NBA M3 - Chapter 554: An Unstoppable Winning Streak, Unstoppable Triple-Doubles (Patreon)

Kevin Love came into the game determined to prove himself.

The idea was understandable. Unfortunately for him, he had chosen the wrong opponent. Against Blake and these Suns, he had no chance at all.

Once the game began, Phoenix attacked from everywhere.

Blake’s individual threat constantly pulled defenders toward him. Curry punished Minnesota with threes. George ran the floor in transition and occasionally buried a corner three. Klay provided shooting and defensive pressure. Nash controlled the game, while Yao Ming protected the rim and scored comfortably with jumpers and hooks inside.

The Timberwolves thought that if they could lock down Blake, they would have a good chance of winning. What they failed to understand was that when their own roster was not strong enough, throwing extra defenders at Blake only pushed them deeper into trouble.

Phoenix led by 11 after the first quarter.

By halftime, the advantage had grown to 18, and the game was already showing signs of turning into another blowout.

“Wait. We held Blake to only 15 points in the first half, so why are we still down by 18?”

Inside the Timberwolves’ locker room, “Golden Boy” Ricky Rubio looked completely bewildered. He simply could not make sense of what was happening.

“I don’t understand it either.”

Love was equally frustrated.

And it was not just the players. Timberwolves head coach Rick Adelman had his brows tightly furrowed, unable to understand why the defense he had designed specifically for Blake was producing such poor results.

“Uh...”

After thinking for a moment, Adelman finally spoke.

“No matter what happens, we have to contain Blake. Even if we lose the game, we cannot let him explode.

“So when we come back for the second half, we’re keeping the same defensive intensity on him. We have to keep his offense completely under control.”

“Got it.”

The Timberwolves players answered together.

Before long, the second half began.

Minnesota continued focusing its defense on Blake, convinced that holding him to 15 first-half points meant the plan had worked.

What they did not realize was that Blake simply had not been looking to score. He had been moving the ball, letting his teammates attack easier openings while Phoenix built a comfortable lead. It made the game easier for everyone, including him.

Now, however, Blake wanted to widen the gap even further and finish the night after three quarters.

So he started attacking seriously.

Even with Minnesota loading up defensively, it still could not stop him.

“Swish!”

“Swish!”

“Swish!”

Blake kept stepping farther and farther beyond the three-point line. Each shot felt like another cold arrow piercing straight through the Timberwolves and breaking them apart.

He finished the third quarter with 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. The numbers were not especially outrageous by his standards, but Phoenix’s lead had exploded from 18 to 32.

Minnesota was completely finished.

“How did this happen?!”

“How did we suddenly fall apart?!”

Staring at the suffocating deficit, the Timberwolves players were left completely lost. The fourth quarter naturally became garbage time.

Back in the broadcast studio, Mike Breen looked at the score, then at the stat sheet, and smiled.

“Another easy win for the Suns. The Timberwolves are still too weak.”

“That’s right.”

Van Gundy was clearly enjoying himself too.

“Blake had an easy night as well. No, more accurately, those outrageous and incredibly accurate ultra-deep threes made everything look easy for him.”

“No, no, no!”

Mike Breen waved his hand with a laugh.

“It didn’t just look easy. It really was easy. With reliable teammates like George, Curry, Yao Ming, and the others around him, Blake not only clocked out after three quarters again, he also finished those three quarters with another triple-double of 30 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.”

“That’s true.”

And that was exactly what happened.

The Suns finished off the Timberwolves in three quarters. Blake casually recorded another 30-point triple-double and led Phoenix to its sixth straight win.

...

Another victory.

From the very start of the new season, the Suns had become one of the biggest stories in the entire league.

“Six straight wins and still undefeated. That’s the defending champions for you. Their strength speaks for itself. I think Phoenix is still one of the favorites to win the championship this year.”

“Being undefeated is one thing. The crazy part is that aside from opening night, they’ve ended every other game after three quarters. That kind of dominance, that kind of pressure, is terrifying.”

“And Blake has five straight triple-doubles now. Isn’t that a little ridiculous for a center?!”

“That’s Blake for you. He does everything. No explanation needed.”

“Exactly. His game is so complete, and his individual ability is so overwhelming. That’s why he can be called ‘The Emperor’ and lead a team to a championship as the lone superstar.”

“Blake is ridiculously strong!”

“Hey, did you guys know that on the NBA’s all-time list for consecutive triple-doubles, Wilt Chamberlain sits at the top with nine straight in the 1967-68 season?

“Then there’s ‘The Big O’ Oscar Robertson in 1961-62 and the ‘God of Basketball’ Michael Jordan in 1988-89, both with seven straight.

“Blake has five in a row now. He’s only two away from tying ‘The Big O’ and Jordan, and only four away from matching the all-time record.

“So what do you think? Can ‘The Emperor’ Blake do it?!”

“I believe he can!”

“Absolutely! I believe he can!”

“I think it’ll be really hard. Consecutive triple-doubles are difficult enough already, and he’s a center. Five straight might already be the limit.”

“Exactly.”

“Blake has already been incredible, but breaking the record still feels unlikely.”

The next day, Phoenix’s unstoppable winning streak, its string of three-quarter blowouts, and Blake’s unstoppable run of triple-doubles had fans talking nonstop.

One topic in particular drew more and more attention: whether Blake could actually break the record for consecutive triple-doubles.

A center setting that record sounded almost absurd, yet Blake was suddenly within striking distance of doing exactly that.

...

Two days later, the Suns flew to Detroit to face the Pistons, the first opponent on their five-game road trip.

Before the game, experts gave Phoenix more than a 90 percent chance of winning despite being on the road. Some even predicted another dominant game that would be over after three quarters.

The Pistons were not happy about that.

Their home crowd gave them the loudest support possible before tip-off, pushing the home-court atmosphere to its limit. Detroit wanted to pull off the upset and knock off the defending champions.

Reality, however, was cruel.

After an entire season and another offseason of development, the Suns had completed a genuine transformation. They were stronger now, and it was not just talk.

By halftime, Phoenix had once again imposed itself on both ends of the floor and built a 17-point lead. Victory already seemed close to being locked up.

During the break, Jon Barry glanced over the numbers and smiled.

“Mark, after watching the Suns for several games, I think I’ve finally figured out their system this season.”