A massive upset!
The Suns lost again. Now down 0-3, the Grizzlies had reached match point. Over the next four games, they only needed to win one.
If they did, they would pull off a No. 8 seed upset miracle and become the ultimate winners.
As for the Suns, now trailing 0-3, they had already fallen into a dead end.
Almost at the same time as the Suns suffered another shocking upset loss, the internet exploded with heated discussion among fans.
Even though the Bulls, Mavericks, and Magic still had games to play,
fans had no interest in paying attention. The Suns' latest upset loss had simply shocked them too much.
"Is this real?!"
"Unbelievable!"
"The Suns, the No. 1 seed in the West, are already down 0-3 in the first round. Are they really going to get knocked out by the No. 8 seed Grizzlies? And in a sweep?!"
"Oh my God!"
"The Suns have already overturned so many things I thought I knew this season. Don't tell me even their elimination is going to overturn common sense again?!"
"Sigh... the Suns... can they still come back?"
"Don't even think about it. The Suns are definitely going to be upset by the No. 8 seed Grizzlies now. The only question is whether it'll be a four-game sweep, five games, six games, or something like that."
"Why?!"
"Why? Bro upstairs, don't you know that in NBA playoff history, whenever a team has gone down 0-3,
not a single team has ever completed the comeback.
"In other words, all of them lost in the end."
"Yeah, they're definitely going to lose. But... I think everyone shouldn't bash the Suns, or Blake Su, Curry, and the others.
"They have zero playoff experience, and they ran into a strong defensive team. It's understandable that they haven't adapted to the intensity of the playoffs."
"And Carter is injured. Rookie George was thrown into the fire, and the chemistry after the Suns reshuffled the lineup isn't as good as it was before."
"That's true."
"The Suns have already done very well! Tonight, facing layers of double-teams, Blake Su scored 14 points in a single quarter and finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks.
"For a player with zero playoff experience... that's already excellent."
"To put it plainly, Blake Su, George, and the others are still just rookies. Even rookies like Jordan and Iverson, who looked elite as soon as they entered the league,
couldn't lead their teams into the playoffs in their first season.
"Maybe we shouldn't speak in absolutes, but Blake Su has already done very well. I'm looking forward to his next season.
"The king will return!"
"Exactly. The Suns probably can't win this series anymore. It's a shame, but I still recognize the performance and achievements of 'Monster Rookie' Blake Su.
"This season was still a rookie season where he entered the league already at his peak.
"Same as the guy above, I'm looking forward to Blake Su learning from this offseason, becoming stronger, and rising again next season, stronger than ever!!!"
"Exactly!"
"Blake Su is still the best!"
"Go, Blake Su!"
"I'll always support Blake Su. I'll always be one of Blake Su's diehard fans!"
"..."
For a time, discussion swept everywhere.
Although... there was not much criticism, and not many fans were insulting them. At a glance, it was almost all praise.
But all of it was saying the same thing. He... Blake Su, was about to stop in the first round of the playoffs. He... Blake Su, was about to pay the price for being young!
...
While the Bulls, Mavericks, Magic, and the other teams were playing their games, while fans argued fiercely online, and while media reporters rushed to write their stories,
at the hotel outside FedExForum,
the entire Suns team gathered in Coach Gentry's room. At this moment... everyone was heavy-hearted and downcast.
Yes.
Everyone knew what tonight's road loss and the 0-3 deficit meant. They knew how serious the consequences would be.
0-3.
In NBA playoff history, no team had ever managed to come back from that deficit.
This meant... they were about to lose the series, get eliminated in the first round by a No. 8 seed upset, and end their playoff run early.
At the start of the season,
everyone had been aiming to tank. By midseason, they had once dreamed of the Finals, dreamed of lifting the O'Brien championship trophy.
Now,
they would stop in the first round. No, they were certain to stop in the first round.
Heaven in one moment, hell in the next.
From heaven straight to hell.
That gap was something this young Suns group could not accept.
"I'm sorry!"
George was the first to step forward and take responsibility, his face full of guilt. "I'm sorry. This is my fault. I didn't properly fill Carter's role.
"My chemistry with everyone still isn't good enough.
"In these three games, my defense wasn't good enough, and my offense was even worse. The team losing three straight is all on me."
"That's not true."
Curry shook his head too, blaming himself. "A lot of this is my fault too. Blake Su, Nash, and everyone else created so many three-point chances for me.
"But... but I just couldn't hit them. I don't even know why.
"I wasted possessions, and I couldn't make shots. I let down everyone's trust. The team losing is completely my fault!
"I'm sorry!"
Nash looked at the scene and, for a moment, did not know what to say.
Coach Gentry frowned, feeling awful inside as well. He did not want to blame the rookies, and he would not. But the situation really was terrible now.
"It's my fault."
After the hotel room fell silent for a moment, Blake Su slowly spoke as well, his voice filled with guilt. "That three-pointer at the end tonight.
"It was basically an open three, and I missed it.
"If I had made it, we would have won today. The score wouldn't be 0-3. It would have become 1-2, and everything would be different.
"But at that moment, I really did get nervous. I was afraid I wouldn't make the shot. I was afraid I'd push the team into a desperate situation. I wanted badly to make it, but the more I thought that way,
the more it backfired. In the end, I couldn't hit it.
"Tonight, I made a huge mistake. And throughout this whole series, my performance hasn't been good enough for a proper team leader.
"The team being in this position is mostly my fault."
After saying that,
Blake Su lowered his head, his mood extremely low.
To be honest,
even he had not expected this. No matter how he thought about it, he had never expected that when he was almost fully serious, he still would not be able to lead the team to victory.
He had expected even less that they would stop in the first round.
This 0-3 dead end was a huge blow to Blake Su.
"I also..."
Nash opened his mouth, just about to speak.
"Enough!"
Gentry, who had not spoken all this time, shouted and cut him off. Then, after a brief silence, he softened his voice and comforted them. "Don't blame yourselves.
"Basketball is not a one-man sport.
"I believe all of you have already worked very hard, but in competition, there are always wins and losses. Even losing three straight is not impossible.
"The key is this.
"To win a series, a team needs four wins. We still have a chance.
"Right now... this is not the time to be discouraged, and it is not the time to lose confidence. We should pull ourselves together and face the difficulties ahead.
"They may be hard, but that doesn't mean they can't be solved.
"All right.
"No one needs to say anything else. Everyone go back to your rooms and rest. Starting tomorrow, we'll prepare for Game 4 in the best possible condition."
...
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