"Whoosh!"
Blake had reacted on instinct.
Already in the air, he switched the ball from his right hand to his left, slipped past LeBron's block, and released the three with his non-dominant hand.
But everyone in the arena had their hearts in their throats.
The Suns fans looked terrified.
Because this shot was unbelievably difficult.
Switching hands in midair, then forcing up a three with his non-dominant hand?
The odds of making something like that were almost impossibly low.
But there was no taking it back now.
Almost the instant Blake released the ball, the red light around the backboard came on.
Time had expired.
The season was over.
And yet the outcome still hadn't been decided.
Everything, the game, the championship, the entire season, now rested on the basketball Blake had released with his left hand as it spun through the air.
"Go in!"
"Please, go in!"
They knew how difficult the shot was.
But every Suns player and fan stared wide-eyed at the ball, silently praying.
It had to go in.
It had to.
A game-winner against the Heat!
"Miss!"
"There's no way that goes in!"
"That shot can't possibly fall!"
On the other side, every Heat player and fan was just as tense, their eyes locked on the ball as they desperately hoped it would miss.
The entire arena fell silent.
Every nerve was stretched to the limit.
Everyone stared at the spinning basketball, waiting for the result.
For one suspended moment, it felt as though the entire world had frozen.
The only thing still moving was the ball.
The arena was so quiet that a pin hitting the floor would have sounded deafening.
You could almost hear everyone's short, nervous breaths.
The ball slowly descended toward the rim.
Then...
"Clang!"
It struck the rim and bounced high into the air.
The harsh sound sent a jolt through every Suns fan in the building.
Then...
"Clang!"
The ball came down and hit the rim again.
Another collective jolt ran through the crowd.
Some fans could barely handle the tension, breathing faster as they watched the ball rise for a second time.
Then it began to fall again.
Under LeBron's stunned, furrowed stare.
Under Wade's look of utter disbelief.
Under Bosh's dumbfounded expression.
Under the stunned eyes of the entire Heat roster.
Under the disbelieving gazes of every Heat fan in the building...
"Swish!"
A soft, beautiful sound cut through the silence.
After bouncing twice on the rim, the ball finally dropped through the net.
"Swish!"
Good.
It was good.
Blake had made it.
An impossible, miraculous three-pointer, switching hands in midair to avoid the block and burying the shot with his left hand.
A game-winner against the Heat!
They had won!
The Suns had won!
Phoenix had won Game 7, defeated the Heat, captured the 2010-11 NBA Finals, and become the 2011 NBA champions!
For a split second after the ball dropped through the net, the arena was still silent.
Then...
"BOOM!"
The building exploded.
The roar was like a massive blast detonating beneath the arena, sending a wave of sound crashing through the stands hard enough to tear the roof off US Airways Center.
"We won!"
"Game-winner!"
"We're champions!"
"The Suns are champions!"
"Phoenix finally won the championship!!!"
Suns fans everywhere leaped to their feet.
Hands flew into the air.
Strangers grabbed one another in celebration.
People screamed, shouted, laughed, and celebrated without restraint.
Gasps, cries, cheers, and excited chatter all merged into one deafening roar.
Blake's unbelievable performance in Game 7 of the Finals had completely ignited the arena.
The sound poured out of the building and spread across Phoenix.
It felt as though the celebration could be heard far beyond the city itself.
"He did it! Blake did it! He hit the game-winner against the Heat, won the Finals, and brought the Suns the championship!
"Aaaaahhhh!"
In the stands, Yi Jianlian was so overwhelmed with joy that tears filled his eyes.
"That's it, Blake!"
Yao Ming pumped his fist in celebration.
Watching Blake win an NBA championship filled him with pure excitement.
"Holy crap!"
Wall jumped to his feet and roared while pumping his fist.
"Game-winner! Blake... he actually hit the game-winner against the Heat!
"He won the championship!
"A championship as a rookie. 'The Emperor' Blake is unbelievable!"
"That kid!"
Kobe was grinning, though even he looked shaken by what he had just witnessed.
"You really did it.
"Way to go, Blake.
"Tonight, you were the 'superhero.'"
"Wow..."
Pippen had been stunned into silence.
"Hahaha!"
Jordan laughed in disbelief.
"With 'King James' LeBron coming over for the block, you switched hands in midair and hit a three to win the championship.
"Blake...
"You're something else, kid."
"Yes!"
"We won!"
"Blake! We won!"
In the front row, Mia Quinn and Yoona threw their hands into the air.
Then they looked at each other and immediately hugged, laughing in celebration.
The entire Suns arena had descended into complete madness after Blake's championship-winning three.
...
Across the ocean, the broadcast studio was just as chaotic.
"Unbelievable!"
Mike Breen was so excited he could barely get the words out.
"Blake... I don't even know what to say!"
Van Gundy was laughing so hard that most of what came out next was barely understandable.
It took both commentators a while to regain their composure.
Mike Breen finally drew a long breath.
"Blake came back in Game 7 of the Finals after missing nearly an entire quarter with an injury.
"There was only 1 minute and 25 seconds remaining.
"The Suns had fallen behind by nine.
"And in just 35 seconds, Blake hit five three-pointers and scored 16 points.
"He recreated the 'McGrady Moment'...
"And created the 'Blake Moment.'
"Sixty-four points tonight.
"And on the final possession, with 'King James' LeBron closing in for the block, Blake switched hands in midair to avoid him.
"Then, with his non-dominant left hand, he buried a three-pointer at the buzzer.
"After falling behind 1-3 in the Finals, the Suns completed an incredible comeback.
"And Blake finished it with a championship-winning three!"