"Beep, beep!"
Gentry called timeout.
The Heat's 6-0 run had erased the deficit and forced the Suns to stop the game.
"After the timeout, that 6-0 run from the Heat looked fairly standard on offense, but every one of those points was built on fierce defense.
Wade stole the ball from Curry. Bosh and LeBron trapped Blake Su. LeBron blocked Carter. LeBron stopped Carter's drive to the rim.
One tough defensive stop after another shut down the Suns' offense. At the same time, the Heat seized their chances to push the break, score again and again, and claw their way back.
You could say that during this stretch, the Heat crushed the Suns with their defense."
Jeff Van Gundy analyzed.
"That's right."
Mike Breen nodded and picked up the thread. "For the Suns, the extreme pace of their run-and-gun style is the way they unleash their offense.
For the Heat, LeBron, Wade, and Bosh are all excellent defenders. Ilgauskas gives them height, and Chalmers is a solid defender too. He's also a player who takes every possession seriously.
You could say the Heat's defense is no worse than the Lakers'.
With that kind of defense, they force opponents into misses or turnovers, then sound the horn for the fast break. Add in the powerful [LeBron-Wade Connection],
and the Heat can always score easily and take the lead.
That's one of the reasons the Heat are so strong, even though their chemistry still isn't fully polished."
At the commentary desk.
Jeff Van Gundy shook his head slightly and smiled. "See? That's the Heat. They use defense to fuel offense. That's the Heat's transition rhythm."
"Exactly."
Mike Breen nodded. "The Heat's defense really is strong. Just now, Carter and Curry both had chances to attack, but Wade and LeBron's defense was too much.
They forced both of them to come up empty.
At the same time.
On offense, aside from Blake Su as that one dominant point, Curry, Nash, and the others simply can't stop the Heat's 'Big Three.'
On both ends of the court.
If the Heat keep playing at the rhythm of that 6-0 run, this could get ugly for the Suns."
In the stands.
Pippen looked at Jordan again. "Michael, earlier you said we should wait and see. Were you waiting to see this situation? Waiting to see the Heat's defense?"
Jordan shrugged, neither denying nor confirming it. "I admit Blake Su is strong, but basketball isn't a one-man game. Offense can win games.
But defense wins championships.
The Heat's defense is far better than the Suns'. You could even say they're overwhelming them. Tonight is definitely going to be a huge test for Blake Su."
"Uh..."
Pippen thought for a moment. "The defending champions have a strong defense too, but didn't the Suns still win two of their three games against them this season?"
"They did."
Jordan nodded, then said, "Defensively, the Heat and Lakers are both strong. But offensively, the Lakers only have Kobe as their one truly dominant point.
The Heat are different.
They have LeBron, Wade, and Bosh, three dominant points.
Honestly, they're lucky this team was only just put together and still hasn't fully clicked. Otherwise, no one would have a chance this year. The championship would definitely belong to these supervillains who forced their way onto the same team."
Hearing that.
Pippen nodded thoughtfully.
On the court.
After the timeout.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Blake Su held the ball at the top of the arc, facing Bosh. At the same time, Wade and LeBron watched him closely from the wings, ready to double-team at any moment.
With that kind of setup.
There was no telling if all of the Big Three might collapse on him at once.
Sure enough, as soon as Blake Su accelerated past Bosh, LeBron came over to trap him. Since the game had only just begun, Blake Su had no intention of forcing the attack.
"Whoosh!"
He passed out again.
Nash caught it at the left high post, drove past Chalmers, then, the instant Wade rotated over to help, passed it back to Curry at the top of the arc. Curry caught it, raised up, and fired a three.
"Thud!"
"Flash" Wade moved like the wind and chased him down again to contest.
"Clang!"
Under the pressure, Curry missed another three.
Change of possession.
"Flash" Wade attacked Curry, drove to the rim, and finished the layup to put the Heat up by 2.
Nash, defended by Chalmers, used a series of rhythm changes to get inside and went for an underhand scoop layup, but LeBron recovered in time and bothered the shot.
It missed.
But Blake Su reacted instantly, planted, leaped, grabbed the ball in the air, and put it back in through contact with Ilgauskas.
Blake Su's ninth point kept the score close.
However.
LeBron brought the ball up, reached the top of the arc, and pulled up for a three over Carter.
"Swish!"
Nothing but net.
After Blake Su set off a three-point craze, LeBron had also deliberately increased his three-point training. It was hard to say how much it had helped, but he was at least a little better than before.
Right after that.
Bosh helped defend Frye in the low post and stopped his attack.
The Heat launched another fast break. Wade turned into a bolt of lightning with the ball, going straight for the heart of the defense. He glanced sideways at LeBron behind him, and just when everyone thought he was going to pass,
"Thud!"
Wade planted and rose, going right at Frye's defense before throwing down a vicious dunk.
"Wow!"
"The [LeBron-Wade Connection] is definitely terrifying, but don't forget, 'Flash' Wade is the second-best shooting guard in the game. His individual offense is also unstoppable."
That fast-break dunk from Wade hit the Suns crowd hard.
Fortunately.
Blake Su came right back, attacking the basket. He gathered in the paint and went straight up, soaring past "CB4" Bosh's defense as if it wasn't even there.
"Boom!"
He answered with a dunk of his own.
But on the next possession, "King James" LeBron easily tore through Carter's defense, hung in the air through contact with Frye, and banked it in.
He was simply scoring through unreasonable physical talent.
"Clang!"
Under Wade's suffocating defense, Curry missed again. Fortunately, Frye protected the rebound and passed it back out to Nash.
"Whoosh!"
Back to Blake Su. He posted up Bosh, powered through his waist and back, bumped once, then turned straight into a fadeaway jumper.
"Thud!"
Bosh jumped to contest.
Against an ordinary shooting guard, or even a forward, Bosh would have been able to bother that kind of turnaround jumper. But against Blake Su, with his astonishing athleticism and 215-centimeter frame,
his contest was useless.
"Swish!"
Blake Su calmly hit another mid-range shot.
Soon.
"Clang!"
LeBron took the final shot of the first quarter, but his three from the perimeter missed.
The first quarter ended.
At the commentary desk.
Jeff Van Gundy glanced at the stat sheet. "Blake Su scored 20 points in the first quarter alone. This 'Monster Rookie,' even against a Heat team with the 'Big Three,'
is still incredibly efficient on offense.
Strong. Blake Su is just unbelievably strong!"
"Yeah."
Mike Breen nodded, but then frowned. "But Jeff, do you know something? Even with Blake Su scoring 20 points by himself in the quarter,
the Suns are still down by 10."
"What?!"
Jeff Van Gundy was shocked.