"Blake Su's leadership ability?"
"Yes, but... before explaining that, we need to make one thing clear. The Suns themselves are much stronger than the Grizzlies.
"Just look at how they crushed them again and again in the regular season.
"But once the playoffs began, rookies like George and Curry failed to adjust, and Blake Su himself didn't adapt right away either.
"That's why they lost three straight.
"But after those three losses, Blake Su, forced into a corner, finally woke up. He finally adapted to the playoffs and to the intensity of the Grizzlies' playoff defense.
"He used his individual offense to force the team forward and inspire his teammates, allowing George, Curry, and the others to play with confidence on offense because of him, even if they still hadn't fully adjusted.
"As a result, the Suns basically returned to their regular-season level, which is why we got those two blowouts that looked just like their regular-season matchups.
"So rather than calling it a huge contrast, it's better to say... this is the series finally returning to normal. It's back to the No. 1 seed in the West crushing the No. 8 seed in the West."
Buzz!
This fan was obviously a Suns supporter, and while his take was not 100% correct, it was close enough to make countless fans suddenly understand.
And while the online debate was raging fiercely...
In the Suns' locker room.
George, Curry, and the rest of the players were cheering as they celebrated another win, another elimination game pulled back. Blake Su was also in a good mood.
Winning was always a good thing.
Besides winning the game, though, there was another reason Blake Su was happy. He had become the youngest "40-point man" in playoff history.
That meant... in this playoff series, he had broken another record.
And the System's random mission was: [Break or create at least three records in a single playoff series to receive the reward: ["The Glove" Gary Payton's defense]].
In that case, he was only one record away from completing the mission and receiving: ["The Glove" Gary Payton's defense].
"There are still two games left. I need to keep pushing. Don't be fooled by how easy I make it look, and don't be fooled by the Grizzlies' reputation for defense. They really don't have anyone who can guard me.
"If it were the Lakers or the Heat, once they raised the defensive intensity, the situation might be completely different.
"So... Payton's defense is something I'm determined to get."
Blake Su thought to himself.
"Hey, Blake Su!"
Curry walked over just then and said with a smile, "What are you doing? Why are you spacing out? Everyone went to the video room to watch the games."
"Nothing. Let's go. We'll watch together."
His thoughts interrupted, Blake Su nodded, tucked the random mission away in his mind, and went with Curry to watch the games.
The Hawks were the first team to advance.
So aside from the Suns-Grizzlies game tonight, there were also Bulls vs. Pacers and Mavericks vs. Thunder.
First came the Bulls and Pacers.
That game had started around the same time as the Suns' game, and by the time Blake Su and the others tuned in, it was already nearing the end, with 3:22 left.
The Bulls were up by 10.
And since it was also on the Bulls' home court, there was basically no suspense. In the end, the Bulls beat the Pacers by 8 points, winning the series 4-1.
They became the second team to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Next came the Mavericks vs. Thunder.
The "Thunder Trio," unwilling to be eliminated, had clearly prepared for revenge tonight. Unfortunately... the Mavericks, playing at home, were even better prepared.
From the very beginning, the Mavericks suppressed the "Thunder Trio." By halftime, the Mavericks led by 11 points.
It was not an insurmountable gap.
The Thunder still had every chance to catch up in the second half, but under the pressure of elimination, the "Thunder Trio" all went cold, missing again and again on offense.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks only grew stronger as the game went on.
The entire Thunder team fell into a slump, collapsing like a landslide. In the end, they fell beneath the "One-Legged Fadeaway" of the "Germanator."
The Mavericks beat the Thunder 4-1 and advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals, becoming the first team in the West to move on.
Fans were not surprised by that result.
The next day.
That night.
Game 5 of the first round began as scheduled.
The Heat took the lead, almost crushing the 76ers again with overwhelming force. After losing the first game, they ran off four straight wins and knocked out Philadelphia.
The Heat advanced in dominant fashion!
It also reminded the league once again just how terrifying the "Heat Big Three" could be in the playoffs, the so-called "stage for superstars."
Right after that came the matchup between the Spurs and the Trail Blazers.
Everyone had thought it would also be a one-sided beatdown by "GDP," but unexpectedly... the declining "The Natural," Roy, erupted tonight, determined to defend the Trail Blazers to the death.
Unfortunately, that burst could not last an entire game. For the battered "The Natural," that kind of eruption could only be a brief flash.
In the final quarter, with three minutes left, the Spurs still relied on the steady performance of their three carriages to lock down the win and bring the series to a close.
The Spurs advanced.
The Lakers and Nuggets series was also raging fiercely, but without "Melo" Anthony, the Nuggets were down 1-3 and had lost home-court advantage. They simply could not withstand the ferocious attack of the defending champions.
The Lakers, determined to chase a three-peat and build a dynasty, gave them no chance at all. In just three quarters, they broke the game open and locked up the win.
In the end, the Lakers won.
Tonight, Kobe went all out, dropping 36 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Against a performance like that, the Nuggets had no chance.
4-1.
The Lakers also advanced smoothly to the Western Conference Semifinals.
As for the final game, the elimination game between the Celtics and the Knicks, Knicks head coach D'Antoni, down 1-3, was practically scratching his scalp raw.
They had signed Stoudemire in the offseason last year, then brought in Anthony in the second half of the season. Those two major trades had sent the Knicks' fighting power soaring.
With that terrifying firepower, the Knicks had originally been aiming for the Eastern Conference Finals, even the NBA Finals.
But now?
They were about to be eliminated in the first round.
D'Antoni was panicking inside. He did not even know whether he could keep his head coaching job if the Knicks were eliminated by the Celtics in the first round.
Before the game, he prayed sincerely, hoping the Knicks could pull one back.
But... things did not go his way. The aging "Celtics Big Four" might have been making their final run at a championship this year, and they did not want to miss their last chance.
Damn!
Playing at home with a big series lead, they showed the Knicks no respect at all, quickly tearing open the Knicks' defense and building an advantage.
And... they held that advantage all the way to the end.
"Clang!"
With one minute left, "Melo" Anthony forced a three over a double team and missed. Down by 6 points, the Knicks' fate was sealed.
That's right.
In the end, the Celtics defended their home-court honor, beat the Knicks 4-1, successfully cleared the first hurdle of the playoffs, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Wow!
Almost at the same time the Celtics won, the fans were stunned.
Because yesterday and today, six Game 5 matchups in the first round had directly sent six teams into the semifinals at the same time. That was an extremely rare occurrence.
And now, the only first-round matchup left was the series between the Suns and the Grizzlies!