"Huh?!"
Leviton looked confused.
Wagner did not answer right away. He took a sip of tea, his eyes firm, and said, "First, even if the Suns are eliminated from the series by the No. 8 seed, Blake Su's popularity won't fall by much."
"Because right now, the outside world's view of the Suns, and of Blake Su as a rookie, is mostly regret mixed with anticipation. People think a team with no playoff experience is allowed to lose.
"So under those circumstances, even if the Suns lose, sales of the 'Blake Su Generation' won't be far off from our expectations.
"In short, even if we keep production going, we may not make a huge profit, but we basically won't lose money.
"But... if everyone believes the Suns, down 0-3, have no chance of coming back, only for them to complete the comeback and hit a Game 7 buzzer-beater to eliminate the Grizzlies...
"And the Suns player capable of creating that kind of miracle will definitely be Blake Su. By then... Blake Su's popularity will instantly shoot to the very top.
"That kind of rebound from rock bottom, that surge in popularity, will make the 'Blake Su Generation' explode even more than we originally expected."
The more Wagner spoke, the more excited he became.
Leviton shook his head, still worried. "Your idea sounds wonderful, but it's too difficult. Nothing like that has ever happened in NBA playoff history."
"Heh."
Wagner gave a dismissive laugh. "If there's no history, then we'll make history. I believe in Blake Su, and he's already made plenty of history this season.
"Besides, this is exactly what I meant when I said high reward comes with high risk.
"I know how hard it is, but once it succeeds, it will completely blow up!
"You can also call it a gamble. And I'm betting on... 'Monster Rookie' Blake Su to fight against the current and pull off a desperate comeback.
"So when it comes to production of the 'Blake Su Generation,' not only should we not slow down, we should push even harder. Let's... seek fortune in risk!!!"
Wagner only grew more excited as he spoke.
He was an extremely decisive manager, one who dared to take risks, though of course, that was built on the fact that he had a "keen eye."
Previously, he had dared to sign Blake Su, a rookie, to a "sky-high contract," betting that he could create even more wealth for Adidas.
The facts proved that it had been the right choice.
Now, he still believed in Blake Su unconditionally. He believed Blake Su could stage an epic comeback.
"Good!"
Leviton was also stirred by Wagner's words. He nodded heavily, then immediately gave the order to further ramp up production of the "Blake Su Generation" around the clock.
Take the gamble. Whether it turns into dirt or gold depends on this!
Everything rests on Blake Su!!!
...
The situation in the first round of the playoffs gradually became clear.
At this point, although there was very little suspense left, the only series with even a faint trace of it was the one between the Suns and the Grizzlies.
The next game was tomorrow night.
Back in Phoenix, back on their home court, the Suns had a good chance of winning another game, but how things would actually play out was still hard to say.
After all, the Grizzlies had already won two straight games on the Suns' home floor.
And before this matchup arrived, voting for some of the regular-season awards, such as MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, All-NBA First Team, and so on, was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
After all... these were regular-season awards. Even something as prestigious as "MVP" had nothing to do with playoff performance.
As for those awards, before the official announcements were made, most fans could only wait. Besides... with the intense playoffs underway, the fans' attention was still focused on the games.
One day later.
Game 5 between the Suns and the Grizzlies... had arrived!
Half an hour before tip-off.
"Boom!"
The cheers in the Suns' home arena were deafening, like layer upon layer of waves crashing down, as if they were about to swallow the entire Grizzlies team whole.
"Let's go!"
"Go Suns! Make the comeback! Pull off an epic turnaround! Let the league know that our mighty Suns can dominate the league in the regular season.
"And in the playoffs... we still can!"
"Go, Blake Su!"
"The Grizzlies are going down!"
In the stands, countless fans wearing Blake Su's No. 0 jersey shouted with wild excitement. The game had not even started yet, but the home-court atmosphere had already exploded.
The fiery cheers put pressure on the Grizzlies, who had been slaughtered in the previous game.
"Boom!"
Randolph leaped up under the basket and threw down a thunderous dunk, shaking the rim.
"Hmph!"
After hanging on the rim and landing, Randolph snorted coldly. "Getting this cocky after just one win? We already won two games here.
"We can definitely do it again tonight.
"Just wait and feel the despair of being eliminated by the No. 8 seed!"
Before the game, on the Grizzlies' bench, Hollins gathered the players together and shouted, "Guys, give me everything you've got.
"We can't let this drag on any longer.
"Take down the Suns tonight and advance to the Western Conference Semifinals!"
"Oh!~"
The players roared in unison. Still holding three match points, their fighting spirit remained fierce.
On the Suns' side, after their crushing win in the previous game, combined with home-court advantage and the dominant performance of team leader Blake Su, everyone was brimming with confidence.
Their desire to fight was bursting.
Already pushed to the brink with no way back, the Suns stepped onto the court tonight with the belief that they had to win.
"Step!"
"Step!"
Warm-ups ended. Both sides sent out the same starting lineups, and the game began.
"Jump ball!"
Blake Su and Marc Gasol contested the tip.
Once again, Marc Gasol fought hard and took it seriously, but once again, he was suffocated by sheer talent.
"Smack!"
Blake Su effortlessly tipped the ball away again, securing the first possession of the game for the Suns. Nash brought the ball up the court.
He reached the left side near the top of the arc, then passed it back to Blake Su trailing behind him. When Blake Su caught the ball, he was still at least two meters away from the three-point line at the top of the arc.
"In the last game, even against double teams, Blake Su still forced his way through and scored with post-ups. Tonight, the Grizzlies should be giving Blake Su an even higher level of defense."
At the commentary desk, Van Gundy was speaking rapidly. "Sure enough... Gay and Marc Gasol are already waiting side by side beyond the three-point line. Allen is staying with Curry, and George has been left open on the perimeter.
"They're still focused on cutting off Blake Su.
"Blake Su is handling the ball in the middle at the top of the arc right now. How will he choose to attack? If he forces a drive, that doesn't seem like a very good option.
"But because it's Blake Su, maybe he can still do it. Wow~~~, oh my god, Blake Su... Blake Su pulls up directly?!
"From the middle at the top of the arc.
"More than a meter beyond the three-point line, he fires an ultra-long three-pointer right at the start?!
"Gay and Marc Gasol, who were watching him closely at the three-point line, are both stunned. This ultra-long three from Blake Su completely defies common sense.
"This shot...
"Bang!
"Nothing but net!
"Unbelievable! Blake Su opens the game with an ultra-long three-pointer!"