A complete reversal for the Grizzlies. Are they about to pull off a comeback?!
Of course.
That was just a joke.
On the court, the Suns had possession.
Blake Su faced Gay one-on-one at the top of the arc. He went into a front double crossover, gave one fake, then burst forward on the second acceleration.
"Whoosh!"
He shook Gay off cleanly, attacked the rim from the right wing, flew up, and laid it in off the glass.
"Swish!"
Good.
Gay's talent was certainly decent, but that was all it was. Against Blake Su, even if he pushed that talent to its limit, he still could not stop him.
But on the other end, Gay drove past George in transition, absorbed contact, pulled up sharply, and hit the jumper.
Nash brought the ball up. Curry and Blake Su spread out to both sides, stretching the three-point threat to the maximum. Nash fired a bounce pass to George, who was cutting in around the free-throw line.
"Whoosh!"
George's shot still was not stable enough at this stage, so he usually chose to attack the rim.
"Clang!"
The layup missed.
The rebound?!
Frye tipped the rebound out. Nash collected it on the perimeter, shifted sideways in the air, and swung it to Curry on the left wing. Curry kept attacking the basket.
"Thud!"
After taking contact from Allen in midair, he twisted his body and banked it in.
"Swish!"
Good.
"Wow... that was a tough one from Curry. The Grizzlies' defense is really tough tonight. With no way back, they're fighting for every single possession."
Dave Pasch said.
"Hm?"
Beside him, Hubie Brown let out a puzzled sound. "What's going on out there? Tony Allen is down on the floor. Did he get hurt?!"
On the court, the team doctor came forward to examine him.
The big screen replayed Curry's layup in slow motion.
It turned out that after Allen jumped desperately to defend, he lost his balance. When he landed sideways, his foot was unstable, and with all his body weight coming down on one foot, the pressure was too much. He had injured himself.
After resting on the floor for a moment, Allen was helped up. He limped a few steps and still did not look right, so he returned to the locker room for further examination and treatment.
"Allen has gone back to the locker room. For the Grizzlies, this is one disaster after another. Their situation has gotten even harder."
The game continued.
Hollins sent in 206-centimeter reserve forward Darrell Arthur.
"It's over!"
Arthur had been called upon in a crisis, but to the fans, Allen's injury only made them feel even more certain that the Grizzlies had lost any chance of winning.
However.
That did not seem to be the case.
8:13.
George drove in for a layup. Arthur flew up under the basket, met him in the air, ruined the attempt, and then... jumped a second time to secure the rebound.
7:11.
Curry used Blake Su's high screen to get an opening on the left wing and cut to the basket for what looked like a clean layup, only for Arthur to chase him down from behind.
"Thud!"
A block destroyed Curry's layup.
At the same time, in transition, Arthur pushed the ball coast to coast. It looked as if he was going to feed Conley, who had spotted up on one side for a three, but instead he attacked the rim himself.
"Swish!"
The fast-break layup went in.
5:12.
Marc Gasol missed a low-post jumper. Arthur threw himself at the ball and saved it before it bounced out of bounds.
"Thud!"
He himself crashed under the basket stanchion and fell to the floor.
"Boom!"
Meanwhile, Randolph caught the ball under the basket, exploded upward, and slammed home the putback.
3:41.
It was Arthur again. On a Grizzlies possession, he battled Frye and Blake Su in the paint, grabbed the rebound, and kicked it out to Conley on the perimeter.
"Whoosh!"
Another three.
"Swish!"
Good.
On the final possession of the first quarter, Gay faced George one-on-one, ran the clock down, accelerated into his drive, took contact, and pulled up for a fadeaway jumper.
"Clang!"
Missed.
But.
"Whoosh!"
Arthur came flying in again, leaped up, and tipped it in.
Suns (27): (31) Grizzlies.
The first quarter ended with the Grizzlies leading by 4.
During the break.
Inside the broadcast studio.
"My goodness."
Dave Pasch clicked his tongue and exclaimed, "The Grizzlies were already on the brink, and now they've lost starter Tony Allen too.
And yet.
Even with Blake Su hitting two threes and scoring 13 points in the quarter, they're still leading by 4. That's unbelievable."
"It really is unbelievable."
Hubie Brown looked just as shocked, but then added, "Tony Allen's injury has only made things worse for the Grizzlies.
But... reserve Arthur coming in has been exactly what they needed. In this quarter, he grabbed second-chance rebounds again and again, and kept stopping the Suns whenever they attacked the paint.
Called upon in a crisis, Arthur turned into a warrior guarding the defensive tower. As long as he's there, the tower stands. He's using everything he has to defend his home."
"That's right."
Dave Pasch nodded heavily and sighed. "Arthur has been outstanding. Tonight, he's become the 'X-Factor,' completely flipping the situation for the Grizzlies and giving them control of the game."
On the court, at the Suns' bench.
Alvin Gentry was also stunned by the performance of "X-Factor" Arthur.
But he did not pay it too much mind. After all... an "X-Factor" could only shine for a short while. It could not possibly last forever.
Tonight's winner would still be the Suns.
Who would have thought that during the second-quarter bench rotation, "X-Factor" Arthur would keep it going? If Arthur in the first quarter had become a defensive gatekeeper, protecting the paint and stopping the Suns' offense, then against the bench unit, Arthur became an offensive weapon.
With his serviceable mid-range jumper and his powerful rim attacks that ended in fierce dunks, he kept stretching the Grizzlies' lead.
In just 3 minutes and 42 seconds, the Grizzlies had pushed the lead to 9 points.
After being on the floor for barely more than a quarter, Arthur had already put up a team-high 12 points, along with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.
He also had several excellent defensive plays.
"That's basically All-Star-level production. 'X-Factor' Arthur has been incredible tonight. Absolutely incredible.
Could it be.
Are the Grizzlies really going to defy fate tonight and carry this 'No. 8 seed upset' all the way through?!"
Hubie Brown said, narrowing his eyes.
"Hiss!"
Dave Pasch's mouth twitched. "Sure enough, 'coming back from 3-0 to win four straight' and creating that kind of historic miracle was never going to be easy.
And if the Grizzlies, with everything going against them tonight, really do defy fate, that would be something else."
"Exactly. Because of 'X-Factor' Arthur, this Game 7, which originally had no suspense at all, has suddenly become uncertain again.
That's the beauty of basketball."
The two commentators sighed in amazement.
On the court.
"Beep, beep!"
Alvin Gentry quickly called a timeout.
He sent Blake Su back in early to contain Arthur's momentum.
"Thud, thud, thud!"
At the top of the arc, Blake Su faced Arthur one-on-one. In the first six games of the series, Blake Su had been able to pick Arthur apart whenever he wanted.
However.
Tonight, Arthur had become the "X-Factor" and was already playing with confidence. As he stared into Blake Su's eyes, there was not a trace of fear in his own.
But Blake Su was not afraid of Arthur either.
With the ball in his right hand, the instant Blake Su lowered his center of gravity, he shot forward like lightning. No fancy moves.
He was going to drive straight through Arthur.
Only by scoring over Arthur this way could he crush his confidence.
"Whoosh!"
With just one burst of speed, Blake Su got past Arthur as easily as crossing an empty street at dawn. And yet... Blake Su's pupils suddenly widened.
Why?!
Because... Blake Su realized the basketball was gone from his hand.
One-on-one, Arthur had stolen the ball from Blake Su.
"Whoa!"
From their god's-eye view, the fans could not help gasping at the sight.