Break between the third and fourth quarters.
On the Grizzlies' bench.
Randolph was furious. He growled, "Why? Why? Our offensive efficiency in the third quarter clearly wasn't low.
How did we end up losing the quarter by 14 points?!"
He could not understand it.
No matter how hard Randolph racked his brain, he still could not figure it out.
"Sigh..."
Marc Gasol let out a sigh, looking as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
The other players were just as dazed. It felt like the gap had somehow been blown open out of nowhere.
"Phew..."
Conley took a deep breath, paused, then said, "It's true. We've played really well tonight, whether it was Arthur's breakout stretch.
Or our team offense in the third quarter.
Everyone played well. But they've been too accurate from three. Nash, Curry, Blake Su, and even Frye can all shoot from deep.
Especially Blake Su. His threes are just unreasonable.
Our offensive efficiency hasn't been bad either, but most of our scoring has come from mid-range shots and attacks at the rim. They're all twos. So even if we make them,
the Suns keep adding to the lead point by point, and somehow the gap just stretches open.
It's really frustrating."
It really was frustrating, but there was also nothing they could do about it. In terms of three-point shooting alone, the Grizzlies truly could not compare with the Suns.
"Hey!"
Coach Hollins, who had been listening the whole time, finally spoke. He looked at the players and said in a firm voice, "Yes, it's exactly like you said.
Everyone is playing well.
We're behind, but don't give up. You absolutely cannot give up.
They may shoot threes better than we do, but our efficiency at the rim is much higher than their perimeter shooting. So if we can keep up this efficiency,
we still have a chance.
Guys, give everything you have for 12 more minutes. Win this game, and all of this will be worth it. You have to believe in yourselves.
Do you hear me?!"
"Yeah!"
The players nodded hard.
At a time like this, of course there was no reason to give up.
On the Suns' side, holding a 14-point lead, everyone was even more confident and even more eager to fight. Unlike the Grizzlies, who needed to chase points in the final quarter,
the Suns players
were thinking about ending the game early in the fourth.
Before long.
The break ended. Both teams returned with their fighting spirit at its peak, and the final quarter of Game 7 began. It was the quarter that would decide everything.
First came the bench rotations.
After only two minutes.
"Beep, beep!"
Hollins called a timeout and brought the Grizzlies' starters back in. On the Suns' side, everyone in the starting lineup returned as well, except for Blake Su.
The final battle had arrived ahead of schedule.
Blake Su had played the entire third quarter and used up a lot of energy, so he was still resting. Was this a great chance for the Grizzlies to cut into the lead?
Yes.
It was a chance.
But the Suns players, full of confidence and locked in, were not easy to deal with either. On top of that, they still held a 14-point advantage.
Although the Grizzlies were shooting a little better, the Suns had more three-pointers, so they were not falling behind the Grizzlies at all.
For a while.
The two teams traded baskets, going back and forth in a fierce battle.
It looked intense and tightly contested, but for the Grizzlies, it was terrible news. The gap was still 14 points, yet half the quarter had already passed.
"Beep, beep!"
Hollins called another timeout.
He told the players that while maintaining their offense, they also had to raise their defensive intensity. They could not only focus on scoring. If they did, they still would not have a chance.
Half a quarter.
A 14-point deficit was big, but not impossible to overcome. Either way, the game had not lost all suspense yet.
After the timeout.
With Hollins giving instructions and rearranging the offensive and defensive tactics, the Grizzlies wanted to use one big run to close the gap, stage a comeback,
and create history for the Grizzlies.
However.
Blake Su, who had rested for a full half quarter and returned after this timeout as well, did not seem interested in giving the Grizzlies any chance to chase the score. He wanted to kill their comeback hopes before they could even begin.
The game continued.
"Clang!"
Gay's drive was stopped by Blake Su's help defense.
Suns fast break.
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su, a center, grabbed the ball and accelerated up the floor. Marc Gasol and Randolph could not keep up at all, while Gay and Conley chased from the wings.
They were determined not to let Blake Su, who had already hit 10 threes, shoot another one.
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su did not slow down as he pushed forward, then passed to Curry, who was trailing in from the side.
"Contest him!"
Hollins shouted from the sideline. Conley quickly slid over to help on Curry after he caught the ball. Curry set his feet as if preparing to shoot a three.
"Whoosh!"
Then he suddenly tossed the ball into the air.
"What? A pass?!"
Conley froze, then hurriedly turned to look.
Blake Su, still moving at full speed, soared high at the rim, caught the ball with one hand, and then... hammered down a tomahawk alley-oop dunk!
"Boom!"
The heavy slam left the rim buzzing.
It was worth mentioning that Gay, who had been guarding Blake Su, had also jumped under the basket. But once Blake Su took off and fully extended his arm,
his reach was a full palm higher.
So even though Gay tried his hardest to interfere, Blake Su still crushed him with a brutal tomahawk alley-oop poster dunk!
Blake Su returned to the floor.
One defensive play, one offensive play. The impact was immediate.
On the very next possession, Blake Su used his powerful gravity to draw a triple-team on a drive, then bounced a pass out through the crowd.
"Smack!"
"Step!"
George cut in, caught the pass, took one step into the paint, and flew up.
"Boom!"
Another dunk was served up.
The Suns scored four straight points, pushing the gap to 18. The Grizzlies instantly grew anxious, and in their panic, they made a mistake. Randolph tried to bully Frye in the paint,
"Smack!"
but Nash came in from the wing and stole the ball. Right after that, he threw a long pass across the full court to Blake Su, who had sprinted ahead at the first opportunity.
"Step!"
Blake Su had an open lane all to himself. He planted both feet under the rim, sprang up, and sent the Grizzlies a windmill dunk, showing off the ability of a "Dunk Contest" champion.
"Boom!"
The dunk came together with a wave of cheers from the entire arena.
The lead reached 20 points.
In just a few minutes, the Grizzlies had fallen into desperation.
However... just as the Grizzlies were about to grit their teeth and fight to the end, misfortune struck again. George, who had gone 0-for-4 from three tonight,
took advantage of the moment.
"Swish!"
A three from the corner pierced the net.
That three poured fuel on the fire, pushed the lead to 23, and directly killed the game!
"Beep, beep!"
Hollins hurriedly called a timeout, but he knew there was no longer any chance to win.
On the Suns' side, Alvin Gentry was also gracious. He only took Blake Su out of the game and let the rest of the starters finish the remaining time against the Grizzlies.
In the end.
The Suns easily took down the Grizzlies by a massive 18-point margin, winning another blowout on their home court.
With a 4-3 series score, the Suns won Game 7, eliminated the Grizzlies, and successfully advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals!
At the same time.
It also confirmed Blake Su's earlier script. After losing the first three games of the series, they came back to win four straight, pulling off an epic comeback
never before seen in NBA playoff history!
...
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