The one-hour warm-up finally came to an end after the long wait.
Grizzlies vs. Suns.
Game 4, the battle at series point, was about to begin.
"Jump ball!"
Blake Su and Marc Gasol went up for the tip.
Once again, it was Blake Su who tipped the ball away as he always did, giving the Suns the first possession. But tonight, Blake Su was different.
His desire to win was overflowing.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
At the left high post, Blake Su caught the ball with his back to Marc Gasol, looking ready to attack him in the post.
But then.
"Step!"
Gay immediately closed in, sliding over from the wing to interfere.
"Whoosh!"
Seeing that, Blake Su decisively passed the ball to George, who was running toward the other side. George had an open look.
"Hmph."
Gay instinctively followed him, snorting coldly as he decided George would not make the shot.
Shut down Blake Su and force the other Suns players to attack. The Grizzlies had already drilled that strategy into their bones, and they had used it to win three straight games.
Except.
Just as Gay instinctively followed and George had a chance to shoot...
"Whoosh!"
George passed it right back.
"He's not shooting when he's open?!"
Gay's heart jolted.
His gaze shifted.
"Smack!"
Blake Su caught the ball again, powered through his waist and back, and bumped Marc Gasol with one step. The instant the ball settled in his left hand, he broke left.
Just one step.
"Screech!"
A sudden stop, a half-turn, and he went straight up for the jumper.
That may sound like a lot, but with [Jordan's Post-Up Ability] and [Allen Iverson's Talent] backing him, it all happened in a flash.
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su had already released the shot. Marc Gasol stood there like a wooden stake, eyes wide, only able to reach up from where he was. That kind of contest was nothing more than decoration.
At the same time, Gay on the wing had not expected it at all. His reaction was half a beat slow, and by the time he lunged over again, it was too late.
"Swish!"
Blake Su's mid-range jumper dropped in cleanly.
"Whoa... A post-up jumper against two defenders. That shot from Blake Su was strong!"
"Exactly."
Mike Breen and Van Gundy were still praising the play.
On the court, the very next possession was almost the same tactic. Blake Su first passed the ball out, even moving it several times before calling for it again.
As soon as the slightest opening appeared, he decisively posted up Marc Gasol, bumped him with one step, turned halfway, and rose straight into a jumper.
Even if Marc Gasol kept up, with Blake Su's release, speed, and leaping ability, Gasol had no way to block it.
"Swish!"
Another make.
The possession changed hands.
Off Conley's pass, Randolph flew up under the basket for an easy finish off the glass, but missed.
When Blake Su brought the ball up again and looked ready to use the same method to overpower Marc Gasol, Gay had already taken position in advance.
And this time, he completely left George open on the perimeter. The message was obvious. Blake Su was not getting a clean attack.
"Tsk, tsk... here it comes. Gay and Marc Gasol are pressuring Blake Su. What will Blake Su choose? Pass to George?
"He's open!
"This time, Gay isn't following him. He's locked onto Blake Su. What will George do? Try another unstable three-pointer?!
"Wow!
"Blake Su is calling for the ball. Even with Gay and Marc Gasol right in front of him, he's still asking for it. George?!
"He passes it over.
"Blake Su gets the ball again, his back to Marc Gasol, with Gay on the wing. The moment Blake Su dares to dribble, Gay is ready to swarm him.
"For a rookie, this Grizzlies defense is brutal.
"Blake Su... Blake Su is facing an obvious double-team. How will he attack this time? He's holding the ball high with his back to Marc Gasol.
"Blake Su lowers his center of gravity a little and dribbles into him.
"A post-up?!
"My goodness. Blake Su dribbles just once, half-turns, and goes straight into the jumper, right in front of Gay and Marc Gasol.
"Gay and Marc Gasol throw all four hands up to contest. Are they going to block it?
"No.
"Blake Su is too tall. He leans back slightly, hangs in the air, and gets the shot off. But... Gay and Marc Gasol still gave him plenty of interference.
"This shot is incredibly difficult!
"Will it go?!
"Good heavens.
"The ball slips through those four hands, dead on target, and pierces the net. Nothing but net.
"That shot from Blake Su was incredible."
Mike Breen was beaming as he called the play with rising excitement. When Blake Su hit that high-difficulty jumper, he was so fired up that he slapped the table in admiration.
"Hahaha!"
Beside him, Van Gundy was just as shaken. He said excitedly, "So what if there are two defenders? Blake Su doesn't care at all.
"He's attacking right over your heads.
"He's that tough. He's playing like he isn't even human."
"Hehehe!"
Mike Breen laughed as well. "Only a center like Blake Su would dare shoot from the perimeter against Marc Gasol and Gay at the same time.
"He really is playing like something else!"
"He made that too?!"
Marc Gasol was shocked inside. On that possession, he and Gay had defended it perfectly. Avoiding the block was already lucky enough, so how had it gone in?
"What's going on? Something feels off!"
Gay frowned.
While stunned that Blake Su could hit such a difficult shot, he also sensed that something was strange. He just could not put his finger on it.
Grizzlies 0, Suns 6.
Blake Su had hit three straight shots for six straight points. On the road in Game 4, he had opened with a personal 6-0 run.
So far, this was the Suns' best start in the entire series.
"Beep, beep!"
Hollins immediately called a timeout.
Watching Blake Su's offensive momentum and his hunger to score, he could not help but feel his chest tighten.
On the Suns bench, Coach Gentry pumped his fist and said to Blake Su, "Beautiful. That's exactly how you attack.
"See?
"The Grizzlies are only the eighth seed in the West. They can't stop you at all!"
"Yeah, I know!"
Blake Su nodded seriously.
He already knew what to do. He already knew how to help the team win on the playoff stage.
...
After the timeout.
Gay broke in from the perimeter and passed to Marc Gasol in the left low post. After drawing Blake Su's defense, Gasol lobbed the ball to Randolph under the basket, letting him back down Frye.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Although Randolph did not have the height advantage, he relied on his size and solid low-post skills to carve out space against Frye, then banked the shot in.
The Grizzlies finally broke their scoring drought.
At the same time, on the defensive end, Gay and Marc Gasol stuck even tighter to Blake Su. Neither of them wanted to give him a chance to catch the ball.
"Smack!"
At the top of the arc, a full meter beyond the three-point line, Blake Su curled out and received the ball. Marc Gasol and Gay stood in front of him, watching like tigers eyeing their prey.
"Step!"
George quickly came up to set a screen.
Gay's eyes sharpened. He was ready to slip past it and keep pressing up, joining Marc Gasol beyond the three-point line to double-team Blake Su, a center.
What would Blake Su do?!
The moment Gay's attention shifted slightly toward George, Blake Su's eyes focused. He abruptly lowered his center of gravity and threw the ball through the gap between the two defenders.
"Whoosh!"
Threading the needle.
Instead of backing away, he charged forward.
Blake Su burst between the two defenders, caught the ball again, and immediately gathered into a three-step drive. Facing Randolph's attempt to block him, he lifted the ball high.
Then, in midair, he dodged, stretched into a reverse layup, and banked it off the left side of the glass.
"Swish!"
Good!
"Hiss!"
"Blake Su, a rookie, just broke through the 'Black and White Bears' plus Rudy Gay, drove through three defenders, and finished with an acrobatic layup. That was absolutely inhuman!"