"Oh!"
The Suns fans responded in unison, full of anticipation about breaking the 23 game winning streak record.
Before the game, just before heading out to the court for warmups, Blake Su received a text from Austin. It contained the contact information for several people he needed.
These were the people Blake Su had asked Yao Ming to connect him with back when he gave him the [Injury Reduction Candies]. Yao Ming had used his own network and gotten every one of them for Blake Su.
"Good."
"It's nothing major, but it does save me a lot of trouble."
After importing the contacts into his phone with one tap, Blake Su set the matter aside for now.
Right now, just as Coach Alvin Gentry had said, he needed to focus on what was in front of him. The goal was the 24th straight win.
The Jazz's "Devil's Home Court."
The last time Blake Su played here, he had suffered from "altitude sickness," and that game had been extremely difficult to win. Now, he had already overcome it.
So the Suns, first in the West and carrying the momentum of a 20-game winning streak, came out with overwhelming force and quickly widened the gap.
By the end of the third quarter, they led by 14.
In the fourth quarter, they kept that 14 point cushion all the way to the end and ultimately beat the Jazz by 16, completing a season sweep with four straight wins over Utah.
...
The next day.
Facing the Timberwolves, who had only the isolated "New Wolf King" Love to rely on, the Suns gave them no chance at all as they continued chasing 24 straight wins.
Because showing mercy to your enemy is cruelty to yourself.
It was another three quarter blowout, another ruthless one sided massacre.
At the same time, just like their last meeting, Love's numbers were still excellent.
34 points, 19 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks.
Love's individual stats were outstanding. But against such a huge deficit, those numbers, though real, looked very much like empty stat padding.
After the game, seeing all the news and comments accusing him of padding his stats, Love felt frustrated and helpless. He secretly wiped away tears in the bathroom.
...
The next day, the Suns hosted the Spurs.
The battle between first and second in the West was a matchup everyone had been waiting for.
"Blake Su plus Curry" versus "GDP."
The Spurs had "GDP," but on defense, none of them could truly pressure Blake Su. Not even Tim Duncan could do it, especially not out on the perimeter.
So Nash took advantage of that weakness and kept feeding Blake Su the ball.
Blake Su scored 18 points in a single quarter and led the Suns to an 8 point lead.
In the second quarter, the rotation lineups came in, and the Spurs' bench mob began to close the gap, cutting it to 4.
When both teams brought their starters back, the Spurs also strengthened their defense on Blake Su.
But just when everyone thought Blake Su would choose to pass, he repeatedly used his back to the basket game to move the help defenders out of position, then went straight at "The Big Fundamental" Tim Duncan several times in isolation.
Duncan had no smile left on his face.
At the same time, Curry, who had been quietly building momentum, refused to let the chance slip. He scored alongside Blake Su, and by halftime, the Suns had pushed their lead to 13.
...
In the second half, after the teams switched sides, "GDP" began playing the team basketball Popovich had drilled into them. The three of them worked together and gradually cut into the lead.
By the end of the third quarter, the gap was down to 5.
In the fourth quarter, Ginobili led the bench and tied the game in one burst.
Then both teams brought their starters back.
The final stretch turned into a fierce battle. The score stayed tight, the lead changed hands again and again, and for a while, neither side gave the other an opening.
The turning point came with 3 minutes and 32 seconds left.
"Swish!"
Blake Su first rose up against a double team from Richard Jefferson and Ginobili and forced in a three pointer.
On the next possession, Parker used consecutive spins to shake off Curry, then pulled up from the free throw line.
But Blake Su came flying in from the baseline, reaching an impossible height.
"Smack!"
He tipped the shot away.
"Step!"
Then he jumped a second time and grabbed the rebound over Parker's head. Without even holding the ball, he immediately sent it to Nash near midcourt. Nash quickly passed ahead to Curry in the frontcourt.
At the right wing, Curry raised his hand and fired a transition three.
"Swish!"
Nothing but net.
A three pointer, then a block leading to an indirect assist. Just like that, Blake Su led the Suns on a 6 to 0 run and opened up the lead.
"Beep, beep!"
The crafty Popovich immediately called a timeout.
But it was no use.
The Suns held onto the advantage until the end and defeated the Spurs again, this time by 5 points, earning their 23rd straight win.
"Wow."
After the game, at the commentary desk, Van Gundy exclaimed, "The Suns have pulled out the Spurs and taken their 23rd straight win. They've tied the franchise record of 23 consecutive victories and also tied the second longest winning streak in NBA history.
"In two days, their opponent will be the struggling Kings. Breaking their franchise winning streak record and taking sole possession of the second longest winning streak in history is almost a foregone conclusion."
"Not necessarily."
Mike Breen joked, "The last time the Suns reached 23 straight wins, they were upset by the Kings. Who knows? Maybe the Kings really are the Suns' kryptonite.
"They might actually pull off another upset."
"Hahaha."
Van Gundy laughed awkwardly and said nothing.
In his heart, he thought, I don't believe it, but somehow that does make a little sense. I can't even argue.
At the same time, fans online were buzzing with discussion. Many began to feel that the Kings might really be able to end the Suns' 23 game winning streak again and knock them off their throne.
As more and more people echoed the idea, it gave the Kings a huge boost in confidence. They started to believe they really could beat the Suns.
Especially DeMarcus Cousins.
He even believed that if he defeated the Suns and dominated Blake Su, then he would be the best rookie in the league right now.
...
Two days later, the game arrived as scheduled.
Before the game, the NBA officially announced the Players of the Week. In the East, the award went to the Bulls' "Windy City Rose," Derrick Rose. In the West, Blake Su won it again, making it six straight weekly awards.
He had tied the record he himself had created for consecutive Player of the Week awards.
Of course, compared with the double focus of the Suns chasing 24 straight wins and the Kings trying to upset them again, this news did not seem all that surprising.
"Go Kings!"
"Upset the Suns again and show the league that we're their nemesis!"
The home fans cheered wildly.
The atmosphere in the arena was electric, so much so that for a moment, it really felt like the Kings might win.
But dreams are beautiful, and reality is cruel.
Once the game began, from the moment Blake Su hit the Suns' first shot, a three pointer, the flow of the game turned into a ruthless one sided beatdown by Phoenix.
They led by 11 after the first quarter.
They led by 19 at halftime.
By the end of the third quarter, they were up by a full 27. At one point in the third, the lead had reached 33.
In just three quarters, the Suns had blown the game wide open and crushed the Kings' upset hopes.
Determined to take their 24th straight win, the Suns refused to give the Kings even the slightest chance.
In the end, they destroyed the Kings by 21 points and claimed their 24th consecutive victory.
"Haha."
At the commentary desk, Jon Barry smiled and said, "People outside just hear one rumor and run with it. Total nonsense. Tonight's result was exactly what I expected."
"It was exactly what I expected too."
Mark Jackson also smiled and said, "Now that things have reached this point, the whole farce about the Kings upsetting the Suns again can finally come to an end.
"At the same time, congratulations to the Suns on their 24-game winning streak. They've set a new franchise record and now hold the second longest winning streak in NBA history on their own."
...
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (40 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.