"Whoosh!"
With no other choice, Howard could only pass the ball to Jameer Nelson, the shooter in the left corner. Nelson raised his hands and fired a three.
He did not have the clutch gene. Even though this was a decent look...
"Clang!"
It still missed.
"Smack!"
Al Horford secured the rebound, and that also declared the game over.
With another loss for the Magic, the Hawks pulled off an upset from below, sweeping the Magic 4-0 and becoming the first Eastern Conference team in this year's playoffs to advance to the semifinals.
After the game.
Inside the studio.
Hubie Brown adjusted his glasses and said, "The Magic... getting swept by the Hawks. I really didn't see that coming at the start."
"Really?"
Dave Pasch nodded slightly and said, "I don't think it's that surprising. Tonight's loss, especially, was expected."
"Oh? What do you mean by that?"
Hubie Brown was a little surprised. He really had not understood.
"Uh..."
Dave Pasch thought for a moment, organized his words, and then said, "The league today is moving toward the small-ball era.
"Teams are playing faster and faster on offense.
"Everyone is chasing speed, pushing the tempo. In an offense built on speed, the three-pointer, which is worth more than two points, is especially valuable.
"But whether it's three-point shooting or speed, both are major problems for centers.
"When you apply that to the Magic, and specifically to 'Superman' Howard, it hits hard against this former 'league's number one center.'
"'One star, four shooters.'
"If the strongest star can't show his power, how can he lead the team to a win?
"Also, looking at the series as a whole, in the final moments of Game 3, the Hawks completed their comeback through Joe Johnson's three-pointer.
"In Game 4, the Magic lost because Howard got the ball outside, but didn't dare finish the possession.
"In this small-ball era, traditional centers are gradually being eliminated. Even someone as strong as 'Superman' Howard can't escape that."
"Yes."
After listening, Hubie Brown could not help nodding. "The league's current offensive model is fast-paced and built around three-pointers.
"That kind of offensive rhythm is something 'Superman' Howard, who relies on his body and on scoring in the paint, simply can't adapt to. Losing was only natural.
"Heh.
"The former 'league's number one center,' the man once said to be worth a straight-up trade for LeBron James, was swept by a Hawks team without a superstar.
"That really makes you sigh.
"But it was also inevitable. It shows that the era belonging to centers is completely over. Now... it's the small-ball era."
"Exactly."
Dave Pasch nodded, smiled, and continued, "That said, the small-ball era is the trend, but for now, it hasn't fully arrived yet.
"But one thing is certain. With his godlike physical talent and one unbelievable three-pointer after another, Blake Su is speeding up the arrival of the small-ball era."
"Ah!"
Hearing this, Hubie Brown suddenly slapped the table as if he had just realized something. He laughed and said, "Dave Pasch, now I feel like the era of centers isn't over after all.
"Because... Blake Su, this 'T0'-level rookie, is a center."
"Hm?"
Dave Pasch froze for a moment, then shook his head with a smile. "Blake Su? A center? He only has the height of a center. He really isn't one!"
...
The next day.
On the charter flight from Atlanta to Orlando.
The Magic players were all in heavy spirits.
At the start of the season, they had aimed to make another run at the Eastern Conference Finals, even the Finals. In the middle of the season, they had once been praised as the team most likely to end the Suns' winning streak.
In the end, they were swept by the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs.
That result, that gap between expectation and reality, was painful.
"Sigh..."
Howard sighed. After thinking about it all night, he realized once again that he needed to develop some outside shooting.
"Phew..."
After taking a deep breath, Howard leaned back in his soft seat and turned his head. He first looked at his teammates and said, "Guys, it's okay.
"Losing is already a fact.
"So don't be too upset. Now we'll have plenty of offseason time. Let's train together and become stronger.
"Next season, we'll make another run at the Finals."
"Yeah!"
The players responded.
Although some players still had not shaken off the sadness of being swept, their leader had spoken, so they had to go along with it.
Right after that, Howard looked at Coach Stan Van Gundy and said seriously, "Coach, this offseason, I'll definitely strengthen my three-point shooting.
"Next season, I'll keep dominating the paint. At the same time... I'll make my outside offense a real threat too. I'll definitely become stronger and more complete."
"Mm."
Stan Van Gundy nodded, then looked at the players and smiled. "Keep working, everyone! I'm looking forward to your return as kings next season!"
"Yeah!"
After the coach said that, the once-dull cabin finally regained some fire. Everyone roared, wildly venting the emotions from the loss.
But at that moment, Stan Van Gundy looked at Howard and shook his head slightly.
"Dwight, a few months ago, when you lost to Blake Su, you said you were going to work on your threes.
"But in the end, that was all talk.
"Now you're saying it again. You sound determined, but... are you really willing to spend a huge amount of time practicing three-pointers?"
...
While the entire Magic team was returning to Orlando, the news of the Hawks sweeping the Magic spread quickly online.
"Wow. The Magic, with 'Superman' Howard, actually got swept by the Hawks. That's way too surprising. I really didn't expect that."
"Right? What happened?"
"Hehehe, this year's playoffs are just impossible to predict. First, all eight opening games had major upsets, then the dark-horse Suns got hit three games in a row.
"They fell into a No. 8 upset situation. Even though they took one back last night, no team in NBA playoff history has ever come back from 0-3.
"So the Suns will still end up losing the series in an upset.
"Aside from the Suns, the biggest dark horse was the Thunder. Everyone originally thought the 'Thunder Big Three' would use their talent to carve out a path in the playoffs.
"Who knew German Tank would suddenly come charging in, taking on three by himself and hammering the 'Thunder Big Three' into the ground. That was shocking.
"Now the Magic are the first to go home fishing, and they got swept at that. Before the playoffs, fans never would've imagined any of this.
"This year's playoffs are really interesting."
"Exactly."
"I'm looking forward to the other four first-round Game 4s tonight. I wonder if anything unexpected will happen again."
"Haha, I'm looking forward to it too. But even if it does, don't be surprised. After all... this is the playoff stage. When it comes to winning, anything is possible."
"..."