look for Curry, Carter, and the others. But their efficiency was not high either.
Seeing that, Blake Su could only force the issue himself, but his efficiency tonight was not especially good.
On one side was an Anthony they could not stop. On the other were the Suns' role players, who were not converting efficiently, and Blake Su, whose efficiency was only average while forcing shots against multiple defenders.
Back and forth, the gap kept widening.
By halftime.
Knicks (68): (55) Suns.
The Suns trailed by a full 13 points.
"Wow!"
"A 13-point halftime lead. My Knicks are amazing!"
"So what if they have a 19-game winning streak? So what if he's the 'best center in the game'? Against a Knicks team with 'Melo' and 'Stoudemire,' they still have to go down!"
"Hehe, can't help it. My mighty Knicks are just that strong!"
"This one's steady!"
"The Knicks are definitely winning!"
During halftime, the Knicks fans were completely fired up, chattering excitedly among themselves, while the Suns fans were starting to look worried.
In the ESPN studio.
Van Gundy looked over the stats and said, "The Suns aren't shooting well tonight, but it's only a 13-point deficit. There are still two quarters left, so the game is still very much alive.
"I believe Blake Su can still find a way to lead the team forward, even against double-teams."
"Uh..."
Mike Breen thought for a moment, then said objectively, "Although a 13-point deficit isn't that much for the Suns, it does expose two current problems with this team."
"Oh?!"
Van Gundy looked puzzled.
"Ahem..."
Mike Breen cleared his throat, sorted through his thoughts, and said, "First, defense. Although the Suns currently have the best record in the league, that's because their 'Run-and-Gun' offense is extremely powerful.
"Even if their defense isn't good, they can still force out an advantage with overwhelming offense.
"It's similar to the Heat, who still lack chemistry but can rely on the extraordinary individual ability of their 'Big Three' to force wins. The logic is more or less the same.
"However, when the Suns go cold and run into a strong opponent, like tonight, their defensive issues are immediately exposed.
"With two strong points in Stoudemire and Anthony, Blake Su can only stop one of them. The other can always score. And when Blake Su himself isn't scoring, that's how you end up with this 13-point deficit.
"Second, the single-core issue.
"People say the Suns are led by Blake Su and Curry, but in reality, everyone knows the true core is Blake Su alone.
"Curry hasn't fully grown into that role yet.
"So once Blake Su faces targeted defense and his teammates can't immediately step up, scoring becomes difficult for the team.
"The deficit will gradually grow.
"Whether it was the 76ers led by 'The Answer' Allen Iverson back then, or the Cavaliers led by 'King James' LeBron before this summer, both were led by great superstars.
"They carried their teams as single-core leaders all the way to the Finals, but neither of them could lift the championship trophy. That's how difficult it is to lead a team alone."
"Yes."
Van Gundy nodded without objection and said, "In NBA history, no star has ever truly led a team to a championship as the sole core.
"The closest example, in my opinion, was 'Flash' Wade in 2006. But even that version of Wade still had 'Shaq' beside him, who was still close to his prime.
"In short, leading a team as the sole core is indeed extremely difficult.
"Right now, this is only the regular season. It doesn't matter if Blake Su gets limited this once. It doesn't matter if his teammates don't play well. Even losing this game wouldn't be a huge problem.
"But once the playoffs arrive, it's a seven-game series against the same opponent. Once that opponent finds your weakness, it will be magnified endlessly and attacked relentlessly.
"Until you're eliminated.
"So, just as Mike Breen said, the Suns really do have two problems right now: defense and relying on a single core. If they want to go further, they still need to do better."
Van Gundy, who had always been known as a "Su fan," unexpectedly agreed with Mike Breen today and acknowledged that the current Suns truly had some problems and hidden risks.
That made it clear just how real those problems were for the Suns.
... Madison Square Garden.
The Suns' locker room.
Head Coach Alvin Gentry had also recognized the defensive issue. So when halftime ended and the third quarter began, he sent in Paul George.
...
...
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