"Clap, clap, clap!"
Alvin Gentry clapped hard, drawing the players' attention before saying, "Guys, you saw it, didn't you?
That's how terrifying the 'Mamba Mentality' can be.
When 'Black Mamba' Kobe's desire to win reaches its peak, he can unleash a level of power and ability that frightens people.
But that mentality applies to us too, and... we've already done it.
Not long ago, when we were down 0-3 against the Grizzlies, when we had been pushed to the brink, we unleashed a force that shook the entire league.
We came back from three games down and won four straight. We pulled off a miracle.
That is also the never-give-up 'Mamba Mentality.' So getting overturned after leading by 20 in the last game isn't the end of the world. We still lead 2-1.
But we absolutely cannot lose our confidence. In the next game, everyone gives it everything they've got. Face them with confidence, win the game, and take match point.
Got it?!"
"Yeah!!"
The players answered loudly, especially George and Curry, who shouted the loudest.
"Mm."
Seeing the players in such a positive state, Alvin Gentry nodded in satisfaction.
After blowing a 20-point lead last night and losing at the buzzer, he had to steady the players and settle their mindset and confidence.
Otherwise, even with a 2-1 lead, facing the defending champions led by "Black Mamba" Kobe, they could absolutely end up losing the series.
...
4:00 p.m.
TD Garden locker room.
The entire Heat roster had arrived in Boston the day before, and now they were in the locker room at the Celtics' home arena, getting ready for pregame warmups.
"Guys!"
"King James" LeBron stepped into the middle of the locker room, called everyone over, and said, "You all know what happened in yesterday's games, right?
The Lakers came back from 20 down.
The Bulls were once down by 17, then went on a 15-0 run and almost pulled off the comeback.
All of that tells us one thing. On the court, until the final moment, everything is still possible. Anything can happen.
So even though we're up 2-0, even though both games were blowouts, we can't get careless. We have to be fully locked in for this game.
Got it?"
"Mm."
"Got it!"
The players nodded.
Sitting off to the side, "Flash" Wade nodded along as well.
This was the Heat. Wasn't this "Flash" Wade's team? Then why was LeBron talking like the boss?
Yes.
The Heat were indeed Wade's team.
But LeBron was a natural leader. No matter what team he was on, he would become the leader, and this season, LeBron had proven himself with his all-around numbers.
Besides, LeBron and Wade were close. Wade had no interest in fighting him for that role, so there was nothing strange about LeBron stepping up as the leader and saying those words.
...
8:00 p.m.
The Heat and Celtics showdown began.
Back on the Celtics' home court, the "Big Four" were determined to sound the counterattack tonight and make the villainous Heat suffer in their arena.
However, perhaps because of what LeBron had said, the entire Heat team was locked in from the start despite playing on the road.
And it wasn't just the "Heat Big Three."
The role players were locked in too.
The Big Three's ferocious offense alone was already hard enough to handle. Now the bench players were also coming in with timely blows. Who could withstand that?
In the first quarter, the Heat won by 10 points.
The gap kept growing in the second quarter, and by halftime, the lead had already reached 16 points.
Yet when the second half began, the gap not only failed to shrink, the game quickly headed toward a complete blowout.
By the end of the third quarter, the Heat were already up by a full 22 points.
A crushing rout.
With brutal dominance and the terrifying power of an evil villain, the Heat stomped the "Celtics' Big Four" firmly underfoot.
"Come on!"
"The Lakers came back, and the Bulls almost pulled one off too. We're the Celtics, and on our home court, we can do the same."
"Nobody give up! Never give up!"
Celtics head coach Doc Rivers encouraged his players, and Pierce, Garnett, and the others had no intention of giving up either.
They believed they could come back.
However, the Heat were too fierce, and the Big Three were simply too strong.
In the final quarter, the Big Three gave them no chance and stayed on the floor. They were not trying to widen the lead any further, but they kept it above 20 points the entire time.
As time slipped away, the Celtics' mentality was finally crushed by the huge deficit. With three minutes left, they threw in the towel.
In the end, the Heat took down the Celtics on the road, pushing the series score to 3-0 and successfully claiming match point.
Right after that, the Mavericks and Spurs showdown began.
Before the first two games of the series, people had expected the Mavericks and Spurs to be locked in a fierce, knife-fight battle. Instead, the Mavericks had crushed them one-sidedly.
It shocked the league.
Countless people were forced to take a fresh look at the Mavericks, this powerful team led by "German Wunderkind" Nowitzki.
Tonight, the Mavericks returned home, and everyone wanted to see whether they would be even more ruthless after winning two straight on the road.
As it turned out, the Spurs and Mavericks fought all the way into the final quarter.
Then, at the crucial moment, Nowitzki stepped up again. With two unstoppable "One-Legged Fadeaways," he forcibly stretched the lead.
When things were going well, Tony Parker could take over. When the Spurs were under pressure, Tim Duncan could steady the team. And when they were pushed to the brink, Manu Ginóbili could still pull off the impossible.
But tonight, even with the game on the line, Manu had no answer for Dirk Nowitzki's "One-Legged Fadeaway."
Tonight, "GDP" all played well. The problem was that Nowitzki was simply on another level. He was unstoppable, and in the end, the Spurs lost again.
...
The next day.
Reports about last night's games were everywhere.
The biggest story was the arrival of two match points. The Heat and the Mavericks had both taken 3-0 leads, claiming match point in dominant fashion.
And that almost meant the Heat and Mavericks were certain to advance to the Conference Finals.
"Two match points in one night. Not bad!"
"The Heat are so strong in the playoffs."
"No kidding. They're the big villains, so of course they're strong. But the Mavericks are the real surprise. The Spurs aren't weak at all, and Dallas started the series by losing two home games.
Then they still took a 3-0 lead.
At this rate, they're heading straight for a sweep. That's what's really scary. With the Mavericks playing like this, they've got a serious chance to chase the championship this year."
"True."
"Hey, speaking of the Mavericks winning it all, given the current situation... who do you guys think are the title contenders?"
"Uh... I think there are four title contenders!"