The series stood at 2-3.
In the first round of the playoffs, only the Suns-Grizzlies matchup had yet to be decided.
So... the entire league's attention suddenly shifted over, all of it focused on the Suns and the Grizzlies.
The next afternoon.
At an upscale café in Miami.
The Big Three gathered by the window, sipping coffee and enjoying the feeling of having advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
"To be honest."
Bosh set down his coffee and shrugged. "If I could choose, I'd rather the Grizzlies win the series. I don't want to run into Blake Su."
"What's there to be afraid of? Even if he's a genius-level guy, that just means he's good. One-on-one, I'm not scared of him."
Wade curled his lip, showing no fear at all.
"Heh."
LeBron smiled and said, "Honestly, I'd also rather the Grizzlies win. Not because I'm necessarily afraid of Blake Su or what the Suns can do.
"It's just that the three of us are carrying too much this year. We can't afford any mistakes. We have to win the championship. We have to use a championship ring to silence every doubt from the outside world.
"So if, on the road to the title, we can swap out the more dangerous Suns for the Grizzlies, that would be a pretty good choice. Although... I know that won't be easy."
"Well, all right then."
Wade stopped arguing.
"Haha!"
LeBron laughed again and said, "Of course, we're just chatting. No matter who the opponent is, we'll beat them.
"This year... the championship is ours."
"Of course!"
"CB4" Bosh nodded heavily. He had given up being the boss in Toronto to come to the Heat as the third option, all for the sake of winning a championship.
Around the same time.
At the Lakers' practice facility.
Pau Gasol, Kobe, Odom, and the others were doing their daily training. They had just advanced, so they needed to rest and recover too.
But the necessary daily work could not be skipped.
"Odom, who's our next opponent going to be?"
Pau Gasol asked while practicing his low-post footwork.
"Swish!"
Odom hit a free throw and answered, "Our semifinal opponent will be the winner between the Suns and the Grizzlies."
"Then which team do you want to face?"
Pau Gasol kept asking.
"The Grizzlies, of course."
Odom answered without hesitation, then added, "Even though the Suns are first in the West and have won big in the last two games, the Grizzlies started the series up 3-0.
"For the Suns to win four straight elimination games and pull off an epic comeback...
"I don't think that's possible. And the next game is on the Grizzlies' home court. Barring any surprises, after resting, adjusting, and returning home, the Grizzlies will use one win to complete the No. 8 seed upset."
"I see."
Pau Gasol nodded to himself and said, "That's fine too. Honestly, I don't want to run into the Suns either.
"A team with Blake Su, that 'Monster Rookie,' always makes people uneasy."
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Off to the side, Kobe, who had been listening the whole time while hitting several straight threes, shook his head.
"You're thinking too much. The Suns-Grizzlies series is definitely going to be won by the Suns.
"Our opponent in the semifinals will definitely be the Suns.
"So... don't be afraid. Blake Su may be a strong rookie, but I, Kobe, am not afraid of him. We'll beat him.
"Don't forget.
"We're the defending champions. We have no reason to fear any team.
"Don't let the opponent really turn out to be the Suns, only for you to lose half your morale before the game even starts. Got it?"
"Oh!"
"Got it."
Pau Gasol and Odom nodded heavily. When their leader spoke, the two of them listened obediently and without question. That was also the leadership presence of the "Black Mamba."
...
Aside from these two teams.
With only the Suns and the Grizzlies still undecided in the first round, every team, every fan, every media outlet, and every newspaper was discussing Suns vs. Grizzlies, focusing all eyes on them.
Soon.
The next day.
8:00 p.m.
FedEx Forum.
On the Grizzlies' home court, Game 6 between the Grizzlies and the Suns began as scheduled.
Half an hour before tip-off.
The Grizzlies' home arena was already boiling with noise.
A sweep across the stands showed banners and small flags everywhere with slogans like "No. 8 Seed Tonight," "No Game 7," "3-4 No, 4-2 Win," and "Memphis Is the End."
"Boom!"
With thunderous cheers that seemed powerful enough to swallow mountains and rivers, the Grizzlies fans pushed their home-court advantage to the limit. Before the game had even started, they were already trying to suppress the Suns with sheer atmosphere.
"Hiss~"
Curry, George, and the others, who were warming up, felt a faint discomfort inside. They could sense some pressure and tension.
But that was all.
Tonight... still standing on the edge of the cliff, they had no path of retreat. They could only move forward, keep winning, and pull back another elimination game.
Fight!
At 8:30 p.m., the game officially began.
"Let's go!"
"Go Grizzlies! Win this game!"
The cheers from the Grizzlies' home fans were deafening, but... on the jump ball between Blake Su and Marc Gasol, Blake Su still took it in his unreasonable fashion.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Nash pushed the ball across half court and reached the middle at the top of the arc.
At the same time... Gay stuck to Blake Su like glue, but Blake Su used George's screen to shake free smoothly.
"Screech!"
He suddenly stopped and cut back upward. Nash's eyes sharpened, and he passed the ball over.
"Smack!"
At the left high post, Blake Su caught the ball, accelerated with one step, and charged toward the low block. Although he had received the ball, Gay and Marc Gasol were still in front of him.
Marc Gasol was lower, while Gay was positioned above.
But...
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su did not even glance at either of them. Holding the ball in his left hand, he lowered his center of gravity, planted his foot, and suddenly burst forward.
In just one step, he reached Marc Gasol.
"Whoosh!"
With a spin, he slipped between the two of them, took one step under the basket, and rose straight up as if springing from the floor. The entire sequence flowed like water.
In what felt like a single breath, Blake Su had already torn through the double team and entered the paint.
"Ah!"
Under the basket, Randolph froze for an instant. With a low roar, he tried to jump and block Blake Su, but Blake Su had already taken off first.
"Boom!"
With a two-handed slam, he dunked the ball hard into the rim over Randolph.
"Buzz!"
"Step, step, step!"
The powerful two-handed dunk made the rim groan. In the collision... it also knocked Randolph backward several steps.
"Unbelievable!"
At the commentary desk.
Jon Barry raised his arms and roared, "On the Grizzlies' home court, facing an astonishing wave of cheers and boos, Blake Su, playing on the road, ignored all the noise.
"On the very first possession, one against three, he spun past Gay and Marc Gasol, then stole the spotlight with a poster dunk over Randolph that set the entire arena on fire!
"Blake Su... is already unstoppable!"
...
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