"Beep!"
Alvin Gentry hurriedly called a timeout.
"Good heavens!"
"In the final moments, Rose used a pump fake, paired with his unmatched speed, to tear through the Suns' defense and finish with an outrageous double-clutch layup off the glass."
That shot was pushed to the absolute limit!
And that shot… it might have killed the game!"
Inside the ESPN Five broadcast booth.
Mike Breen was visibly shaken, while Jeff Van Gundy clenched his fists and said through gritted teeth, "Only 3.4 seconds left for the Suns. This game looks like it's over.
Even Blake Su's 43 points tonight might not be enough. The Eastern Conference-leading Bulls really are that strong!"
"3.4 seconds… that's just too little."
Mike Breen kept shaking his head.
On the court.
After Rose knocked down the floater, the arena fell silent. Suns fans weren't naïve—everyone knew exactly what that basket meant.
At a moment like this, converting that layup meant only one thing…
The Suns were about to lose.
"Yeah!"
"A near dagger from Derrick! He's sealed it with that unstoppable drive!"
"Tonight belongs to the 'Rose'!!!"
"Oh!"
Bulls fans had already begun celebrating.
On the court.
On the Suns bench.
Alvin Gentry's expression was grave as he drew on the clipboard. "Guys, stay calm. 3.4 seconds—we still have one shot.
Down two.
Make it, and at worst we tie.
We've got Blake Su, Curry, Steve Nash, Carter, even Frye—every one of us can shoot from outside. So… stay composed and find the opening.
Let's knock down this last shot and complete the comeback."
He spoke with conviction, but the players were still downcast. No matter how he framed it or how much encouragement he gave—
3.4 seconds was brutally short.
Barely enough time to catch the ball. With defenders swarming, even getting a shot off would be difficult, let alone making it.
"Oh!"
"We're going to win this!"
As the silence lingered, Blake Su was the first to step up.
The team blinked in surprise.
Usually, that role belonged to Goran Dragić or Curry. Tonight, it was Blake Su. No one had expected that.
But seeing the determination in his eyes—
Everyone knew he wanted this win. Badly.
"Oh!"
"Coach, we'll take this next possession."
Curry immediately echoed him.
"That's right!"
"Yes!"
"We'll get this shot!"
In an instant, the entire bench roared. The earlier gloom vanished, replaced by surging intensity. Even with only 3.4 seconds left, every player burned with fighting spirit.
"Mhm."
Alvin Gentry nodded, satisfied. His eyes settled on Blake Su, and he gave him another small nod.
In truth—
Winning the game mattered.
But for Blake Su, completing the System task and earning the reward mattered even more. If he missed this chance tonight…
He had no idea how long he'd have to wait.
"Beep!"
Timeout over.
With 3.4 seconds remaining, Blake Su led the Suns back onto the court. The home crowd rose as one—even those who had nearly given up stood to their feet.
Hoping for a miracle.
Carter inbounded from the sideline near midcourt.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
Curry and Blake Su made their primary cuts to receive the ball, with Steve Nash and Frye setting screens to free them. Rose stuck tightly to Curry.
Boozer and Luol Deng trailed Blake Su step for step.
For a moment, there was no passing lane.
The five-second count was looming.
Originally planning to receive the ball at the top of the arc, Blake Su suddenly sprinted outward—toward the center circle. Carter saw it and fired the pass without hesitation.
"Snap!"
Blake Su caught it on the right wing—already two meters beyond the three-point line. Boozer and Luol Deng were still in hot pursuit.
The clock ticked.
3.4 seconds.
2.7 seconds.
In one smooth motion, Blake Su turned his body, took a single dribble to the right—just one, the only one he could afford—
And rose.
Two meters beyond the arc.
Drifting sideways in midair.
He let it fly.
An ultra-deep three-pointer.
Boozer and Luol Deng both launched themselves to contest. The Bulls' two powerful forwards leapt with everything they had.
But Blake Su was too tall. And that drifting release made the shot nearly impossible to block.
Still—
The clock pressure.
The rushed release.
The defensive contest.
The lateral fade.
The distance—two full meters beyond the three-point line.
The difficulty was off the charts.
"No way!"
"That's not going in!"
"We won!"
The instant Blake Su released the ball, Bulls fans threw their hands up, ready to celebrate.
Suns fans, meanwhile, clenched their fists, faces tight with tension. They knew how hard the shot was.
All they could do now was pray.
Pray for a miracle.
Believe that Blake Su could bury this impossibly deep, impossibly difficult three.
Whoosh—
The ball spun high through the air.
The buzzer sounded. Time had expired.
Blake Su's eyes never left the ball as it carved a high arc across the arena—
And then—
Swish!
It snapped cleanly through the net.
The crisp sound echoed throughout US Airways Center, announcing to everyone present—
Blake Su had buried the ultra-long three and completed a buzzer-beating comeback against the Bulls—the Eastern Conference leaders!
A brief silence.
Then—
Boom!!!
The arena exploded.
Cheers crashed down like a tidal wave, surging through the building as if a bomb had detonated at sea, sending towering waves that threatened to blow the roof off.
"He made it!"
"A deep buzzer-beater!"
"Blake Su with the three! A comeback dagger against the Bulls! The Suns win!"
The roar was deafening. Every Suns fan was on their feet, arms flailing wildly, reveling in the ecstasy of the reverse game-winner.
"Game-winner!"
Curry shouted at the top of his lungs as he sprinted toward Blake Su. Steve Nash, Carter, Frye—every teammate, even the entire bench—rushed in.
They mobbed Blake Su, celebrating the win and his unbelievable buzzer-beating three.
"Bang! Bang!"
Inside the ESPN studio, Mike Breen shot to his feet, unable to contain himself.
"Bang! Blake Su from way downtown! At the buzzer! The Suns win it! An unbelievable comeback against the Bulls!"
"Oh my goodness!"
Jeff Van Gundy's face was flushed as he blurted out in excitement:
"Blake Su—a center—knocking down a shot from that distance to win the game? That's just ridiculous!"
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (40 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.