NBA M3 - Chapter 586: The Suns Trio vs. the Thunder Trio (Patreon)

In the live comment feed:

"It's like watching gods fight!"

"Seriously! This nonstop back-and-forth is incredible. I can't even blink because I might miss another amazing play!"

"Exactly!"

"This is so much fun to watch!"

"My blood's pumping!"

"So everyone feels the same way I do! Knowing there are so many basketball fans here watching with me and sharing the excitement makes me really happy. It's such a great feeling."

"Yeah! That's the beauty of watching games online with everyone in the same live stream."

"Great job, Justin.tv!"

"..."

Comments crowded the screen. The action was thrilling enough on its own, but the viewers were also discovering how much more enjoyable basketball could be when they watched it together online.

...

Back on the court, Curry's steal, George's pass, and Blake's dunk had produced a beautiful sequence between Phoenix's three young stars, forcing the Thunder to call timeout.

When play resumed, Oklahoma City replaced Sefolosha with Harden.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Westbrook dribbled at the top of the key, used a screen from Ibaka, and burst toward the right wing. Even when Blake switched onto him, Westbrook kept driving at full speed.

"Whoosh!"

Then he kicked the ball out. Durant caught it above the right side of the arc. Was he going to shoot a three?

No. He swung it across again, finding Harden on the left side near the high post. Harden took a quick step and floated the ball toward the rim.

"Swish!"

Good.

Phoenix took possession. Nash brought the ball up and found Blake at the top of the key. Ibaka and Durant converged for the double-team, but Blake didn't pass right away.

First, he attacked off the dribble. Only then did he dish to George, who had cut into open space on the left. George drove all the way to the rim and laid it in.

On a later possession, Curry knocked down a three from the left corner. But Harden was heating up, too.

"Swish!"

After his earlier floater, Harden answered with a three-pointer from the left wing. Coming off the bench, he'd scored five straight points in less than a minute, showing exactly why he was regarded as one of the league's best sixth men.

George wasn't about to let him steal the spotlight. After scoring on that backdoor cut, he took another pass from Nash and buried a three of his own.

Inspired by Blake and Curry, George had spent the summer working relentlessly on his game, especially his outside shooting. The improvement was obvious. Give him an opening, and he'd turn it into points.

"Wow! Harden scores five straight, and George answers with five of his own. Those two are going right at each other!" Mike Breen exclaimed.

"Swish!"

"BOOM!"

Westbrook sank his trademark pull-up jumper and followed it with a violent drive to the basket, finishing with a powerful C-shaped dunk. It was pure explosive athleticism.

Phoenix had an answer of its own.

"Swish!"

"Swish!"

Curry fired a three-pointer through the net, then used a screen to glide into the lane and finish a silky-smooth reverse layup.

"Hehehe! So it's not just George and Harden going at it. Curry and Westbrook have their own duel going, too!" Van Gundy marveled. "At this rate... are we going to get Blake against Durant as well?"

As if answering his question, the action on the court intensified.

"BOOM!"

"Swish!"

Durant blew past George, charged into the paint, and scored at the rim despite Yao Ming's height. On his next opportunity, he caught Nash on a switch and rose straight into a jumper, burying it cleanly.

With his natural gifts and refined skills, Durant was attacking so relentlessly that he seemed to be chipping away at Phoenix's confidence. But he had barely begun before Blake erased every bit of that pressure.

"Swish!"

"Swish!"

Two ultra-deep threes from Blake answered Durant and left Thunder fans stunned. It was hard enough to accept that a center possessed such ridiculous shooting range. The fact that he could hit those shots so consistently was almost frightening.

"Hahaha! Just as I thought! Blake and Durant are trading blows, too. It's a showdown between extraordinary talents at the very highest level!" Van Gundy exclaimed, visibly amazed. "This game is unbelievable!"

And so the incredible offensive exchange continued throughout the first quarter.

At the end of the period, the scoreboard read: Suns 35, Thunder 35.

Seventy combined points in a single quarter, and neither team had managed to pull ahead. That alone showed just how spectacular the opening period had been.

...

During the break between quarters, Mike Breen raised his thumbs on the Justin.tv NBA stream. "What a game! What an incredible game!" Van Gundy nodded beside him, clearly just as impressed.

"George against Harden, Curry against Westbrook, Blake against Durant. The 'Suns Trio' versus the 'Thunder Trio'!

"We're watching the league's talented new generation go head-to-head, and it's the kind of game that makes you want to stand up and applaud!"

"Absolutely," Van Gundy agreed with a smile. Then he chuckled and changed the subject. "But Mike, isn't it a little early to start calling them the 'Suns Trio'?"

"Too early?" Breen blinked. "I don't think so. If we're comparing them player for player, Blake has the edge over Durant, but Curry still isn't quite at Westbrook's level, and George isn't quite at Harden's.

"But don't forget how much Curry and George have improved since last season. They're significantly stronger now. It's just that when you put them next to a top-tier player like Blake, the gap still stands out.

"Besides, the whole idea of a 'trio of young stars' is about youth and talent. All three Suns have been excellent individually tonight, and their teamwork has been outstanding as well.

"Calling Blake, Curry, and George the 'Suns Trio' is perfectly fitting. I don't think it's an exaggeration at all."