"Here it comes! Here it comes! The Suns' 'Advanced Run-and-Gun'... it's here!"
Van Gundy said excitedly.
"Haha!"
Mike Breen was grinning too. "An 8-0 run, and they instantly took the lead. That's right. This is exactly how they should play.
"This is exactly how Blake Su should lead the team forward."
"Exactly. This is the rhythm. The Grizzlies can't stop Blake Su, and they definitely won't stop the Suns in the first round."
On the court.
"Beep, beep!"
Coach Hollins immediately called a timeout.
But after the timeout, they still could not stop the Suns' "Run-and-Gun" offense. By halftime, the Suns had built a 12-point lead.
It was time for the halftime break.
"Blake Su scored 14 points in the quarter. That's his highest-scoring quarter in the last three games. This is a good start, and it's the beginning of a win."
"Keep this momentum going and take the game!"
"Go, Blake Su!"
"Go, Suns!"
"..."
In the stands, the Suns fans were all fired up. Even during halftime, the cheers and applause did not stop.
Soon, the second half began.
The Suns led by 12, but this was the Grizzlies' home court, and they already held two wins in the series. They had not lost the slightest bit of confidence.
So...
The entire third quarter turned into a fierce battle.
Both sides traded blows in a tense back-and-forth. Neither team could put together a decisive run, and neither team could completely shut down the other's offense.
But for the Suns, this was undoubtedly good news.
Because... after three quarters, they still led by 12. With only one quarter left, they had a very real chance to take one game back.
...
The final quarter.
It started with the bench units facing off.
Everyone thought it would simply be more rest time for the starters. Instead... Grizzlies reserves Arthur and Sam Young suddenly erupted, one attacking the paint and the other hitting threes from the outside.
The two caught fire out of nowhere and stunned the Suns' bench.
In just 3 minutes and 9 seconds, fueled by their burst, the Grizzlies' reserves launched an 11-3 counterattack and instantly cut the deficit to 4 points.
"Beep, beep!"
Alvin Gentry immediately called a timeout.
He could not afford to lose tonight. He had to win. So he had no choice but to bring the starters back early and stabilize the situation on the floor.
On the Grizzlies' side, the starters returned one by one as well. At the same time... Arthur, who was in blazing form, stayed on the court in Tony Allen's place.
Both sides entered crunch time earlier than expected.
The Grizzlies once again trapped Blake Su tightly, but he stayed as calm as ever, first looking for open teammates.
If the opportunity was truly poor, then he would force the issue and draw contact.
Blake Su could not be completely contained, and the other Suns players, when left open, were not finishing at a low rate either, even against a Grizzlies team known for its defense.
Even on the playoff stage, the Suns still played eye-catching offense and found their own offensive rhythm again.
However, on the Grizzlies' side, despite being a team built around defense first and offense second, tonight on their home floor, not only did reserves Arthur and Sam Young erupt,
their starters also erupted again.
Conley, Gay, and Randolph were not only attacking fiercely, but also hitting extremely difficult shots.
The entire Grizzlies team was exploding, and at home, even with only the strength of the eighth seed in the West, the level they unleashed was no weaker than the Suns.
The game fell into a stalemate once again.
That stalemate lasted until the final minute, until Randolph caught the ball alone under the basket, facing both George and Frye.
He muscled his way in and turned for a hook.
"Swish!"
It went in.
That tough, crucial basket put the Grizzlies ahead.
With 48.3 seconds left, the Suns trailed by 2. The pressure shifted to the Suns, but... the fans were not particularly panicked.
Because the Suns had Blake Su, a man "born for game-winners."
A 2-point deficit was no problem at all.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
At the middle of the arc, Blake Su held the ball. Arthur stepped up to guard him, while Gay and Marc Gasol watched hungrily from one side.
The next second, the two were about to close in. They could not let Blake Su get a one-on-one chance.
"Step!"
"Step!"
George and Curry refused to back down either. One blocked Marc Gasol, while the other pulled out to the side, creating a huge open area and making Gay unwilling to help too obviously.
And so, at the middle of the arc, Blake Su got his one-on-one chance against Arthur.
"Buzz!"
Arthur's expression was grave. In their previous matchups, he had failed to stop Blake Su several times. Now... he had to take this with the utmost seriousness.
Forget stopping him completely.
Even causing some interference would be good enough.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Blake Su stared straight at Arthur, lowered his center of gravity, and slowly crossed the ball in front of his body. Out of the corner of his eye, he checked the shot clock while reading Arthur's defense.
"Smack!"
The instant the ball was in his left hand, his whole body suddenly burst to the left.
"He's driving left!"
Arthur's gaze sharpened, and his body slid left. But in the very next instant, Blake Su, who had been reading the defense the entire time, suddenly rose up.
Drawing the bow and pulling the string!
"Whoosh!"
Facing Arthur's defense, he fired off a cold-blooded three.
"I fell for it!"
Arthur's pupils suddenly widened, and he hurriedly lunged forward. But the basketball had already flown out at a height far beyond his fingertips.
"It's over!"
Arthur's heart filled with dread after letting Blake Su get such a comfortable three-point attempt. He could already imagine the ball dropping through the net for the game-winner.
"Whoa!"
In the stands, Suns fans raised their hands one after another, once again preparing to cheer early, ready to celebrate the win.
The basketball traced a parabola through the air. Then... under everyone's gaze, it struck the front edge of the rim and bounced out.
"Clang!"
The piercing sound of iron left everyone stunned.
The next instant.
"Boom!"
Deafening cheers erupted.
Only this time, the cheers did not belong to the Suns. They belonged to the Grizzlies.
There were still 29.4 seconds left, but Blake Su had missed the crucial three that could have killed the game. As possession changed hands,
Conley attacked a big on a mismatch.
He tore through George's defense and finished with a left-side underhand layup.
A 4-point gap. The game was sealed.
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su pushed the pace, storming into the paint with lightning speed and grabbing a quick layup, but there were only 8.1 seconds left.
The Suns had no choice but to foul.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Conley calmly made both free throws. The gap was still 4 points.
On the final possession, Arthur, Gay, and Marc Gasol all locked onto Blake Su, leaving everyone else open. Blake Su wanted to attack himself, but the opportunity was honestly poor.
Or rather, after missing that crucial three just now, at such a match point moment, his confidence was not fully there either. In the end, he passed to Curry, who was open on one side.
"Whoosh!"
Curry raised his hand for three.
"Clang!"
No good.
With 2.2 seconds left, Randolph secured the ball and passed it to Conley. Time then ran out.
In the end, with their whole team erupting and making plays down the stretch, the Grizzlies erased a 12-point deficit, overturned the Suns once again, and pulled off another upset win.
At this moment, the Grizzlies led the Suns 3-0 and had already reached match point in the series. As long as they won one more game, the Grizzlies would eliminate the Suns and complete a No. 8 seed upset miracle!!!