"Boom!"
The home crowd was electric.
As time passed, more than just fans began arriving. A number of older-generation stars also came to watch.
In the third row sat four legends who had come together: "The Dream" Hakeem Olajuwon, "Skyhook" Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, "The Round Mound of Rebound" Charles Barkley, and "Magic" Johnson.
In the second row.
"The God of Basketball" Jordan and his great partner "Batman" Pippen had also arrived.
Across from them, in the fourth row, Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian were there as well.
Aside from them, US Airways Center was filled with plenty of celebrities and big names who had come all the way to Phoenix specifically to watch this matchup.
Normally.
Even with the Heat's "Big Three," a small-market city like Phoenix would not draw so many celebrities just for one game.
But right now.
Because of Blake Su, they had come without hesitation, all to enjoy this "super rookie's" unique and incredibly powerful offensive style in person.
This... was Blake Su's popularity.
Amid the nonstop noise inside the arena, warm-ups finally came to an end. The Suns and the Heat, this Finals-preview-level showdown, was finally about to begin.
The starters for both teams took the floor.
Phoenix Suns starters: point guard Steve Nash, 191 centimeters tall, 6'3"; shooting guard Stephen Curry, 188 centimeters tall, 6'2"; shooting guard Vince Carter, 198 centimeters tall, 6'6"; power forward Channing Frye, 211 centimeters tall, 6'11"; and center Blake Su, 215 centimeters tall, 7'1".
Miami Heat starters: point guard Mario Chalmers, 188 centimeters tall, 6'2"; shooting guard Dwyane Wade, 193 centimeters tall, 6'4"; small forward LeBron James, 203 centimeters tall, 6'8"; power forward Chris Bosh, 211 centimeters tall, 6'11"; and center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, 221 centimeters tall, 7'3".
"Jump ball!"
Blake Su and Ilgauskas met at center court.
Ilgauskas stood 221 centimeters tall, a full six centimeters taller than Blake Su. But... basketball was not a sport where height alone was enough.
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
Both men jumped at the same time. With visibly superior bounce and leaping speed, Blake Su beat Ilgauskas to the ball and tipped it away.
"Smack!"
Nash caught it and pushed into the frontcourt to run the Suns' first possession of the game. He reached the top of the arc, saw Blake Su step up to screen, then suddenly accelerated toward the right wing.
"Whoosh!"
He shook off Chalmers and drove inside. Facing Wade, who had rotated over to help, Nash did not slow down. Instead, he sped up and went straight at the rim, with Wade glued to his side.
Wade was already ready to block the shot.
But... just as Nash drove into the paint and looked ready to lay it in, he suddenly tossed the ball high into the air.
"A pass to Frye?"
Wade guessed inwardly.
But in the next instant, from behind Frye under the basket, Blake Su suddenly flashed into view. He planted, rose up, caught the ball with one hand, and threw down a tomahawk alley-oop.
"Boom!"
A violent finish.
Bosh, who had been tracking Blake Su from behind, tried to chase him down for the block. But he had clearly underestimated Blake Su's vertical leap, height, and wingspan. He swatted nothing but air.
"Wow~"
"Right out of the gate, Nash and Blake Su connect. That play was gorgeous, and it had so much force behind it. The Suns just gave the visiting Heat an opening warning shot!"
At the commentary desk.
Jeff Van Gundy roared in excitement.
Mike Breen was fired up too as he called the game. "That's right. The Suns' first possession was not only crisp and clean, it was full of momentum.
Heat ball.
Chalmers brings it up, hands it off to LeBron at the top of the arc, then LeBron hands it off to Wade as he comes over to the right high post. Wade is facing second-year guard Curry.
How will 'Flash' attack?
Wow!
He accelerates straight in, takes the contact, spins, and shakes Curry off completely. Wade has a chance to attack the rim directly. Wade with the floater.
No!
It's a pass.
Wow~~ LeBron cuts down from the other side and takes off. This play...?
Boom!
LeBron throws it down with a one-handed alley-oop dunk!
The Heat answer the Suns head-on with a [LeBron-Wade Connection] alley-oop slam. Is this game already going to reach a fever pitch right from the opening?!
Back to the Suns.
Curry pulls up from the top of the arc for a transition three. Does he have it? No... a little short. LeBron secures the rebound and pushes the ball himself.
He reaches the top of the arc, immediately accelerates, and powers past Carter.
Wow~
Curry darts in from the wing and strips the ball right out of LeBron's hands. The Suns are on the break. Curry fires a pass straight ahead?!
Wow~~
Blake Su had already sprinted into the frontcourt. He looks back, catches it at the free-throw line, and takes off immediately. Blake Su, the Slam Dunk Contest champion!
He raises the ball high!
Boom!
Another one-handed slam!
The full-court [Su-Curry Connection], from the steal to the fast-break dunk, took only 4.7 seconds. This is the Suns' breathtaking run-and-gun offense."
Mike Breen's pace was astonishing, his call racing along as his excitement kept rising. Even as a play-by-play announcer, he loved watching offense at this level.
He loved it.
"Boom!"
As the [Su-Curry Connection] finished off that fast break,
the arena exploded. The fans' cheers rang out nonstop. Blake Su had opened the game with two dunks, instantly igniting the crowd.
However.
Just as the Suns were building momentum, the Heat answered. LeBron drove into the paint like a bulldozer, attacking the rim against a double contest from Blake Su and Frye.
In a flash of improvisation.
"Whoosh!"
A clever behind-the-back pass.
Bosh, cutting in from the other side, caught it and jumped, smashing down a two-handed dunk that hammered the rim. After landing, Bosh threw his head back and roared.
As if saying... it wasn't just LeBron and Wade. He, "CB4" Bosh, was one of the Big Three too.
On the change of possession.
Curry called for a screen at the top of the arc, shook off Wade, and accelerated down the right wing toward the rim. He gathered for a three-step layup in the paint as Bosh slid across to meet him.
"Thud!"
Bosh sprang into the air, ready to send the young Curry's shot away with a huge block.
But.
"Whoosh!"
After driving inside, Curry, already in midair, quickly pulled the ball back and kicked it out, finding Blake Su on the perimeter with perfect accuracy. Blake Su caught it, dribbled forward once to find his rhythm.
"Whoosh!"
One meter beyond the top of the three-point line, he raised his hand and fired.
Ilgauskas threw himself out to contest, but he was still a step late. Nearly wide open, the ball traced a beautiful arc through the air.
"Swish!"
A crisp sound rang out.
Right through the heart.
Blake Su's three dropped cleanly through the net.
"Wow!!!"
Mike Breen's mouth fell open as he said in shock, "Curry's pullback pass after drawing the defense on that drive was brilliant. Blake Su caught it comfortably, rose, and fired.
Three-pointer good."
"That's right."
Van Gundy nodded, then added, "The Heat and the Suns have started at an incredibly fast pace. The LeBron-Wade Connection and the Su-Curry Connection are trading blows one after another. Both teams are fired up.
This game... is fantastic!"