NBA M3 - Chapter 576: 50 Points! Twelve Straight Wins (Patreon)

During the break between quarters, Popovich sat on the Spurs' bench with his brow furrowed, uneasy about what he had just seen.

Blake's passing is only average, he thought. But when he draws a double-team, he only has to find the open man. At his height, he has a natural view over the defense, which makes that pass much easier.

If someone could contain Blake one-on-one and force him to pass under pressure, his playmaking wouldn't be nearly as effective. The entire Suns offense would suffer.

The problem is that no one on our roster can defend him alone. Looking around the league, there are barely any players who can.

His gaze settled on Leonard, the rookie wearing number two. Over the course of the season, Popovich had become increasingly impressed by Leonard's defensive instincts, extraordinary physical gifts, and dedication to training.

He was determined to help the young man develop. In Popovich's eyes, Leonard might someday become the player who could actually stop Blake.

As for the game, Phoenix had reclaimed the momentum with Blake's unstoppable, all-around play late in the third quarter. Still, the Spurs were down by only seven.

They had the GDP trio, an experienced coach in Popovich, and plenty of confidence. No one on their bench believed the game was over. They were convinced they could come back and win.

Before long, the break ended and the final quarter began. Once again, the reserve units took the floor, with Ginobili leading San Antonio against Curry, Klay, and the Phoenix bench.

Just as the commentators had predicted, the All-Star-caliber Ginobili directed his teammates through a series of well-executed plays and got the better of the Suns' reserves despite Curry's presence.

That was unusual for Phoenix, but there was no denying what was happening tonight. Over four minutes and fifteen seconds of rotation play, San Antonio cut the deficit to just two points, close enough to erase it in a single possession.

“Beep! Beep!”

Gentry called timeout, and the starters returned.

“Only two points separate them now,” the commentator said. “This is the final showdown. Curry and Ginobili will be back after a short rest, too.

“So which side will prevail? The Suns' young core of Blake, Curry, and George, or San Antonio's veteran GDP trio? Let's find out!”

The battle resumed. Phoenix continued to run its offense through Blake and Curry. The Curry and Klay pick-and-roll might have been manageable for the Spurs, but the Blake and Curry version was anything but.

San Antonio couldn't simply leave Curry alone now that his tireless offseason work had made him an even more dangerous three-point shooter.

In the decisive stretch, the threat of Curry's outside shot drew defenders away from Blake. With some of the pressure lifted, Blake had even more room to attack, and once he got going, there was no stopping him.

Over roughly eight minutes, Blake scored 18 points, grabbed four rebounds, and handed out three assists. During that stretch, with three minutes remaining, the Spurs managed to pull ahead by four and looked as though they had the game in hand.

The next three possessions changed everything.

“Swish!”

“Swish!”

Blake first set up Nash for a three-pointer, then buried two ultra-deep threes himself. Nine unanswered points. A 9-0 run that turned the game on its head and effectively put it away.

San Antonio had battled to keep the score close for almost the entire fourth quarter, only to watch its advantage disappear in an instant.

With less than a minute left and the Suns five points ahead, even the GDP trio could do nothing to reverse the outcome.

Phoenix eventually defeated the Spurs by six points, earning its twelfth victory of the season and extending its unbeaten start to twelve straight wins.

“BOOM!”

The moment the Suns sealed the victory, the arena erupted. Blake had delivered two enormous long-range threes when the game was on the line, and the home crowd responded with deafening chants.

“MVP! MVP! MVP!”

The loudest cheers of the night belonged to Blake.

In the commentary booth, Jon Barry tapped the desk and laughed. “The Suns have gotten stronger this season because their young players have improved.

“But Blake is still Blake. When they run into a tough opponent, when the score stays close, and when everything comes down to the final possessions, he always finds a way to step up. ‘The Emperor’ is just as deadly in the clutch as ever.”

“Absolutely,” Mark Jackson agreed. “Eighteen points in a little over half a quarter, and Blake closes out the game. He practically forced the entire GDP trio to concede defeat by himself.

“Tonight he made eight threes and finished with 50 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists, two steals, and three blocks. That's a spectacular 50-point triple-double.”

“Unbelievable.” Jon Barry shook his head in admiration. “A 215-centimeter center putting up a 50-point triple-double. He's done it before, but seeing it again still doesn't seem real.

“With that kind of dominance and versatility, calling him a modern-day Michael Jordan wouldn't be much of an exaggeration.”

“That's right. Blake...”

The game was over, but the two commentators kept praising him, and the crowd showed no sign of quieting down. On the court, ESPN's well-known reporter Woj made his way through the noise to find Blake for a postgame interview.