"That's right."
Blake nodded.
Coach Gentry had a point. The Heat Big Three all preferred defending on the perimeter, and the perimeter was also where they could make the fullest use of their physical gifts.
Add double-teams on top of that, and their defense became truly suffocating.
"Got it, Coach. I understand."
Blake spoke seriously.
"Good."
Gentry nodded, then said solemnly, "Blake, the reason we've made it all the way to the Finals is because of you.
"And if we want to keep going until we lift the championship trophy, we'll still have to rely on you.
"You're the core of this team, its leader, its number one player. At a time like this, you have to step up and shoulder even more responsibility."
"I understand!"
Blake answered immediately.
He did understand.
Even if Gentry hadn't said anything, Blake knew perfectly well that given the Suns' current situation, he had to step up without hesitation.
...
One day later.
8:00 p.m.
American Airlines Arena.
With Game 4 between the Heat and the Suns still an hour away, the arena was already packed to capacity.
"Heat are winning tonight!"
"Heat are the best!"
"Let's go, Heat!"
The cheers from the home crowd were deafening.
For Miami, a win tonight would put them up 3-1 in the Finals and give them match point. At that point, the championship would practically be within reach.
Naturally, the Heat were desperate to win.
The Suns, meanwhile, had no intention of letting themselves fall into such a desperate position.
They absolutely did not want to go down 1-3.
So Phoenix had come into the game with only one goal as well.
Victory.
Even amid the overwhelming roar of the Heat crowd, scattered cheers for the Suns could still be heard.
People might say Phoenix had no chance, but once the game was about to begin, Suns fans still united behind their team and cheered as loudly as they could.
What if they won?
Until the final buzzer sounded, anything could happen.
In the stands, Mia Quinn and Yoona had also come tonight.
Both of them understood just how important this game was to the Suns and to Blake, so naturally they had come to cheer him on.
Quite a few NBA players were in attendance as well, including "The Point God" Chris Paul and his close friend "Melo" Carmelo Anthony, "Black Mamba" Kobe Bryant, and John Wall.
Paul sat with Anthony.
Kobe sat with Wall.
At the commentary table, Van Gundy said, "Tonight is going to be extremely difficult for the Suns. They absolutely have to win this game.
"But winning it will be anything but easy."
"Exactly."
Mike Breen nodded. "Blake has already pushed himself to the limit in each of the last two games, yet Phoenix still couldn't come away with a win.
"Under normal circumstances, the Suns simply don't have much of a chance.
"So the question is whether Phoenix gets an unexpected breakout performance from someone, or whether one of Miami's stars has an off night.
"If either one happens, then this game could still be wide open."
"Absolutely."
Van Gundy nodded, then smiled. "The game is about to begin. Let's see whether anything unexpected happens tonight."
Just then, the action got underway.
"Jump ball!"
Once again, Blake and Bosh met at center court for the opening tip.
"Hah!"
Bosh shouted as he leaped with everything he had, determined to win the tip.
But he was asking for too much.
"Smack!"
Blake got there first again, casually tipping the ball back.
Curry collected it behind him and passed to Nash, who brought the ball up to begin the first possession of the game.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
At the top of the key, Nash handed the ball off to Blake and immediately cleared out toward the side.
Bosh stepped up.
At the same time, LeBron came charging over as well.
Right from the opening possession...
"Whoosh!"
Bosh and LeBron, two members of the Heat Big Three, immediately trapped Blake.
Even with their superior overall strength, Miami understood one thing perfectly well.
The more they could limit Blake, the easier the game would become.
But Blake showed no fear.
He accelerated with the ball and drove straight into the teeth of the double-team, forcing his way toward the basket.
Halfway there, George screened LeBron off.
"Whoosh!"
With only Bosh defending him from the side, Blake accelerated directly toward the rim.
Haslem was already waiting underneath and rose to contest.
"Whoosh!"
Blake hung in the air, avoided both the contact and the block attempt, then leaned backward and sent a high bank shot off the glass.
"Beep, beep!"
"Swish!"
The whistle sounded.
The shot went in!
Blake had powered his way to the basket, finished through the foul, and earned the extra free throw.
"Swish!"
The free throw was good as well.
Heat 0, Suns 3.
Blake opened the scoring for Phoenix.
On the very next possession, it was Blake again.
Facing another double-team from Bosh and LeBron, he accelerated toward the basket, used a hop step to get into the paint, turned his body sideways, and floated the ball up.
"Swish!"
Good!
Then came another possession.
This time, Blake caught the ball at the left high post and found himself one-on-one against Bosh.
He backed him down, absorbed one bump, then used a half-spin and suddenly accelerated.
"Whoosh!"
He left Bosh behind and burst into the paint.
One hard plant.
Blake exploded off the floor.
His lift was lightning quick, his explosiveness astonishing, and his height and wingspan only made it more overwhelming.
Blake gathered the ball in midair and extended his arm, descending toward the rim like a warrior dropping from the heavens.
"Gasp!"
Under the basket, Haslem's eyes widened.
He didn't even have time to jump.
"BOOM!"
All he could do was watch Blake hammer home a vicious one-handed dunk.
The force of the slam made the entire basket structure tremble.
"Wow!"
"What a finish!"
In the stands, Wall roared, "That dunk was absolutely brutal! Blake has attacked the rim on every possession to start the game and already has seven straight points.
"He's come out with incredible momentum!"
"Yeah."
Kobe nodded, a trace of surprise in his eyes. "Blake is obviously attacking Miami's rim much more aggressively tonight.
"And the paint is the Heat's weak spot.
"We'll see whether he can exploit that weakness and help Phoenix even the series."
On the Suns' bench, Gentry pumped his fist excitedly.
"Beautiful! That's it! Keep attacking like that! Tear apart their interior defense!"
At the commentary table, Van Gundy clicked his tongue in amazement.
"What a vicious dunk! Blake's desire to attack is incredibly strong tonight.
"Then again, it makes sense.
"This is a must-win game for Phoenix, and Blake is the team's only true centerpiece. He has no choice but to give everything he has."
"Exactly."
Mike Breen nodded, tapped the table, and continued, "And attacking the rim is a very sensible choice for Blake.
"First, Miami's perimeter defense is extremely strong. With the Heat Big Three specifically focused on taking away Blake's three-pointer, scoring from the outside becomes much more difficult.
"Second, the Heat lack size inside, and their center isn't an elite rim protector. That makes attacking the basket a much easier way to score.
"Phoenix has the right approach tonight. If they keep attacking the rim, it might be their best path to victory."
Even the commentators saw it that way.
However, in the stands, Anthony heard those remarks and merely shrugged, clearly unconvinced.
...
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