That evening, the playoff schedule continued.
First came the matchup between the Heat and the 76ers.
Aside from the huge upset in Game 1, the Heat had completely unleashed their villainous, overpowering offense over the next two games. The "Big Three" dominated both ends of the floor.
The playoffs were a stage for superstars?
Then this series was all about watching the "Big Three" hammer the 76ers. It might even extend further, to watching the "Big Three" tear through the entire East.
Playing on the road, the Heat came out like a knife hitting a live wire, sparks flying the whole way. They won the first quarter by 11, led by 15 at halftime, and still held a 15-point advantage after three quarters.
A beatdown.
Another completely unreasonable beatdown.
During the break between quarters.
At the commentary desk, Van Gundy shook his head and said, "I said a long time ago that the playoffs would be when the Heat's 'Big Three' truly showed their power.
"Now they're proving it."
"Nothing you can do about it."
Mike Breen also shook his head with a smile. "The playoffs are a stage for superstars. When both sides are playing intense, high-pressure defense and the offense can't open up...
"then it comes down to stars creating one-on-one.
"And the Heat have three players like that. LeBron and Wade are both top-five players in the league.
"Who can stop that?
"At least... the 76ers can't."
"That's right."
As the two commentators spoke, the game resumed.
In the final quarter, the Heat's Big Three had no intention of dragging things out. After only a few minutes of rest, all three returned to the floor together.
They combined for a 10-3 run, stretching the lead beyond 20.
The game was blown open.
In the end, the Heat continued their slaughter of Philadelphia, winning by 18 points and easily taking a 3-1 series lead.
Seeing their team lose again, and badly at that, the 76ers' home fans looked at "AI2" Andre Iguodala and could not help missing the "AI" Allen Iverson who had led Philadelphia to the Finals in 2001.
Unfortunately... "AI" was already part of the past.
...
On another battlefield.
In the matchup between the Spurs and the Trail Blazers, the Spurs, playing on the road, did not get off to their usual sharp start.
Aldridge turned into the "King of Mid-Range Jumpers" tonight, hitting one high-post jumper after another, drilling unreasonable shots again and again.
For a while, the Spurs had no answer.
Now, the game had reached the final quarter, with five minutes left in the decisive stretch.
The Trail Blazers temporarily led by seven, and Aldridge, who was averaging 21.3 points in the playoffs and had already exploded for 33 tonight, was still burning hot.
The situation was not friendly for the Spurs.
"Are the Spurs going to lose?"
A heavyset Spurs fan felt worry rising in his chest.
But almost the instant that thought appeared, "Manu" Ginobili came out of nowhere, his demon blade in hand.
"Swish!"
First came a cold-blooded drifting left-handed three over the defense.
Then came one of his baffling "snake-like drives," fooling Aldridge in the paint before flipping in a layup off the glass. And the foul.
"Swish!"
The free throw was good.
In just one minute, "Manu" Ginobili scored six straight unreasonable points, instantly cutting the deficit to one.
"Tsk, tsk... Ginobili again, pulling the team back from the edge of the cliff."
"The 'Manu' who slashes through demons in desperate moments really lives up to his name."
Spurs fans were fired up.
And "Manu's" savior act was not over yet. With 32.3 seconds left and the Spurs down by one, Ginobili held the ball at the top of the arc.
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, he fired a long no-look pass.
"Zip!"
The ball sliced through three Trail Blazers players like lightning and landed perfectly in Tim Duncan's hands under the basket. Duncan caught it and banked it in.
The Spurs took the lead.
And it was that extremely risky, highlight-worthy pass from "Manu" that delivered the win for the Spurs.
A one-point thriller.
In the final moments, relying on "Manu" Ginobili's godlike performance, the Spurs took another game and changed the series score to 3-1.
They also reached series point.
After that, in the matchup between the Lakers and Nuggets, the Lakers once again handled the Nuggets with no suspense, taking series point just like the Spurs and Heat.
Tonight's final matchup, Knicks versus Celtics, was also the one fans were looking forward to the most.
The Knicks, trailing 1-2, were playing at home tonight and were determined to take a game back and even the score. But... it was still the same old problem.
The "STAT-Melo" duo.
Stoudemire and Anthony had no problem scoring individually, but that was all they had. Individual scoring. They could not use their personal ability to connect the team.
So once again, the two of them put up plenty of points, yet their team still trailed.
By the end of the third quarter, with the Knicks down by 13, the result was already predictable. In the end, the Knicks lost at home again.
The Celtics won three straight and reached series point.
The powerful "STAT-Melo" duo still could not turn their firepower into wins, leaving Knicks fans, who had been full of expectations at the end of the regular season, somewhat disappointed.
...
The next day.
Major newspapers summarized the state of the first round so far.
In the East, the Hawks were the first to advance to the semifinals, while the Magic were eliminated, becoming the first team knocked out of the playoffs.
As for the rest.
The Bulls led the Pacers 3-1, the Heat led the Philadelphia 76ers 3-1, and the Celtics led the Knicks 3-1. The Bulls, Heat, and Celtics had all reached series point.
With another win, those three teams would advance at the same time.
In the West, the Suns trailed the Grizzlies 1-3. Although they had won one game in dominant fashion, the Suns still had to survive three more series points, and too many fans still did not believe in them.
They were convinced the Suns would be eliminated in a No. 8 upset.
Elsewhere, the Spurs led the Trail Blazers 3-1, the Mavericks led the Thunder 3-1, and the Lakers led the Nuggets 3-1. Just like in the East, the Spurs, Mavericks, and Lakers had all reached series point.
If they won the next game, those three teams would also smoothly advance to the Western Conference semifinals.
"The situation in the first round is already basically clear. If there's still any suspense, it might be what many Suns fans are hoping for... an epic 0-3 comeback by the Suns.
"But that...
"is really hard!"
A commentator said this during an interview program.
Around the same time.
Adidas headquarters.
Manager Wagner's office.
Wagner and production manager Leviton sat facing each other on the office sofa.
"Wagner, are we really going to keep going? I feel like... sales of the 'Blake Su Generation' are definitely going to take a big hit.
"Because the Suns are very unlikely to even get past the first round. Once that happens, Blake Su's popularity will drop. If we keep producing the 'Blake Su Generation,' we might lose even more money."
Production manager Leviton voiced his concerns.
"Uh..."
Wagner thought for a moment. A firm light appeared in his eyes as he said, "We keep producing it. And... we increase production."
"What?!"
Leviton was startled and hurriedly asked, "Why? The Suns are already in a desperate situation and are very likely to be eliminated in the first round. Once they're eliminated, Blake Su's popularity will definitely take a major hit.
"Sales of the 'Blake Su Generation' will also drop sharply. If we keep producing it now and sales stall later, we're definitely going to lose money."
"That's right."
Wagner nodded without denying it, then smiled faintly. "That is the situation. But... high risk and high reward often go hand in hand."
...
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