"Beep, beep!"
Blake Su's two dunks were both violent, poster-style slams, pushing the Suns' momentum to the absolute peak. With the lead stretched to 24 points, the game had become completely one-sided.
Coach Hollins, who had just called a timeout, had no choice but to call another one.
Blake Su checked out.
He did not return for the rest of the third quarter.
But by the end of the third, the Suns were still ahead by a full 22 points.
In the final quarter, Blake Su called it a night. The Grizzlies, their mentality shattered, could not get anything going on offense and could not stop anything on defense. Five minutes passed, and the deficit was still over 20.
Hollins saw that the game was gone.
"Beep, beep!"
Another timeout. He subbed out all five players at once, and the Grizzlies gave up the fight.
In the end, there was no comeback and no suspense. The Suns slaughtered the Grizzlies on the road by 20 points, taking one game back and forcefully changing the series score to 1-3.
After the game.
Inside the studio.
"Tsk, tsk..."
"Tonight, Blake Su put up 30 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. His numbers may not be as high as in Game 1.
"But...
"Just like Van Gundy said, Blake Su used his godlike talent and ability, using one unreasonable, inhuman attack after another...
"to batter the opponent and activate his teammates.
"Blake Su truly is a 'natural-born leader'!"
Mike Breen showered Blake Su with praise.
Van Gundy also smiled and said, "They're back. They're back. The Suns from the regular season, the ones with 'advanced run-and-gun' and the all-powerful Blake Su... they're back.
"Hey!
"Mike, I've got a bold thought. This year's Suns might create a piece of history that shocks everyone."
As soon as he said it, Van Gundy and Mike Breen looked at each other, and a feverish light flashed in both their eyes.
...
The Suns had crushed the Grizzlies.
They had saved one series point, but the situation was still grim. Three more series points were waiting for them, and losing any one of them would mean the end.
Trying to come back?
Trying to defy the heavens and flip the series?
That was a task beyond difficult.
Still, after taking their first playoff win, the Suns were brimming with confidence. In that moment, they fully believed the team could pull off a desperate comeback from the brink.
In the Suns locker room.
"Yeah!"
Amid deafening roars of victory, the players' flames of a comeback were beginning to burn.
But outside, most people still did not believe in them. They still thought the Suns would lose.
Of course, no matter what anyone said, the Suns had survived for now.
...
At the same time, Game 4 between the Bulls and Pacers, held on the Pacers' home court, had also been fought all the way into the final quarter.
The Bulls were up by seven with 5 minutes and 13 seconds left. On the surface, the game looked tight, and the result still seemed uncertain.
However, in reality, the Bulls had maintained a lead of at least seven points for three full quarters. You could even say they had held that kind of lead from the start of the game until now.
So in terms of momentum, the Bulls had already worn down the Pacers' edge.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Just as Pacers fans were hoping for a comeback, the "Windy City Assassin" bloomed first. A sudden stop into a mid-range jumper, then a driving acrobatic layup.
Rose scored four straight points.
The lead instantly grew to 11.
That all but sealed the result.
With their fighting spirit worn away, the Pacers' desire to attack dropped, and their offensive efficiency fell with it. After several empty possessions, they ultimately lost by nine.
The Bulls once again handled the Pacers on the road.
The series became 3-1. After losing one game, the Bulls were the first to reach series point and gain a chance to advance.
Right after that, the Mavericks and Thunder took the stage.
There had long been a saying that Nowitzki was one part of Blake Su. That was something fans had summed up during the regular season.
And for Nowitzki, the same applied in the playoffs.
Nothing fancy. Just the "One-Legged Fadeaway," endless big-on-small mismatches, and shooting accuracy precise enough to break opponents down mentally.
Before Blake Su's explosion tonight, Nowitzki was the big man who had pushed perimeter shooting to its limit in the playoffs. Of course... that only mattered if he led his team to victory.
Tonight, it was the same again.
The Thunder, already trailing 2-1, had begun to lose their composure. The Mavericks, on the other hand, were getting more and more locked in, and their offense grew sharper by the possession.
In their panic, the "Thunder Big Three" kept turning the ball over, and their offense stalled again and again.
Although the Mavericks did not blow the game open with one decisive run, they led throughout and played comfortably, eventually taking care of the Thunder with ease.
The series reached 3-1, and the Mavericks also took series point.
After the game.
At the commentary desk.
Jon Barry shook his head and said, "The score is already 3-1, and the Mavericks lost the first game before winning three straight.
"In terms of momentum, they've completely suppressed the Thunder. This series should belong to the Mavericks."
"Yes."
Mark Jackson nodded without disagreement and said, "The Thunder Big Three are overflowing with talent, but... they're still young.
"Right now, only Durant can truly stand on his own. Russell and Harden still need time to grow and settle. They're not ready to run wild in the playoffs yet."
The two commentators sighed over it.
Meanwhile, at the Hawks' home court, the Magic and Hawks had also fought into the final quarter, with the Magic temporarily ahead by four.
The Magic called a timeout.
There were three minutes left.
Tonight was also series point for the Hawks. If they won this game, they would sweep the Magic and become the first team in the playoffs to advance to the semifinals.
"There's no way we're getting swept!"
On the bench, "Superman" Howard was resting, gasping for breath, his eyes wide as he roared. Tonight... he did not want to lose.
After the timeout, the game entered its final battle.
The Hawks' strategy was clear. Use double-teams to push Howard out of the paint as much as possible. Even if they could not do that, they would at least interfere with him as much as they could.
"One star, four shooters" was the Magic's trump card.
When Howard was trapped deep in double-teams, the outside shooters were supposed to step up. But... in the end, they were still role players.
On the playoff stage, on the edge of elimination, role players under enormous pressure would hesitate even when they got chances. They would worry that if they missed, the blame would fall on them.
And yet.
Hesitation meant defeat.
The more they hesitated, the harder it became for the Magic to score. On top of that, the Hawks still had their ultimate tactic against "Superman" Howard.
Hack-a-Howard.
Yes.
Just like the Hack-a-Shaq tactic back then, Howard's free-throw percentage was not high either.
As a result, the Magic's inside and outside offense both fell apart. Even though the Hawks were not that great in the clutch either, they were still a little better than the Magic.
A four-point gap.
With 22.5 seconds left before the end, the Hawks completed the comeback and took the lead. On the Magic's final possession, the Hawks swarmed wildly, refusing to let the Magic get the ball inside.
"Smack!"
In the end, Howard caught the ball at the left high post and had a chance to shoot.
But at that moment... with no outside or mid-range shooting ability, he stood frozen in place like a fool, at a complete loss for what to do.
In that instant, "Superman" Howard truly wished he had Blake Su's accurate outside shooting ability.
Even though, at the start of the season, that was the very thing he had looked down on most about Blake Su.
...
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