Back home, Game 5 had already been an incredible contest.
Then came Blake's superhuman, all-around performance, combined with Mike Breen and Van Gundy's passionate commentary.
The result?
The trending topics exploded.
Fan discussion went through the roof, and almost instantly, Blake became the center of attention back home.
The only center of attention.
...
Meanwhile, in the United States, the excitement was just as intense.
The moment the game ended, online discussion erupted.
"Holy shit!"
"What an unbelievable game! And when I say unbelievable, I'm talking specifically about the ridiculous performance from 'Monster Rookie' Blake."
"That really was superhuman!"
"50 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 8 steals, and 8 blocks.
"That's terrifying.
"That's absurd.
"That doesn't even sound real!"
"A rookie center, facing elimination in the Finals, comes up with eight steals.
"Then, with the game on the line, he faces 'King James' LeBron, one of the best small forwards in the league, and buries a logo three to seal it!
"Wow...
"Even a movie might think that's too unrealistic."
"Seriously!"
"He was unstoppable!"
"50+12+4+8+8.
"With numbers like that, Blake, this 'Monster Rookie,' gave everything he had.
"He deserved to win Game 5.
"But Suns fans shouldn't celebrate too early.
"Even after winning Game 5, Phoenix still needs two more wins to take the series.
"Can Blake really play this well, this insanely, every single game?
"That's an enormous ask.
"And remember, no team in NBA Finals history has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit.
"So in the end...
"Phoenix is still probably going to lose."
"Exactly."
"This year's championship will belong to Miami.
"To the Heat Big Three."
"No, no, no. I'm not so sure anymore.
"If Phoenix could win Game 5, and if Blake could put up numbers like that and carry them to victory...
"Then he could do it again in Game 6.
"And maybe even Game 7."
"Exactly. I admit the comeback would be incredibly difficult.
"But with Blake playing at this level on both ends...
"There's definitely a chance."
"Before Game 5, we all thought both teams were already giving everything they had.
"We assumed Miami's advantage in overall talent and strength simply made the difference impossible to overcome.
"But now...
"We've seen that Blake can actually play even better.
"If he can reach another level, then there really is at least a small chance Phoenix can complete the comeback."
"Exactly!"
"Remember the first round.
"When Phoenix went down 0-3, everyone thought the series was over.
"Then Blake led them to [Coming Back from 0-3 to Win Four Straight].
"Now the series is 3-2.
"If they already came back from 0-3 once, why is it impossible to come back from 3-1 now?"
"Hah. That's just wishful thinking."
"It's still going to be incredibly difficult."
"..."
Plenty of fans still believed Miami had the clear advantage.
Many still thought coming back from 3-1 was practically impossible.
But compared to the reaction after Game 4, when almost everyone had been convinced the Heat were destined to win...
Some fans were beginning to waver.
They were starting to believe in Phoenix again.
...
Game 6 of the Finals would be played three nights later at American Airlines Arena in Miami.
So after losing Game 5, the Heat boarded a private flight that same night and returned home, hoping to begin preparing for Game 6 as soon as possible.
Inside the cabin...
"Man..."
Haslem kept shaking his head in disbelief.
"Eight steals, then a dagger from the logo...
"That guy Blake, that center...
"He doesn't play anything like a normal center."
"Forget about the three for a second."
Chalmers frowned. "His defense was the real problem.
"He knows we like attacking the basket.
"So he started positioning himself around the free-throw line and just below it.
"At times, it felt like the entire area inside the arc was within his reach.
"Every time we tried to shoot or drive, you could feel him lurking somewhere nearby.
"And then you add those ridiculously quick hands, which no center should have...
"His defense is suffocating."
"Yeah."
"CB4" Bosh nodded solemnly.
"If he keeps playing like that and fighting that hard...
"That's not good for us."
"Could we actually lose?"
Wade said it plainly.
The one question everyone was worried about, but no one really wanted to say aloud.
Bosh took a deep breath.
He didn't answer.
But the grim look on his face was answer enough.
The rest of the Heat players didn't look much better.
Blake's performance in Game 5 had been terrifying.
He had genuinely shaken the entire Miami roster.
Even Bosh, one of the Heat Big Three, had been rattled.
And "The Flash" Wade wasn't any more comfortable.
Blake had blocked him several times that night.
At this point, Wade had no choice but to take Blake's defense seriously.
For a moment, everyone fell silent.
The atmosphere inside the cabin grew heavy.
After a while, "King James" LeBron raised his head.
"It's not that bad.
"We're still going to win this series."
No one responded.
But everyone looked at him.
LeBron continued.
"Yes, if Blake can keep playing like he did tonight, putting up something like a 50-point near quadruple-double and dominating both ends by himself...
"Then we really could have a problem.
"We could lose.
"We could even let a championship that was almost ours slip away.
"But Blake can't keep doing that.
"He couldn't even sustain it tonight.
"And the reason is simple.
"Stamina.
"You all saw it.
"By the second half of the third quarter, his energy was already starting to fade.
"And when his stamina dropped, his level of play dropped with it.
"That's one of the biggest reasons we were able to come back.
"He played at an insane level of intensity early in the game.
"And yes, it worked.
"He disrupted everything we wanted to do and put a lot of pressure on us.
"But think about how much energy that takes.
"He was defending like crazy.
"He was attacking the rim over and over.
"And he was doing both at maximum intensity.
"No one can sustain that forever.
"That's why his performance dropped later in the game, especially in the fourth quarter.
"And even after everything he did, we only lost by five.
"Three of those points came from an incredibly difficult logo three.
"I'm not saying it was pure luck, but there was definitely some luck involved in making a shot that difficult.
"Take that away, and even with everything Blake did...
"We essentially lost by two.
"Now look at Game 6.
"If Blake plays with the same intensity, he'll run into the same stamina problem.
"And this time, we're at home.
"Phoenix has to travel, which will naturally take something out of them.
"We'll be rested, comfortable, and playing in front of our own crowd.
"Put all of that together...
"And Game 6 is ours."