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Chapter 269 - Chapter 269: Making History, Two 20-game Winning Streaks in One Season

"Why is that?"

Van Gundy played along and asked.

"Heh."

Mike Breen smiled and raised an eyebrow, giving him a look that said, you know exactly what I mean. Then he continued, "Right now, the Knicks have Stoudemire, Anthony, and Billups. The talent on this team is obvious.

"But tonight's loss also exposed the flaws of those talented players.

"Stoudemire and Anthony are, without question, elite scorers in this league. But it feels like scoring is all they know how to do.

"They don't know how to get their teammates involved.

"Tonight, when the team fell into a bad rhythm, Stoudemire and Anthony didn't use their offensive gravity to find open teammates or better scoring chances.

"Instead, they kept forcing their own shots. When those shots missed, they gave the Suns plenty of chances to run in transition and attack on the break.

"When their touch isn't there, too much isolation basketball becomes one of the reasons the Knicks give up points. It's also one of their biggest problems right now.

"Now look at the Suns.

"When Blake Su gets double teamed, or when his shot isn't falling, he still uses his own offensive threat to actively look for his teammates.

"Even though his teammates started off cold, he kept feeding them. Eventually, Curry got going, while Nash and Frye also made their contributions.

"And once the role players started creating offensive pressure, the Knicks were forced to pay more attention to them defensively.

"That naturally loosened the defense on Blake Su. Once that happened, Blake Su got more opportunities, and with his talent, scoring became much easier.

"That is how the Suns came back after once trailing by 13. Blake Su used his ability to lead the team to turn the game around and secure the win.

"The key difference tonight was how Blake Su, Stoudemire, and Anthony led their teams when facing adversity."

"That's right."

Van Gundy nodded repeatedly and smiled. "We've said it again and again. Even though Blake Su is a rookie, his understanding of basketball is like that of a veteran who has been in the NBA for years.

"He knows exactly what to do at the right time, and he knows how to lead a team to victory. Just like everyone says, Blake Su is a natural-born leader."

"Exactly!"

As the two continued analyzing the game, they launched into another round of praise for Blake Su.

On the court, the game finally came to an end.

The Suns defeated the newly formed "Big Three" Knicks on the road by 13 points, sweeping the season series against New York.

...

Inside the ESPN studio.

Mike Breen, who had been praising Blake Su throughout the night, grew excited again after the final buzzer. "Congratulations to the Suns. They take another win over the Knicks and extend their streak to 20 straight victories.

"And with this win, the Suns have now recorded two separate 20-game winning streaks in a single season. No team in NBA history has ever done that before. The Suns have made history again.

"And the key point is this.

"Both of those 20-game winning streaks were led by a rookie as the team's core. That is almost unheard of. 'Monster Rookie' Blake Su is the strongest rookie in the league right now.

"No one else comes close!"

"That's right!"

Van Gundy added with a smile, "Blake Su has already surpassed every previous benchmark for Chinese players in the NBA, and step by step, he is building a legacy of his own."

#Suns20GameWinningStreak#

#BlakeSuMoment40PlusTripleDouble#

#BlakeSu9PointsIn9Seconds#

#BlakeSuMakingHistory#

Almost the moment the game ended, these keywords quickly surged onto social media trending lists, generating tremendous buzz.

Blake Su's all-around performance tonight, along with his ability to lead the team, helped the Suns take down a red-hot Knicks squad and left fans amazed.

It also made more and more people take notice of Blake Su.

...

The next day, discussions about last night's Knicks versus Suns game were everywhere. News reports poured in one after another, drawing attention and traffic that were in no way inferior to the Heat versus Knicks matchup.

The buzz was everywhere.

"43 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. Blake Su, this rookie center, has delivered another phenomenal performance. Seriously, he's way too complete.

"He doesn't look like a center at all!"

"Leading a team to two 20-game winning streaks in one season, that's the truly insane part!"

"Hiss... a rookie with that kind of leadership ability is ridiculous!"

"Hey, hey, hey, can we talk about scoring 9 points in 9 seconds?"

"Blake Su is so strong, and so complete!"

"Look, in my opinion, Blake Su's passing ability itself isn't that amazing. At least compared to Nash, he's still quite a bit behind.

"But he's very good at using his own threat to draw defenders, then making the simple pass to an open teammate and letting that teammate finish the play. That kind of pass isn't difficult, but it's extremely effective.

"So honestly, it's not that surprising that he can get triple doubles."

"Exactly. Besides being a dominant scorer, Blake Su also has a high basketball IQ. And on top of that, he's willing to share the ball.

"Seriously, whichever team gets Blake Su is basically getting a treasure. Any team would be jumping for joy and grinning from ear to ear."

American fans were full of praise for Blake Su as well.

That afternoon, TNT held a roundtable discussion.

The topic was: "Which team can truly defeat the Suns?"

Today's panel consisted of Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller, Clyde Drexler, and Kamla.

Before the discussion began, Reggie Miller spoke first, laughing as he said, "That rookie Blake Su is really something else. My 'Miller Time' moment was, for me, probably the greatest moment of my career.

"And last night, Blake Su, a rookie, scored 9 points in just 9 seconds. In terms of scoring alone, that's one more point than I had, second only to T-Mac's 13 points in 35 seconds.

"He created the 'Blake Su Moment.'

"Some fans may feel it didn't happen in the final do-or-die moment, so it doesn't carry as much weight. To that, I'll just say this. If you think it's easy, go try it yourself."

"Haha!"

Charles Barkley laughed and picked up the conversation. "Exactly. No matter when it happens, scoring 9 points in 9 seconds is enough to make the 'Blake Su Moment' go down in history.

"Just like his game against the Lakers, when Blake Su had that steal and game-winning layup in 3.8 seconds. Moments like that are almost impossible to replicate, and they absolutely deserve to be remembered.

"People will still be talking about them years from now."

"That's right."

Clyde Drexler tapped the table with his finger and nodded in agreement. Then he shifted the conversation. "Blake Su is indeed incredible, and he has helped the Suns hold firmly onto first place in the West.

"At the same time, they've now made history by recording two separate 20-game winning streaks in a single season.

"So here's the question.

"After the All-Star break, the Suns have once again won 20 straight games. They are full of energy, full of momentum, and they look unstoppable.

"Which team can truly defeat them?"

...

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