Halftime.
The Grizzlies locker room.
"What's going on?!"
"Why does Blake Su look like a completely different person?"
Gay was completely puzzled.
"Hmph!"
Randolph snorted coldly and said flatly, "He just got lucky and hit a few tough shots. Shots like that...
"That kind of luck...
"It won't last through the second half."
"Don't say that."
Bang!
Just then, Hollins pushed the door open and walked in, his expression somewhat grim. He looked at Randolph and the other players seriously and said, "Do not underestimate Blake Su.
"That guy...
"He's already realized that the playoffs are a stage for superstars. He already knows how to bring out the maximum of his ability.
"Every one of you needs to stay fully locked in.
"The challenge from here on will be tough, but... we have to grit our teeth and try to close this out tonight, before this series gets complicated."
"Yeah!"
The players nodded.
Although Hollins was deeply worried and made the situation sound serious, the players did not truly grasp how dangerous it was.
Or perhaps, they simply did not take it seriously.
After all, they currently held four chances to close out the series, along with home-court advantage. Tonight, they had come in determined to sweep the Suns.
...
Before long, the second half began.
The teams switched sides.
Grizzlies ball.
Although the Grizzlies were temporarily down by 13 points, they were still at home, and their confidence had not faded. Their desire to fight remained strong.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Gay accelerated past George, drove into the left side of the paint, stopped abruptly, and leaned back for a jumper.
An unblockable shot.
"Clang!"
It missed.
George had interfered with it.
"Oh? He kept up?"
Gay frowned. He had clearly created the shot, yet George still managed to bother it. He had not expected that.
Possession changed.
Nash brought the ball up and reached the top of the arc. He was about to pass to Blake Su on the right side, only to see Gay and Marc Gasol surrounding Blake Su, refusing to even give him a chance to catch the ball.
"Whoosh!"
Seeing that the opportunity was not there, Nash passed to George on the other side.
Allen came over to help, giving him the shot but taking away the drive. George narrowed his eyes. Seeing that the chance still was not good, he chose to swing the ball again.
"Smack!"
Curry caught it in the left corner.
"Whoosh!"
He raised his hands and fired a three.
"We'll live with it if you make that."
Under the basket, Randolph immediately prepared for the rebound.
Over the first three games, Curry had gotten plenty of open looks like this, but his shooting percentage had been fairly average. The Grizzlies were still focused solely on shutting down Blake Su.
And then.
"Swish!"
With a crisp sound through the net, Curry buried the corner three.
"Pretty lucky!"
Randolph snorted, completely unconcerned. He inbounded from the baseline to Conley, who brought the ball up. Marc Gasol set up against Curry at the left high post.
"Whoosh!"
He immediately chose to post him up. One bump, one spin into the paint, and a little hook shot went up. Curry was right beside him, but with the height difference, he had no way to block it.
"Swish!"
Marc Gasol's hook went in.
Back to offense.
The Grizzlies stuck with the same defensive strategy. Blake Su had scored 26 points in the first half even against double-teams, so they could not let him get the ball again.
So.
"Smack!"
Once again, in the left corner, Curry got another open look.
"Whoosh!"
Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his hands and fired another sudden shot.
Tonight, Curry was extremely decisive.
Would it go?
"Swish!"
Straight through again.
"Again?!"
Randolph was slightly startled. Allen, out on the perimeter, was also surprised. He realized they could not keep letting Curry shoot threes so easily.
"Whoa..."
"Back-to-back threes from Curry, and the lead suddenly stretches to 17 points."
Possession changed.
Allen attacked Curry, looking to answer back. But Curry, sharp-eyed and quick-handed, suddenly reached in and stripped the ball away as Allen crossed over in front of him.
A steal.
"Whoosh!"
Curry sped forward to lead the break, then passed ahead to Blake Su while running. But Gay and Conley were still in front of him.
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su caught the ball without slowing down and went straight toward the basket.
But after crossing the three-point line and seeing Curry set up on the left side of the arc, he pulled the ball back and passed it to Curry again.
"Whoosh!"
Curry caught it, raised his hands, and launched another pull-up three in transition.
"Not a chance!"
Allen rushed over from the wing, ready to block Curry's shot. But Curry's release was also incredibly quick, and more importantly, he was brimming with confidence.
"Zip!"
The ball flew out.
It traced a beautiful arc through the air, then plunged into the net under everyone's disbelieving stares, splashing through cleanly.
"My goodness!"
"Curry comes back in the second half and opens with three straight threes. A 9-2 run instantly pushes the lead to 20 points."
"Beep, beep!"
On the court, Hollins felt his scalp go numb and had no choice but to call a timeout.
Inside the studio, Mike Breen was grinning from ear to ear. "When things go right, everything goes right. Not only is Blake Su firing on all cylinders, but Curry, the team's second option, has also found his rhythm.
"A 20-point lead.
"The Suns look very steady tonight."
"Heh."
Van Gundy also smiled and nodded, then said, "Mike, do you know why Curry is able to get going tonight?
"After all, over the first three games, he also got plenty of open looks, but he just couldn't knock them down."
"Oh? Why is that?"
Mike Breen had already understood, but he did not jump ahead. Instead, he played along and asked.
Van Gundy tapped the desk with his finger and said slowly, "Curry's three-point ability is definitely impressive, but he lacks playoff experience. Once the team falls into a disadvantage...
"Nerves and panic will make him lose his touch. That's only natural.
"By all logic, that should have happened tonight too.
"But because Blake Su kept attacking on his own and kept hitting those unreasonable shots, he brought out the team's momentum as their leader, even as their boss.
"He filled the whole team with confidence.
"He made Curry, who had been tense and hesitant, dare to shoot and shoot with confidence. That's why those threes are falling.
"George's defense has also become more decisive and efficient.
"You have to admit it.
"Although Blake Su is a rookie, he truly is a 'natural-born leader.'"
"Well said!"
Mike Breen nodded heavily and clapped in agreement.
In fact, that was exactly what had happened.
It was Blake Su's repeated attacks, and his repeated unreasonable makes, that crushed the Grizzlies' energy while giving his teammates confidence.
And this was precisely what Alvin Gentry had explained to Blake Su late that night.
This was the playoff stage. This was the stage for superstars. Blake Su should not passively wait for things to happen. He should take the initiative, use his talent to activate the entire team, and lead them forward.
...
"Beep, beep!"
After the timeout.
Seeing Curry hit three straight threes and watching the team lead by 20, Blake Su fully understood.
At the same time, after seeing how accurate Curry was from three, the Grizzlies no longer dared to leave him open. Because of that, their defense on Blake Su loosened by the slightest bit.
And that tiny bit of looseness was enough.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Blake Su, who was best at pressing an advantage, tore through the defense with two dominant dunks, hammering the Grizzlies down. His own total reached 30 points, and the lead grew to 24.
"Boom!"
A thunderous roar erupted even in the road arena.
The game... had already been blown open.