As the commentators were speaking, on the very next offensive and defensive sequence, Blake Su and Kobe both used post-ups to attack Artest and George one-on-one.
And neither of them had fully shaken off the defense.
They were fadeaway jumpers taken right over the contest, yet both of them scored anyway.
"Hiss!"
"Hiss!"
Artest and George both sucked in a sharp breath. This was tough to deal with.
And no wonder.
Blake Su and Kobe could be considered two of the strongest offensive players in the league. Trying to stop them was genuinely difficult.
"Wow. Blake Su and Kobe are both in great form tonight."
"They really are."
The game had only just started, so saying that this early might have seemed a little premature.
Then, at 10:13.
Blake Su faced Artest at the free-throw line, powered through with his back and core, took one step into contact, then turned and rose into a jumper.
"Thump!"
Artest went up to contest, but he was half a beat late.
"Swish!"
Blake Su's jumper dropped in cleanly.
On Kobe's side, he was matched up against George, the Suns' best defender besides Blake Su, and used the same post-up move.
"Thump!"
One step of contact, then a turnaround fadeaway.
"Swish!"
Another unreasonable make.
At 8:04.
Blake Su held the ball in his left hand, gave a probing fake, then crossed over in front of his body and accelerated again, shaking off Artest and cutting into the paint.
He ran into Pau Gasol.
"Whoosh!"
With a spin, he slipped past him, then rose into the air and met Bynum in midair. Hanging gracefully, he avoided the block and released a high bank shot.
"Swish!"
Good.
"That was an extremely difficult shot!"
"He's clearly a center, but he can hang in the air for a layup like a guard. His athleticism is just incredible. Truly one of a kind."
Possession changed.
At the top of the arc, Kobe faced George. A shot fake got the young George to bite, and Kobe immediately used the opening to accelerate straight toward the basket.
"Thump!"
He went up for a layup from the right side, took contact from Frye in midair, hung there, switched to his left hand, and banked it in.
"Swish!"
Good as well.
"Tsk, tsk... Kobe's midair switch-hand layup was incredibly difficult too!"
"He's unbelievable!"
At 6:11.
Blake Su was at the top of the arc when Artest and Pau Gasol trapped him, but he did not pass. He accelerated toward the right wing and used pure speed to shake off Pau Gasol.
At the same time, George came over and further screened off Pau Gasol.
"Screech!"
From the left side above the arc, Blake Su stopped sharply one step beyond the three-point line and rose up, firing a deep three over Artest's desperate contest.
"No way!"
Artest growled.
But in the next instant.
"Swish!"
The ball pierced the net, another clean make.
"F**k!"
Artest cursed in frustration. He had already tried his hardest, but as long as Blake Su got even the tiniest opening, he could turn it into points.
It was infuriating and helpless.
Equally infuriated and helpless was Paul George. Almost the moment Blake Su hit that three, he had a feeling Kobe was going to answer.
Sure enough.
"Screech!"
Kobe brought the ball up, stopped at the top of the arc one step beyond the three-point line, and suddenly rose into a three. A fadeaway three at that.
"Hah!"
George roared and lunged forward to contest.
"Swish!"
But the ball flew over his fingertips, dropped into the rim, and tore through the net.
Good.
A direct response.
At 3:47.
Blake Su got a mismatch against Fisher and rose straight up over the defense. Fisher looked at Blake Su soaring high into the air and completely lost the will to defend.
"Swish!"
Mid-range jumper, good.
On the other end, Kobe brought the ball up and used a screen to get a mismatch against Frye, who had been pulled out to the perimeter. He faked a drive, then accelerated in one step.
"Whoosh!"
Like a bolt of lightning, Kobe instantly tore through Frye's defense, attacked the rim, gathered the ball, and exploded upward.
"Boom!"
A one-handed tomahawk slammed through the basket.
At 2:14.
It was Kobe again. From the left side above the arc, he accelerated and created half a body of space from George. When Curry came over to help, Kobe used a half-spin, pretending to retreat.
"Whoosh!"
Then he suddenly came right back, shaking off both defenders as he slipped along the baseline and accelerated toward the rim. He gathered the ball, rose into the air, hung long enough to avoid Frye's block.
Then.
"Boom!"
A reverse one-handed dunk slammed through the rim again.
"Boom!"
The roar from the crowd thundered along with it.
However, those cheers did not last long. Nash looked like he was driving, but he actually slipped the ball to Blake Su, who was cutting through the free-throw line. Blake Su planted one foot just inside the line.
"Thump!"
He gathered the ball and took off immediately. Under the basket, Bynum jumped straight up from a standstill, trying to block him.
But Blake Su rose so high, with such terrifying leaping ability, that the arm holding the ball was a full half-length higher than Bynum's blocking arm.
Blake Su went right over Bynum.
"Boom!"
A brutal poster dunk followed. The forceful slam made the rim groan and shake.
With the advantage in height and first-step explosion, the body contact sent Bynum, who had not fully gotten off the ground, stumbling backward step after step.
He nearly fell as he staggered.
"Boom!"
Blake Su's vicious poster instantly brought an even louder, sharper roar from the arena, cheers that belonged to Blake Su and swallowed the cheers for Kobe in an instant.
The first quarter ended.
Suns (30): (33) Lakers.
The Lakers temporarily led by 3 points.
During the break between quarters.
"Boom!"
In the stands, whether they were Suns fans or Lakers fans, everyone was excited. Very excited. Extremely excited.
At the commentary desk, Jon Barry was just as fired up. He laughed and said, "As expected of a Western Conference Semifinals matchup. This game is incredible!
In the first quarter, Blake Su shot 8-for-12, including 1-for-3 from three and 1-for-2 from the free-throw line, putting up 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block.
Kobe shot 8-for-13 in the quarter, including 1-for-2 from three, and also poured in 17 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist.
This is the playoff stage. One player scored 18 in a quarter, the other scored 17. Blake Su and Kobe are both going off.
With their gorgeous, varied, and unstoppable offense, they've given us a tightly matched, spectacular game."
"Heh."
Mark Jackson also looked excited. Smiling, he picked it up and said, "The first quarter practically became a personal showcase for Blake Su and Kobe, both of whom went wild.
It's worth mentioning that in the last game, Blake Su and Kobe were also excellent in the first quarter. But starting in the second quarter, Kobe suddenly fell into a slump that lasted the rest of the night.
That was what led to the loss.
So will tonight follow the same script? Or will there be other variables? Let's wait and see!"