"Beep! Beep!"
Alvin Gentry called a timeout.
He had no choice.
With 58.5 seconds left and trailing by 7, the situation was extremely bad for the Suns.
"Woo! When things look hopeless, Manu takes over. Manu, I freaking love you!"
"Hahaha. Only when the team is pushed to the brink do you see the strongest Manu. Every shot is ridiculous, but they all go in.
Manu is insane!"
"Where are the guys who were mocking that Parker–Duncan–Manu line earlier? Feeling stupid now?"
"58.5 seconds left and down 7. The Suns are done, you hear me? This is San Antonio. This is the Spurs' home court. You're not taking a win from here!"
"..."
The Spurs, who had been suffocated for most of the quarter, finally came alive again. They had turned the game around and taken control.
"Beautiful!"
Wall looked at the clock and the scoreboard, feeling refreshed.
"Hm? So what if you scored 46 points? You're still going to lose. You still can't carry your team.
Blake Su.
Tonight GDP shuts you down. And one day, I'll be the one to shut you down!"
On Griffin's side, he had been stuck in a constant mix of excitement and frustration throughout the game. But now, as the Suns seemed certain to lose, he finally felt relief.
Only then did he realize.
Seeing Blake Su lose, the guy who caused him endless ridicule, was the most satisfying thing.
Across the stands.
Jessica frowned and muttered,
"Ah... I don't want Blake Su to lose. But with so little time left... seven points might be impossible to come back from."
"I don't want him to lose either."
Yoona was in a bad mood too. She was a Blake Su fan and had come to watch him win. But now the Suns were in a huge crisis. There was an eighty or even ninety percent chance they would lose.
She was very unhappy.
But worry and frustration would not solve the crisis, and time would not wait.
The short timeout ended.
The final 58.5 seconds of life-or-death basketball began.
Suns possession.
Trailing by 7 with less than a minute left, they had to race against the clock and score as quickly as possible.
"Whoosh!"
Near the sideline at midcourt, Nash inbounded the ball.
"Pop!"
Blake Su ran laterally to receive it. After securing the ball, he took one step to the left wing and immediately rose up, launching a three over Jefferson's contest.
"Clang!"
The harsh sound of the ball hitting the rim rang out.
Missed.
But Frye fought hard and tipped the rebound outward. At the left high post, Nash caught it and instantly swung the ball without even looking to Curry in the left corner.
"Whoosh!"
Another three.
"Clang!"
Still no good.
"Sigh..."
A wave of sighs spread through the stands.
"It's over!"
"Those two key threes missed. That's the game!"
Duncan secured the rebound.
With only 46.1 seconds left, some impatient Suns fans already felt the game was finished.
On the court.
The battle continued.
Duncan passed to Parker. Curry, who had just missed a three, sprinted back at full speed and applied full-court pressure, trying to disrupt Parker or even steal the ball.
"Whoosh!"
But Parker was too steady to give him an opportunity. He calmly dribbled past half court and passed to Ginobili at the left wing.
After running a bit of clock, Ginobili faked a drive and swung the ball.
"Pop!"
Jefferson caught it wide open and launched a three.
"Step!"
Blake Su rushed over from the wing to contest.
"Clang!"
Jefferson missed.
Carter grabbed the rebound and quickly fired a pass to Blake Su at the top of the arc.
29.5 seconds left.
Blake Su caught the ball and sprinted forward at full speed.
Jefferson, realizing he had lost the rebound, rushed back on defense and waited for Blake Su at the top of the key.
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su reached the top of the arc, one step behind the three-point line.
Ignoring Jefferson completely, he stopped on a dime and rose for a deep three without hesitation.
"Damn it!"
Jefferson froze for a split second before rushing to contest. Even if he could not block it, he had to disrupt the shot.
But...
The moment he jumped, Jefferson realized Blake Su had only pump-faked.
He had already left the floor and was flying toward him.
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su slightly turned his body as if avoiding the contest.
But the moment Jefferson's body came alongside him, Blake Su jumped and deliberately leaned his shoulder into him.
After the collision, Blake Su lost his balance but still managed to release the ball.
"Beep! Beep!"
Whistle.
A three-point foul.
But when the whistle sounded, the crowd was not looking at the referee.
Everyone stared at the spinning basketball in the air.
"Please don't go in!!!"
Jefferson, realizing he had committed a foul on a three, had only one thought.
Please miss.
Please do not give him a four-point play.
But.
Reality betrayed him.
A dull but devastating sound echoed.
"Bang!"
"Swish!"
The ball hit the glass and dropped into the net.
Three-pointer.
"No!"
Jefferson grabbed his head in despair. His mentality shattered.
"BOOM!"
The entire arena erupted.
Blake Su walked to the free throw line.
"Swish!"
Free throw good.
A completed 3+1.
At the moment his team needed points the most, he delivered a four-point play and cut the deficit from 7 to just 3.
22.4 seconds remained.
The Suns still had hope.
"Beep!"
Another timeout was called.
But this time it was not the Suns.
It was the Spurs.
Even though they still led by three, the crowd's momentum had completely shifted toward the Suns.
The always cautious and calculating Popovich called a timeout to steady the situation.
"Yay!"
In the stands.
Jessica saw Blake Su score four points in one possession and began dancing with excitement.
Yoona was beaming as she shouted,
"So cool! Blake Su is amazing!
Only three points!
There's still a chance! Go Blake Su!"
"Go Blake Su!"
"God-tier 3+1! Hahaha, Blake Su is incredible!"
"That's it! Let Blake Su explode again and lead another comeback!"
"So what if it's the Spurs? So what if Manu takes over? With Blake Su we won't lose! Go Blake Su! Lead the Suns to the top of the West!"
"A center hitting a 3+1? What kind of move is that?"
"A center scoring a four-point play? Blake Su... what kind of monster is he?"
"Don't panic! Only 22.4 seconds left and we still lead by three. If the Spurs stay calm, the win is still ours. We'll be the ones laughing last!"
"This feels bad..."
"We're doomed!"
"..."
The crowd roared with countless voices.
If earlier the momentum had completely favored the Spurs, now...
Even though the Spurs still led, the atmosphere inside the arena had shifted toward the Suns.
However.
After the timeout, amid the roaring cheers of Suns fans, Ginobili received the ball and charged straight into the paint by himself.
Euro step.
"Swish!"
He shook off Carter and Frye and, even with Blake Su chasing from behind for a block, banked the shot in at the limit.
Manu Ginobili.
Just as the Suns saw a glimmer of victory, he descended like a god, calmly taking two points and pushing the lead back to five.
Doubling the Suns' despair.
...
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