When Manu Ginobili, like a god descending from heaven, finished a Euro step layup and pushed the lead back to five, the once roaring Suns fans were instantly stunned.
"Another one?"
"What kind of weird drive was that and it still went in?!"
"Manu is ridiculous!"
"I'm speechless. Is this guy using cheats or something?"
The Suns fans were completely crushed.
"Beep! Beep!"
Gentry called a timeout.
Under the basket, Frye caught the ball after it dropped through the rim and bounced off the floor. His expression was still dazed. He honestly had no idea how Ginobili had just scored.
That footwork. That body twist.
It was bizarre. It was unbelievable.
Yet it still went in.
At this moment.
Only 15.3 seconds remained, and the Suns were still down by five.
There seemed to be no chance left.
At the commentary table.
"Wow..."
Jon Barry clicked his tongue.
"Manu Ginobili's diagonal drive and that full-speed Euro step layup are just unbelievable. It's so tricky to defend.
And more importantly, it's huge.
A five-point gap with only 15.3 seconds left. The Suns look finished.
Even though Blake Su just completed a difficult 3+1 earlier and pushed his total to 50 points tonight, facing the No.1 team in the West and the relentless offense of the GDP trio...
Blake Su is still just a rookie. It seems like even he can't hold on anymore.
But still, for a rookie, someone just entering the league, being able to push the Spurs this far is already impressive."
"Hey."
Mark Jackson interrupted him.
"Jon, it's not over yet. Don't forget the Suns versus Lakers game.
3.8 seconds left. Down one point.
Even when the Lakers had possession, the Suns still pulled off the game-winning steal and layup.
Tonight there are 15.3 seconds left, the Suns have the ball, and they're down five. It's not impossible."
"Heh."
Jon Barry shook his head and laughed.
"Mark, a steal-and-layup buzzer beater like that doesn't just happen whenever you want it to.
That requires perfect timing, perfect conditions, and a bit of luck.
Do you really think that kind of miracle will happen again tonight with 15.3 seconds left and a five-point gap?"
"Uh..."
Mark Jackson fell silent.
He knew it too.
That kind of miracle against the Lakers was once in a blue moon. Deep down he also knew the Suns were in serious trouble tonight.
A comeback seemed very unlikely.
Suns bench.
Gentry held the clipboard and spoke in a deep voice.
"Guys, we've been in this situation before. More than once.
So don't give up.
And I don't think any of you will give up.
Five-point gap. After the timeout, give the ball to Blake Su. Whether it's a drive, a three, or a drive-and-kick, we need to score as fast as possible.
Then...
Foul immediately."
"Got it."
Blake Su responded first.
Then Curry and the rest of the team nodded.
While the outside world was already declaring the Suns finished and buried with zero chance of winning, the Suns players themselves had not given up.
And they had no reason to.
At the same time.
On the Spurs bench.
Even though everyone believed the Spurs had already won, Popovich remained serious and calm with the clipboard in his hands.
"Never underestimate a run-and-gun team's ability to score quickly.
We haven't won yet.
Defend this next possession seriously. No, defend every second until the clock hits zero.
Otherwise a play like Blake Su's 3+1 could become the straw that breaks our back."
"Got it."
The Spurs players nodded seriously.
Soon.
The timeout ended.
Even though many people already believed the Suns were finished, including some Suns fans themselves, when the game resumed those same fans clenched their fists again.
Hoping for a miracle.
The game continued.
15.3 seconds left.
The Suns trailed by five.
Carter inbounded from the sideline near midcourt.
The tall Blake Su quickly curled out and received the pass.
Pop.
Whoosh.
The moment he caught the ball, Blake Su wasted no time. Completely ignoring Jefferson's tight defense, he exploded forward at full speed.
No fancy moves.
Just pure speed overwhelming the defense.
He blew past Jefferson and attacked the rim directly.
But.
Ginobili and Blair closed in from the wings while Duncan protected the rim.
Three defenders collapsed into the paint.
Waiting for Blake Su to walk right into the trap.
Behind him Jefferson was still desperately chasing.
Whoosh.
Facing defenders on all sides, Blake Su didn't slow down.
He accelerated instead.
Charging deep into the defense.
Then.
At the perfect moment, he fired a behind-the-back pass, a move Allen Iverson loved to use.
The ball found Curry in the left corner.
Pop.
Whoosh.
Curry caught the ball.
No defender in sight.
He immediately launched a three.
The shot was clean.
The ball pierced straight through the net.
Three-pointer.
But the arena didn't erupt.
Because the Suns were still down two.
And only 8.3 seconds remained.
More importantly, the Spurs still had the ball.
The situation was still very bad for Phoenix.
Possession switched.
Blair inbounded from the baseline.
The Suns pressed full court.
Blair lobbed the ball high to Duncan, the tallest player on the floor.
Blake Su immediately grabbed him.
Beep.
Intentional foul.
Only 0.2 seconds had passed.
8.1 seconds remained.
Two-point game.
Duncan stepped to the free throw line.
Clang.
Swish.
First free throw missed.
Second one good.
One out of two.
The Spurs now led by three.
8.1 seconds left.
Suns ball.
The Suns had no timeout left.
Nash inbounded from the corner without hesitation and found Blake Su.
Blake Su caught it and accelerated again, racing against the clock.
Now.
The Suns needed a three to tie.
Whoosh.
Go.
Blake Su sprinted straight to the top of the arc.
Duncan rushed back to defend.
Blake Su used a hesitation move as if driving.
But Duncan didn't bite.
He simply allowed Blake Su to drive.
Because.
If Blake Su scored a layup, the Suns would still be down one.
And with almost no time left, the game would be over anyway.
So Duncan knew.
Blake Su had to shoot a three.
All he had to do was focus on contesting the three.
Disrupt it.
Or block it.
As long as Blake Su missed, the Spurs would win.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Seeing Duncan refuse to react to the drive, Blake Su glanced at the nearly expired clock.
He took one fake step.
Then gathered the ball and rose for a three.
"Hmph."
"I knew you were going for the three."
Duncan had already prepared.
The moment Blake Su shot, Duncan leapt forward with full confidence.
Even if he couldn't block it, the contest would be heavy.
However.
The moment Duncan left the ground, Blake Su smiled.
Because once again...
It wasn't a real shot.
It was a pump fake.
"What?!"
Duncan realized it midair.
Too late.
He desperately tried to control his body and avoid Blake Su.
But Blake Su wouldn't allow it.
He turned slightly and jumped into him.
Beep.
The whistle blew.
After colliding with Duncan and losing balance in midair, Blake Su threw the ball toward the basket.
The situation looked exactly like his earlier 3+1.
But this time the shot missed.
However.
Blake Su stepped to the free throw line.
Three free throws.
1.2 seconds left.
Down three.
If he made all three, the game would go to overtime.
Miss even one.
And the game would be over.