"The youngest 50-point scorer, the youngest 60-point scorer, and the youngest 70-point scorer. All of those titles now belong to Blake Su, and he accomplished all of them in his rookie season.
"And.
"When it comes to three-point records, he broke the single-game record of 12 threes jointly held by Kobe and Marshall, then broke his own record of 13 threes, then broke his own record of 14 threes.
"Tonight, he set a new single-game record with 15 threes.
"And all of that happened in one season.
"The key is... Blake Su is a center. For him to keep breaking these three-point records one after another makes it even more impressive, and even more shocking.
"Tsk, tsk.
"Blake Su is just ridiculously good!"
The more Mike Breen spoke, the more fired up he became. With every sentence, his amazement toward Blake Su grew deeper.
And if Mike Breen was already like this, then Jeff Van Gundy, the famous "Blake Su hype man," would only go even further.
At the same time.
#Blake Su's Off-Balance Game-Winner!#
#Blake Su Hits 15 Threes#
#Blake Su Becomes the Youngest 70-Point Scorer#
#Blake Su Defeats the Heat Big Three#
The moment the game ended.
These trending topics shot to the top of the Sina Weibo trending list, and the buzz completely exploded.
"Insane!"
"That's all I can say. Insane!"
"Blake Su is too strong. Too strong. Too strong!"
"Blake Su: the eternal god!"
"15 threes, 72 points, 4.2 seconds, an off-balance game-winner. Damn, he was sharp as a blade tonight. Blake Su is crazy. He's too powerful!"
"The best center versus the best small forward, the opponent most likely to become the next best player in the league. Blake Su beat LeBron as a rookie. Blake Su might be the one most likely to become the future best player in the league!"
"Exactly. Before Blake Su, purely in terms of strength, LeBron was probably the one most likely to replace Kobe and become the league's top player after the Jordan and Kobe era.
"But now.
"Because of Blake Su's arrival, everything has changed!"
"Blake Su is the pride of our country and the future of our basketball!"
"Blake Su is the strongest!"
"..."
Under the trending topics, countless praising comments kept flooding in, scrolling one after another as fans poured out their joy.
Because of Blake Su.
The basketball world back home was boiling today.
...
Back at the arena.
Amid the still-roaring atmosphere, Jeff Van Gundy said loudly from the commentary desk, "15 threes, 72 points, and an off-balance game-winner!
"Tonight... belonged to Blake Su.
"And Mike, did you know? Blake Su's game-winner tonight actually recreated a famous game-winning moment that went down in history!"
"Oh? Which one?"
Mike Breen played along and asked.
"Heh."
Jeff Van Gundy smiled faintly and said, "Back in 2009, Kobe once hit a game-winner against the Heat with 3.2 seconds left. At the time, he was shooting over 'Flash' Wade.
"He used an off-balance three to win the game!
"Tonight.
"Blake Su also faced the Heat. With 4.2 seconds left, he also used an off-balance three to win the game. But... he did it over 'King James' LeBron.
"The same kind of shot.
"Kobe hit the game-winner over Wade. Blake Su hit the game-winner over LeBron!
"Blake Su recreated Kobe's iconic moment, and at the same time... created an iconic moment of his own. This scene will be remembered alongside Kobe's game-winner.
"It will go down in history and be talked about for years to come!"
"That really was incredible."
Mike Breen nodded with a smile and summed it up. "With Blake Su's game-winner, this thrilling matchup, which felt like a Finals preview.
"Has finally come to an end.
"Congratulations to the Suns for defeating the Heat and taking the win.
"The Suns and the Heat both played extremely well. Both teams are among the league's strongest, and we look forward to seeing what they do in the playoffs.
"And finally.
"Thank you, Blake Su. 15 threes, 72 points, and one game-winning three. He gave everyone a brilliant performance. He is tonight's MVP!"
Buzz!
The moment Mike Breen said "MVP."
"MVP!"
"MVP!"
"Blake Su, MVP!"
The MVP chants rose from the stands, wave after wave, each one louder than the last. In the blink of an eye, they filled the entire US Airways Center.
...
On the court.
LeBron and Wade found Blake Su.
"Hey, you played pretty well," LeBron said with a smile. "Your three-pointers are scary. They really break a team's spirit."
"Is that so?"
Blake Su smiled faintly and said, "Your physical gifts are the ones that are ridiculous. I couldn't back you down at all. I had no choice but to throw up shots from the outside."
"Throw up shots?!"
Wade's eyes widened, and he shook his head with a laugh. "Fifteen threes, Blake Su. If people hear you say that, you're going to make a whole lot of shooters angry."
"Uh..."
Blake Su laughed awkwardly.
He had meant to sound humble and low-key, but... somehow, after Wade heard it, it seemed to come across differently.
LeBron smiled and said, "No matter how you shot them, I lost to your threes tonight. You have the height of a center, but you use the three-ball and your talent.
"To build your own offensive style.
"You've given countless players in this league, myself included, a real headache. For a rookie to reach this level, you've done an amazing job."
"Thanks!"
Blake Su accepted the praise with a smile.
This was praise from the "best active small forward," and perhaps the future "best player in the league." Hearing it still felt pretty good.
"But."
LeBron's tone changed. His voice grew more serious as he said, "Even though I lost to you tonight, it's a shame we won't have another chance to play each other in the regular season.
"So...
"If we can, let's meet in the playoffs. Then we can have a proper battle."
"In that case."
Blake Su narrowed his eyes, paused for a moment, then said seriously, "Then... see you in the Finals?"
Buzz!
LeBron's pupils widened sharply.
To be honest, hearing that from a rookie was bold. No, extremely bold.
But LeBron liked it.
He smiled slightly and said, "That's not impossible."
...
That night.
Discussions about the Heat and Suns showdown were already everywhere.
There had actually been several other marquee matchups that night, including the Thunder versus the Magic, the Bulls versus the Spurs, and the Mavericks versus the Grizzlies. But... because of the ultimate battle between the Heat and the Suns.
Everything else was pushed aside.
Everything else lost its buzz.
The next day.
The hype around this matchup rose even higher.
Headlines such as [Blake Su Hits 15 Threes], [The Youngest 70-Point Scorer], [The Suns Melt the Heat], and [Blake Su's Off-Balance Game-Winner].
Keywords similar to the trending topics back home had already spread everywhere through newspapers, media outlets, and the internet.
But.
The hottest keyword of all was undoubtedly: [Blake Su: Superhero].
Yes.
Under that keyword, fans talked about how Blake Su had hit 15 threes last night, exploded for 72 points, hit an off-balance game-winner over LeBron, and created a famous moment just like Kobe's.
And.
After leading the Suns past the Heat.
Blake Su instantly became a superhero in the eyes of the fans.
Blake Su had transformed into a superhero, delivered a phenomenal performance, and defeated the villainous Heat Big Three in a godlike battle. Fans would later call it:
The season-defining game that sealed his legend!
...
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