No chances given.
No suspense left.
After the second half began, even with Joe Johnson back on the floor for the Hawks, Blake Su still led the Suns' offense. In just 5 minutes and 14 seconds, they unleashed an 18-5 scoring storm.
The lead ballooned past 30 points.
"Beep, beep!"
Alvin Gentry called timeout.
He took Blake Su and Curry off the floor, leaving Carter, Steve Nash, and Frye, three starters, on the court for the time being. The Hawks struggled for half a quarter, but by the end of the third, the gap was still as large as 25 points.
In the final quarter, the Hawks officially gave up on the game.
That turned the fourth quarter completely into garbage time. Although Crawford, last season's "Sixth Man of the Year," led a frantic push during that stretch and clawed back 14 points in the quarter, the Suns' lead had simply been too big.
In the end, the Suns still won by 11 points, clipping both of the Hawks' wings and completing the season sweep. At the same time, the Suns extended their winning streak to 17 games.
Looking at the game as a whole, it had been a one-sided beatdown.
Blake Su was the reason this matchup had drawn attention in the first place, but the instant the game ended, everyone's eyes immediately shifted to another court.
To Madison Square Garden.
Tonight's matchup between the Knicks and the Bulls was the real headliner.
The debut of the "Anthony + Stoudemire + Billups" Big Three, and just how strong they would be, was what countless fans were waiting to see.
By the time the Suns' game against the Hawks ended, the Knicks-Bulls game was already more than halfway through the first quarter.
The situation on the court did not look promising for the Knicks.
They were already trailing by a full 7 points. That result left many long-expectant Knicks fans dissatisfied, even a little disappointed.
By the end of the first quarter, the Knicks were still down 5.
In the second quarter, the sixth-seeded Knicks in the East still seemed to have a noticeable gap in overall strength compared with the first-seeded Bulls. By halftime, they were trailing by as many as 11 points.
During halftime.
Inside Madison Square Garden, the Knicks fans in the stands looked gloomy. Or rather, they looked irritated and disappointed.
In the ESPN studio.
Hubie Brown pursed his lips, thought for a moment, and said, "They have the talent, but they still need time to gel. The chemistry isn't there yet, and they're committing too many turnovers."
"Yes," Dave Pasch said with a nod. "The current Knicks feel a little like the Heat's Big Three when they had just come together.
When the Heat's Big Three formed this summer, their chemistry was average too. But LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh had all been franchise players, and their individual ability was simply too strong.
Even without enough chemistry, they could still force wins through personal talent alone.
If we're talking purely about talent, Anthony, Stoudemire, and Billups are still slightly behind the Heat's Big Three.
On top of that, their opponent is the Bulls, the team that has surpassed the Heat to hold the best record in the East, led by "Windy City Rose" Derrick Rose. Winning this game was never going to be easy."
"That's right," Hubie Brown said, adjusting his glasses. "Tonight... the Knicks may end up disappointing their fans."
During halftime, the two analysts broke everything down in a clear and convincing way. It sounded logical, well-founded, and perfectly reasonable.
However...
The game did not seem interested in following their script.
...
After the break, the teams switched sides.
Stoudemire and Anthony, who had both been quiet for the first half, erupted at the same time.
"Melo" Anthony's vast offensive arsenal caught the Bulls off guard, while "STAT" Stoudemire wreaked havoc in the paint.
One attacked from the outside, the other from the inside.
In the third quarter, the two of them combined to unleash a 22-7 counterattack, wiping out the deficit in one burst and even pulling ahead by 3 points.
More importantly... during that run, Anthony guarded Rose on the perimeter, while Stoudemire helped contain Rose inside. To a certain extent, they managed to limit Rose as well.
That surge...
"Boom!"
It sent Madison Square Garden into a thunderous roar.
The "Melo" and "STAT" duo that everyone had been waiting for seemed to be delivering exactly the kind of dominance fans had imagined.
Although... their chemistry still had room to improve.
The individual ability of two All-Star starters alone was enough to turn the tide, carry the team, and push them toward victory.
In the final quarter, Stoudemire and Anthony kept pouring in points. The "third star," Billups, was not idle either, adding threes and organizing the offense to put the finishing touches on the game.
With all three working together, the Knicks flipped the game and built a lead as large as 13 points within half a quarter.
And... they held that advantage all the way to the end, all the way until the final buzzer.
In the end, the sixth-seeded Knicks in the East defeated the first-seeded Bulls.
The Knicks' "new Big Three" of Stoudemire, Anthony, and Billups delivered a perfect debut, telling New York fans that spring might finally be coming for the Knicks.
...
The next day.
[The Suns Win 17 Straight!]
[The Knicks' "New Big Three" Deliver a Perfect Debut and Set the League Ablaze!]
These two topics became the main talking points among fans, the media, and newspapers throughout the day. Of course... the latter was clearly the hotter topic.
The Knicks' comeback win over the Bulls had excited Knicks fans so much that, for a while, some even hyped the Knicks up as a team that could surpass the Heat's Big Three.
That claim did not receive widespread approval.
However, there was no doubt that the Knicks had now forced their way into the ranks of the Eastern Conference's strong teams.
They might even... truly have a chance to challenge for the Eastern Conference Finals.
While fans were still discussing it, that night, the Knicks went on the road to face the Celtics, the fourth-seeded powerhouse in the East.
It was another clash between strong teams, and another chance for the Knicks' Big Three to prove what they could do.
However, just as the fans thought tonight would be another back-and-forth offensive battle, the result was...
The Knicks blew out the Celtics in three quarters.
Then they clocked out early.
In the end, the Knicks slaughtered the Celtics on the road by a massive 17-point margin.
"Whoa!"
Once word of the Knicks' dominant win spread, it set the internet on fire that very night. By the next day, news reports were everywhere.
Some sensationalist newspapers even ran exaggerated headlines like:
[The Knicks Rule the East]
For a time, the hype around the Knicks was pushed to its peak.
But.
Whether this Knicks Big Three could truly rule the East or not, one thing was undeniable.
The Knicks, who had swept through the Bulls and Celtics with unstoppable momentum, were genuinely terrifyingly strong.
However, while every circle was heatedly discussing the Knicks, Adidas called Blake Su in early that morning.
Manager Wagner found Blake Su and said with a bright smile, "Blake Su, keeping you back then really was the best decision we could have made. You truly are an outstanding player."
"Haha, you're flattering me," Blake Su said modestly. Then he asked, "You called me over so early today. Is something going on?"
"Ah!"
After being reminded, Wagner finally remembered the main matter. He smiled and said, "Given your incredible popularity and strength, you've brought the company considerable financial benefits.
To expand those benefits even further, the company has decided... to create an exclusive signature sneaker for you."
...
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