When what had originally seemed like the least suspenseful matchup, Lakers vs. Nuggets, ended with the Lakers losing, the entire league erupted.
The uproar was not just because the defending champion Lakers had lost to the Nuggets without "Melo" Anthony.
It was because, with the Lakers also suffering an upset loss at home, all eight higher-seeded teams had lost their first game in the opening round of the playoffs.
That shocked the entire league.
Almost the instant the Lakers lost, fans on Twitter completely exploded.
"Is this real?"
"No way, even the Lakers lost? And to the Denver Nuggets, who look strong on the surface but are really just riding on what Anthony left behind?"
"Unbelievable. I can't believe it!"
"Oh my god! The first games of the playoff first round have been upset after upset. Eight huge upsets in a row. What kind of playoffs are these?"
"Yeah, I've been watching basketball for more than ten years, and I've never seen playoffs with this many straight upsets. Not once."
"What is going on this year?"
"Hahaha, eight major upsets. This year's playoffs are way too interesting."
"Bingo!"
"If these nearly impossible eight major upsets can happen, does that mean we'll see a No. 8 seed upset next? And... maybe No. 8-over-No. 1 upsets in both the East and West?"
"Hiss... bro upstairs, you really dare to say that."
"Hey, doesn't that mean the big villain 'Heat Big Three' might also get taken down by the 76ers, maybe even swept out?"
"My god, 'Little AI' crushing the 'Heat Big Three' and sweeping them? Buddy upstairs, you're even more daring than the guy above you."
"Impressive. You guys upstairs are something else. With that imagination and that way of thinking, it's a shame you're not writing novels."
"Hehehe!"
"Stop with all this wild fantasy, all right? That's completely impossible. I have unconditional faith in... tomorrow night's matchup between the Suns and the Grizzlies.
The Suns will definitely win.
And they'll definitely take the series too. A No. 8 seed upset? Not happening. With 'Monster Rookie' Blake Su, the Suns absolutely won't stop in the first round."
"Exactly. Besides... this year's 'Windy City Rose,' Rose, has been incredibly fierce too. The Bulls definitely won't lose to the Pacers.
As for the 'Heat Big Three' losing to 'Little AI' Andre Iguodala?
That's pure fantasy."
"Exactly!"
"These playoffs... are really interesting. I can't wait to see what happens next."
"..."
After the eight major upsets in the first games of the playoff first round, the entire league was in an uproar. Fans, reporters, and media outlets all reported on the situation nonstop.
They frantically hyped up the games that would follow.
...
One day later.
Game 2 of the first-round series between the Suns and the Grizzlies was set to tip off at 8 p.m.
During the day.
ESPN held a fan poll to see whether fans supported the Suns or the Grizzlies to win tonight.
The result.
Even though the Suns had suffered a shocking upset loss to the Grizzlies at home in Game 1, the result was still... the Suns received an overwhelming 90 percent of the vote.
They crushed the Grizzlies completely.
In other words, discussions were discussions, criticism was criticism, and upsets were upsets, but the historic level of dominance the Suns had shown in the regular season.
Still made fans feel that they were the stronger side.
Soon.
The time reached 7:30 p.m.
US Airways Center.
With half an hour left before the Suns-Grizzlies game, the arena was already roaring, packed with no empty seats, and the atmosphere was soaring.
There was no doubt.
The home fans who came to watch tonight had come for a win, and they believed in it completely.
At the same time.
The visiting Grizzlies had already won once and taken the first game, so their morale could not be underestimated either. They had also come for victory.
Because of that.
The battle was about to erupt.
"Jump ball!"
Blake Su once again tapped the ball away over Marc Gasol's head.
At the commentary desk.
Van Gundy joked with a smile, "If this series goes seven games, Marc Gasol is going to be humiliated by a rookie on the jump ball seven times."
"Bang, bang, bang!"
At the middle of the arc.
Nash handed the ball off to Blake Su. Marc Gasol followed him, and Gay on one side also moved in to pressure him. Clearly, the Grizzlies intended to continue the defensive style from the last game.
They wanted to smother Blake Su from the very start.
However, George got there first and stepped into Gay's path, delaying his pressure. It was less than a second.
But for Blake Su, that was enough.
"Whoosh!"
Facing Marc Gasol, Blake Su did not hesitate at all. The instant the ball reached his right hand, his whole body accelerated forward like a bolt of lightning.
Just one step.
"Whoosh!"
He blew past Marc Gasol.
Even though the fans had already seen it many times during the regular season.
They still had to marvel once again. Blake Su, a center, had terrifying speed and explosiveness, enough to make people gasp and feel a chill.
"Swish!"
After tearing through Marc Gasol's defense, he hit a clean mid-range jumper.
"Step, step, step!"
Just one possession, just one offensive play, was enough to sound the alarm for the Grizzlies. Starting from the next possession, they once again raised the intensity of their defense on Blake Su.
Marc Gasol, Gay, and Tony. Basically, the moment Blake Su got the ball, all three began to swarm him.
Although the team did not have highly athletic players, when it came to defense, they were not inferior to any team in the league.
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su was decisive too. After drawing enough double-teams, he passed the ball to his teammates, giving them more comfortable, even wide-open, scoring chances.
"Swish!"
Curry's three.
"Swish!"
Nash's mid-range jumper.
"Bang!"
George drove to the basket and banked it in.
In the first quarter, with Blake Su drawing the defense and distributing the ball, the Suns played their offense and sounded their "run-and-gun" tactics once again.
After the first quarter.
Suns (27): (21) Grizzlies.
At the commentary desk.
Van Gundy raised an eyebrow. "Wow, Blake Su only scored 8 points in the first quarter, but the Suns still won the quarter by a full 6 points. That's really not bad."
"Heh."
Mike Breen smiled faintly. "Blake Su didn't attack much in the first quarter, and he still had 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.
The key is.
With him being double-teamed, even triple-teamed, Blake Su's impact can't be measured by stats alone."
"True."
Van Gundy smiled too. "Even if the Grizzlies try to lock down Blake Su tonight, they're still at a disadvantage. It looks like the Suns are gradually adapting to the defensive intensity and rhythm of the playoffs.
The ability that made them No. 1 in the West is starting to show.
I think... if the game keeps going at this rhythm, it'll be very difficult for the Grizzlies to win another one tonight."
...
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