"Boom!"
The instant the final buzzer sounded,
the arena erupted with cheers like an avalanche. Even though the result had been clear half a quarter, even more than a full quarter ago,
this was still a victory.
This was a Game 7 win after losing the first three games, falling into a dead end, then fighting back from the brink.
More than that, it was an epic comeback victory after being down 3-0 and winning four straight.
With a victory like this, how could anyone not cheer? How could anyone not be happy? How could anyone not jump up, pump their fists, and shout?
"We won!"
"Hahaha, comeback, comeback, comeback. Important things have to be said three times!"
"The Suns came back from 3-0. One of a kind in history."
"It was a series full of scares, but my Suns just made this round part of history. The league will be talking about it for years."
"Congratulations to the Suns!"
"..."
The home fans beamed as they savored the win.
On the court.
"We won!"
"We finally won!"
Blake Su, Curry, George, Nash, and the rest of the players were not wildly excited. After all, this Game 7 had lost its suspense a while ago.
Still,
everyone high-fived each other, and the mood was bright and joyful.
"Blake Su, you're the Suns' one true core!"
Alvin Gentry was all smiles. As he murmured those words, his praise for Blake Su came straight from the heart, and he felt incredibly lucky to have met Blake Su this season.
The cheers in the arena never stopped.
"Blake Su MVP!"
"MVP! MVP!"
"MVP! MVP!! MVP!!!"
Led by the arena DJ, chants of "Blake Su MVP" suddenly rang through the building, growing louder and louder.
Gradually,
one wave rose higher than the last, until the entire US Airways Center was swallowed by the roaring "MVP" chant.
On the court.
Blake Su waved toward the stands, then lifted his head slightly and pointed a finger to the sky, accepting the cheers and enjoying this night that belonged to him.
And in the fifth row of the stands,
Yoona watched Blake Su with a radiant smile. Seeing him surrounded by the support of tens of thousands, becoming the arena's one and only brightest star, filled her with happiness.
"They won!"
"Blake Su really is amazing!"
"Yeah~"
Yoona blended in with the fans, cheering and applauding Blake Su alongside everyone else.
At the same time,
inside the broadcast studio.
"Wow!!!"
Dave Pasch opened his mouth wide and shouted happily, "Even though we knew before the game that this was supposed to be a game without suspense, a game the Suns were bound to win,
the whole process was still full of twists and excitement.
After starter Tony Allen left with an injury, making things even worse for the Grizzlies, Arthur first appeared out of nowhere as the 'X-factor.'
After that,
the whole team gave everything they had, sounded the horn for a counterattack, and kept the score close, keeping the suspense alive.
With their powerful refusal to give up, the Memphis Grizzlies nearly came back against the Suns and nearly pulled off a historic 'No. 8 seed upset' miracle of their own.
But
Arthur, the 'X-factor,' was destroyed single-handedly by Blake Su. Blake Su hit 10 threes and shot through the Grizzlies, and when the Grizzlies' whole team attacked with everything they had in their final push,
Blake Su took over the game and killed it by himself!
You could say that
throughout the entire game, Blake Su used his powerful, all-around performance on both offense and defense to single-handedly break down a desperate Grizzlies team that had gone all in and produced a fierce attack.
That all-around performance gave him a wild near 40-point triple-double: 41 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, and 5 blocks.
And among those numbers,
he also hit 10 three-pointers!
With a performance this incredible, almost terrifying, it's no wonder the arena is filled with 'Blake Su MVP' chants. He was absolutely tonight's MVP!"
"That's right."
Hubie Brown was just as excited. He nodded and continued, "This series was originally very likely to end with the Suns sweeping the Grizzlies 4-0 and advancing easily.
Instead, they started 0-3. A nightmare opening.
In NBA playoff history, no team had ever come back after falling behind 0-3. Just when everyone thought the Suns were destined to suffer a 'No. 8 seed upset,'
they ended up winning 4-3 and pulling off an epic comeback.
In the final game, the Grizzlies once led by more than ten points and controlled the rhythm, looking as if they were about to win. Then Blake Su hit 10 threes in one game and shot through the Grizzlies.
And
after losing three straight games, the Suns saved four straight elimination games, won four games in a row, and every single one of them was a blowout!
Everything about this unbelievable series is guaranteed to go down in history and become a textbook comeback in NBA playoff history.
So many impossible things became possible in this series, shocking the entire league. And that is exactly the charm of basketball!"
"Well said!"
Dave Pasch slapped the table in admiration, gave Hubie Brown a thumbs-up, then continued, "Let's congratulate the Suns for coming back from 3-0, winning the series, and successfully advancing to the Western Conference Semifinals.
[Coming Back from 3-0].
After falling behind 0-3 in the playoffs, saving four straight elimination games, and completing a comeback from the brink, the Suns have become the first team in NBA history
to reverse a 0-3 deficit in the playoffs. They have made history.
In addition,
Blake Su, who put up a 40-plus near triple-double and hit 10 threes in a single game, broke the NBA playoff single-game record for made three-pointers.
Before tonight,
the playoff record for three-pointers made in a single game was 9.
It was held by three players: Rex Chapman in the 1996-97 season, Vince Carter in the 2000-01 season, and Ray Allen in both the 2000-01 and 2008-09 seasons.
Now,
Blake Su has surpassed all three of them in one stroke, breaking the record and making it belong to him alone, to Blake Su, to a center!
He is not only tonight's MVP. As the lone core leading this team, he is also a fearless hero, the hero of the Suns.
And he is also a hero of Chinese basketball.
Go, Blake Su!
The two commentators, fired up with emotion, praised Blake Su without end.
Now, back to the arena.
"Boom!"
The fiery cheers in the arena never stopped.
The Suns happily enjoyed their victory, while the Grizzlies, who had suffered the comeback, were crushed. One by one, they lowered their heads, their spirits sinking to the bottom.
They lost.
They had lost.
And they had been overturned in the worst possible way. It was brutal.
Of course,
if the roles were reversed, if the Suns had lost tonight, the Suns who had recorded two separate 20-plus-game winning streaks in the regular season and finished with the league's best record,
then that kind of "No. 8 seed upset" miracle
would have dealt an even more devastating blow to the entire Suns team.
Nash, who knew how to put himself in someone else's shoes, gave Blake Su a nudge. Blake Su immediately understood. He stepped forward with Nash and went over to the Grizzlies players.
They offered postgame hugs and respect.
On the court, they were opponents, even enemies. But off the court, as people who all made their living through basketball, they were still... friends.
The series was over.
And with those embraces, every grudge and rivalry vanished completely.