Back on the court.
Five minutes before tip-off.
"Boom!"
The Lakers' comeback from the brink in the previous game had given the home fans a huge boost of confidence. Right now, the arena was filled with deafening cheers.
They were even louder than in the last game.
The pregame roar crashed over the court like a tidal wave, pushing the Lakers' home-court advantage to its peak and giving the entire team the early edge in momentum.
Soon, the game began.
"Jump ball!"
Neither team changed its starting lineup. It was still Blake Su and Bynum fighting for the opening tip.
This was another night where Bynum wanted that tip badly. He wanted it so much that he jumped early twice and was whistled for violations.
Only on the third attempt.
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
The two finally jumped properly. In truth, Bynum still looked like he might have gone a split second early, but Blake Su, who jumped after him,
"Smack!"
still got there first and tipped the ball away, sending it to Nash, who caught it and brought it up the floor. As usual, he ran the Suns' first possession of the game with ease.
"Damn it!"
Bynum cursed under his breath and ran back on defense in frustration.
He... had already done everything he could.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Nash brought the ball across half court. Blake Su drifted out to one side, and George came up to set a screen for Nash.
"Whoosh!"
Using the screen, Nash accelerated down the left wing and got a mismatch against Pau Gasol. A sudden stop, a burst forward, then a quick change of rhythm.
He was about to shake off Pau Gasol and attack the rim directly.
"Step!"
Bynum was waiting under the basket, eyeing him like prey, while Kobe also closed in from the wing, ready to pressure the slender Nash and force a steal.
"Whip!"
Nash made the right read and swung the ball across the court to Blake Su on the other side.
"Smack!"
Blake Su caught it, faked a drive, read Artest's center of gravity rising, then immediately pulled up and fired a three-point arrow.
Right on target.
"Swish!"
Clean through the net.
Lakers (0): (3) Suns.
With a three-pointer, Blake Su once again opened the scoring for the Suns.
Lakers ball.
Kobe brought the ball up. Just as Blake Su was about to step forward on defense, Pau Gasol suddenly popped out. Kobe used the chance to accelerate and shake off Blake Su.
"Step!"
George rotated over.
Kobe did not even glance at him. He went between the legs, gave him a pump fake, and the moment George's center of gravity lifted slightly, Kobe caught it.
"Whoosh!"
He exploded forward, beat George in two steps, and drove straight into the paint. Frye came up to block him, but Kobe hung in the air, absorbed the contact, and avoided the contest.
"Swish!"
A reverse hook off the glass went in.
"Great play!"
That difficult finish made Van Gundy at the commentary table praise him without thinking.
On the next possession, Blake Su also accelerated and shook off Artest.
He attacked the basket from the left and went up for a high-reaching layup, only to run into Pau Gasol and Bynum, the two big men, sealing him off for the block.
"Buzz!"
Even as a center, Blake Su hung in the air and protected the ball, dodging both blocks. Then he reversed into a hanging finish and banked it in from the right side.
"Swish!"
That went in too.
"Hiss!"
Mike Breen's mouth twitched hard, and he clicked his tongue. "For someone that tall to have that kind of hang time and that kind of body control in the air...
That's ridiculous!
Blake Su's physical talent is truly rare."
As he spoke, on the court, Kobe and Blake Su faced each other at the left high post. Kobe, already prepared to win and knowing he had to win, was still burning with fighting spirit tonight.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
After a series of physical bumps, he forced his way down to the low post, leaned into contact with his back, spun, gathered the ball, and then... turned into a fadeaway jumper.
"Thump!"
Blake Su absorbed the contact, then pushed off the floor and went up to contest.
But Kobe's turnaround fadeaway did more than create separation. He leaned back at such a sharp angle that it was extremely hard to block.
Of course, that also made the shot incredibly difficult.
The ball flew over Blake Su's fingertips, traced an arc through the air, and dropped straight into the net.
Good.
"That was a tough shot too!"
"Kobe is still the 'Bloodthirsty Mamba' tonight, fangs out, playing with absolute belief that he has to win."
Possession changed hands.
On the Suns' side, Blake Su got his own one-on-one chance against Kobe at the top of the arc. Kobe stepped up tight, bodying him and applying pressure.
He did not even want to give Blake Su room to dribble.
Blake Su lifted the ball while constantly moving his arms and upper body, trying to create the slightest bit of space from Kobe's tight defense.
Then he paused with his feet.
"Whoosh!"
He accelerated into a drive.
But Kobe's hands were too quick. Fast, sharp, and ruthless, he swiped down and knocked the ball out of Blake Su's hands. Fortunately, Blake Su had not fully taken off yet.
He immediately turned back and grabbed the ball again.
The two reset. Kobe pressed up tightly once more, giving Blake Su no chance to use his height advantage and pull up over his head.
"Thud!"
Blake Su accelerated again, battling through contact to reach the left low post. He turned sideways toward the free-throw line, looking as though he was about to attack toward the right wing.
"Whip!"
Then he suddenly spun, shook off Kobe, planted one step on the left side, and took off directly. Under the basket, Bynum was just about to rise for the block.
"Boom!"
Blake Su hammered down a one-handed dunk, throwing it down hard right over him.
"Wow. Those two are going at it hard."
"One hits a difficult turnaround fadeaway, the other answers with a half-spin poster dunk under the basket. Kobe and Blake Su are locked in again right from the opening tip."
Van Gundy's voice rose as he spoke.
"That's right."
Mike Breen nodded as well. "Tonight is another crucial game for both the Lakers and the Suns.
If the Suns win, they take match point.
If the Lakers win, they tie the series.
In a game like this, Blake Su and Kobe, the two core leaders of their teams, have to step up immediately and try to seize the advantage as early as possible.
That's why their duel is this intense from the very beginning, and it's why Game 4 has already turned white-hot right from the start."
Exactly.
Just as Mike Breen had said.
Blake Su and Kobe were locked in a fierce scoring duel from the opening tip. Kobe, once again in "Mamba Mode," was not easy to guard even with Blake Su boosted by [Gary Payton defense].
At the same time, on the offensive end, Kobe's desire to win in "Mamba Mode" also drove his defensive intensity even higher.
Because of that, the back-and-forth duel between the two became especially fierce and explosive.
"Beep, beep!"
Six minutes into the first quarter, Alvin Gentry called a timeout.
It was not because the Suns were trailing, but because the duel between Blake Su and Kobe had become too heated. Not only was the efficiency not high enough, it also made it easy for both players to get carried away.
Of course, more importantly, Blake Su was still a rookie.
In a fierce head-to-head battle like this, or rather, in terms of playoff experience, he was still a little behind Kobe.
At this rate, the player more likely to lose his head first would be Blake Su.
That was why Gentry decisively called a timeout, putting a pause on the white-hot duel and giving Blake Su some time to settle down and adjust.
At the commentary table, Van Gundy and Mike Breen watched the situation unfold, both of them visibly excited. They could not help but sigh.
"Tonight... this might be another brutal battle where both sides leave everything on the floor!"