Defense!
Relentless defense!
All-out, uncompromising defense!
That was the conclusion Blake had reached.
After all, defense wins championships. That had always been one of basketball's most enduring truths.
"I've got it."
Blake snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes gleaming with intensity.
He finally knew how he needed to approach the rest of the game.
Whether it would work was another question.
But he had to try.
At this point, on the Finals stage, Blake could rely on his teammates for help, but ultimately, much of it would still come down to him.
He had to give everything he had.
For Blake, losing tonight was not an option.
Before long, the break between quarters ended.
The second quarter began with both teams' second units on the floor.
Only two minutes passed before Miami stretched its lead to three.
"Beep! Beep!"
Gentry immediately called timeout.
Phoenix brought its starters straight back in.
Miami responded by doing the same.
Tonight, a win would make the Heat champions.
For the Suns, a loss meant their season was over.
Neither team could afford to lose.
So the real battle began early.
Phoenix ball.
"Whoosh!"
Blake once again forced his way toward the rim against Bosh and Wade.
When he reached the basket, LeBron was waiting for him as well.
All three members of the Heat Big Three surrounded him.
Blake still attacked.
Using his height and wingspan in midair, he forced the defense into contact.
"Beep! Beep!"
The whistle blew.
Blake earned two free throws.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Both were good.
Miami ball.
Wade brought the ball across half court, then handed it to LeBron on the perimeter and let him control the offense.
"Step!"
Blake moved directly into LeBron's path.
LeBron immediately accelerated, lowering his shoulder and trying to bulldoze his way through Blake.
But once he reached the area inside the free-throw line...
"Whoosh!"
LeBron kicked the ball out to Bosh at the right elbow.
Curry hurried over from the wing to contest, but the height difference was obvious.
Bosh simply rose over him for the mid-range jumper.
Just as the ball left his hands, however, Blake, who had only moments earlier absorbed LeBron's drive, came flying over to contest.
His long arm stretched toward the shot.
"Swish!"
The ball still dropped through.
But Bosh was visibly startled.
Blake had come from seemingly nowhere, and that sudden contest had clearly affected him.
At 8:44...
Bosh attacked Blake one-on-one before passing to a cutting Wade.
Blake slid laterally and recovered, stretching his arm toward the rim.
His hand smacked the backboard.
He didn't get the block.
But...
"Clang!"
Wade missed the layup under the pressure.
Haslem grabbed the offensive rebound and immediately exploded straight up for a putback dunk.
But Blake jumped again too.
"Step!"
His second leap carried him even higher than Haslem.
Combined with his overwhelming advantage in height and wingspan...
"Smack!"
Blake came from behind and swatted the ball straight down out of Haslem's hands.
"Smack!"
Frye collected the loose ball on the other side and immediately passed it to Nash at the top.
Nash caught it and, without holding the ball, fired a long outlet pass up the floor.
George was already sprinting ahead.
"Whoosh!"
George caught the pass with Chalmers racing alongside him.
Chalmers was half a step behind.
That was all George needed.
He gathered, took his steps, and exploded toward the rim.
"BOOM!"
A two-handed slam on the fast break.
At 7:22...
Blake found himself switched onto Wade.
Wade used his lightning speed to create separation.
But Blake had such a massive advantage in height and wingspan that even a little space wasn't enough.
"Smack!"
Blake recovered from behind and blocked Wade's shot.
Out of bounds.
Miami still had 11.3 seconds on the shot clock.
Bosh caught the ball at the left elbow against George and prepared to attack one-on-one.
Nash suddenly darted over from the wing, looking for a steal.
"Whoosh!"
Bosh immediately fired a cross-court pass toward Chalmers in the right corner.
But...
"Step!"
Blake had been tracking the play the entire time.
With his defensive focus now at its peak, he exploded toward the passing lane and leaped as high as he could.
He got a fingertip on the ball.
Then jumped again.
And secured the steal.
"Whoosh!"
Blake immediately bounced the ball ahead to George, who was already racing up the court.
Curry was sprinting down the opposite side as well.
"Whoosh!"
George moved the ball across to Curry, who settled beyond the arc.
Curry caught it and launched a transition three.
Good?
Good!
"Swish!"
Nothing but net.
At 5:11...
Blake matched up one-on-one with LeBron.
LeBron once again tried to overpower him with a bulldozing drive.
In terms of pure strength, Blake was still at a disadvantage.
But Blake had [Allen Iverson's Steal], [Gary Payton's Defense], and [Eagle Spear].
As he retreated defensively, his eyes suddenly sharpened.
"Smack!"
His hand shot out with perfect timing.
Quick.
Precise.
Ruthless.
He knocked the ball away from LeBron.
The next instant, Blake dove sideways and hit the floor, securing possession.
"Roar!"
LeBron lunged after him, trying to take it back.
But Blake, still on the floor, pushed the ball away before LeBron could reach him.
Nash picked it up on the perimeter.
"Whoosh!"
Phoenix was off and running.
Time for the run-and-gun.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
Two quick passes in transition gave Curry an easy layup.
Another fast break converted.
At 3:11...
Wade isolated Curry on the left wing.
He attacked immediately.
One step through contact.
Another burst of acceleration.
Curry was beaten.
"Whoosh!"
Wade accelerated toward the rim.
George slid over to help.
Wade stepped right, then left, using his Eurostep to send George the wrong way.
An open finish?
Not even close.
Blake had been waiting in the paint.
The instant Wade released an underhand scoop toward the rim, Blake exploded off the floor.
"SMACK!"
He hammered the ball straight down into the hardwood with one hand.
It bounced high into the air.
Curry, who had just been beaten by Wade, recovered in time to grab it.
He sent the ball ahead to Nash, who then found George sprinting forward once again.
"Whoosh!"
George settled on the right side beyond the arc and fired a transition three.
"Clang!"
Just off.
But there was nothing wrong with the possession.
Phoenix had created another clean fast-break opportunity.
At 1:13...
"Thump, thump, thump!"
At the top of the key, "The Flash" Wade faced Blake one-on-one.
Wade was just about to make his move when Blake suddenly crowded him.
Blake's much larger frame seemed to swallow up all the space in front of him.
Wade immediately felt the pressure.
"I can't attack this."
He knew it instantly.
Rather than hold the ball, Wade quickly passed to Bosh on the left block.
Bosh had just begun considering whether to attack Curry or Nash when...
"Step!"
Blake suddenly appeared in front of him.
And pressed up against him again.
"Smack!"
Bosh never saw it coming.
Blake struck with another quick, perfectly timed swipe and knocked the ball free.
It was heading out of bounds.
Blake went after it too.
"Whoosh!"
He managed to save the ball back in play, but his momentum carried him crashing into the stands.
Blake immediately scrambled back to his feet and rushed onto the court.
Meanwhile...
Curry buried a three-pointer at the other end, perfectly turning Blake's steal into points.
"Nice!"
Blake shook out his arm, clearly pleased.
Before long, the first half came to an end.
In the broadcast studio...
Mike Breen looked at the stat sheet and sucked in a sharp breath.
"Blake...
"Three steals and three blocks in the second quarter alone!"