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Chapter 497 - Chapter 498: The Suns Are Champions! A Championship Dream Fulfilled

"The Suns are champions!"

Van Gundy picked up from there.

"'The Emperor' Blake used an extraordinary individual performance to carry his team to the championship.

"Just like he said before the game, Blake came here for one thing. The championship. The Larry O'Brien Trophy.

"And now he's done it.

"Even if he had to carry the load himself. Even if it took 16 points in 35 seconds and the creation of the 'Blake Moment.'

"He found a way.

"A rookie leading his team to the championship as its lone superstar.

"Blake actually did it. What an incredible player!"

"Absolutely!"

Mike Breen was just as excited.

"Blake didn't just lead the Suns to the championship as a rookie.

"With his own ability, he also gave basketball back home a championship moment it can truly call its own.

"Players from his country had won championship rings before, but never as the driving force behind the title.

"Tonight, that changed.

"This season, Blake proved he could carry an NBA team all the way to a championship."

"'The Emperor' Blake has fulfilled an NBA championship dream for basketball back home and shown the league, and the world, just how far he can go.

"For Phoenix, Blake became the face of a city.

"For his country, he became the face of its basketball hopes.

"What a performance."

"Exactly!"

Van Gundy agreed emphatically.

...

Almost at the same time, Weibo exploded.

#SunsChampions#

#BlakeGameWinner#

#BasketballChampionshipDream#

#Blake64Points#

#BlakeMoment#

Within an incredibly short time, those topics shot up the trending rankings and occupied much of the top ten.

The comments were even more explosive.

"We did it!"

"Oh my God, we actually did it! One of our own just won a championship on the biggest basketball stage in the world!"

"One against three! Tonight, 'The Emperor' Blake became an unstoppable warrior. Even against the incredibly powerful Heat Big Three, they still couldn't stop him!"

"Blake is incredible! Absolutely incredible!"

"Sixteen points in 35 seconds! 'The Emperor' Blake didn't just surpass the 'McGrady Moment' and create the 'Blake Moment.'

"Then he switched hands in midair to avoid 'King James' LeBron's block and hit the game-winning three to bring Phoenix the championship!

"He made the championship dream come true.

"Blake is unbelievable. I love this guy. Blake is an absolute legend!"

"Blake is good. Really good. Ridiculously good. Unbelievably good!"

"We finally have a champion!"

"Way to go, Blake!"

"Blake is the pride of basketball back home. He's become the biggest name the country's basketball scene has ever produced!"

"Everybody, shout it with me: We're champions!"

"We're champions!"

"We're champions! We're champions! We're champions!!!"

The Suns had won the championship.

Blake had led them there as their lone superstar, and in doing so, fulfilled a championship dream for countless fans back home.

They weren't simply celebrating.

They were bursting with pride.

...

Back at US Airways Center, the home crowd showed no signs of calming down.

If anything, the noise was only getting louder.

"We won!"

"The Suns are champions!"

"Way to go, Blake! I knew you'd be the 'superhero' and save Phoenix when it mattered most!"

"No, no, no. Tonight, Blake was the 'superhero'!"

"Superhero! Superhero! Superhero!"

Fans dressed as Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Superman, Wonder Woman, and every other superhero imaginable were screaming themselves hoarse, cheering for Blake and celebrating the victory.

And why wouldn't they?

They had spent all that time dressing up as superheroes because they wanted Blake to become one himself and defeat the villains, the Heat Big Three.

Now he had done exactly that.

And he'd done it with one of the most dramatic comebacks imaginable.

Those fans had every reason to lose their minds.

On the court, the instant Blake's game-winner fell, he jumped in celebration.

This series hadn't been easy.

It had been brutal.

For Blake, it might have been the hardest Finals he would ever experience.

A hanging, fading three for the win over a contest.

Sixteen points in 35 seconds.

A midair hand-switch three to win the championship.

Two Finals games.

Two game-winners.

And one seemingly impossible scoring burst that would now be remembered as the "Blake Moment."

Blake had somehow done it all.

And in the end, he'd led the Suns to the championship.

None of it had been easy.

Blake might not have had the mentality of an ordinary 19-year-old, but carrying the team as its lone superstar had still placed enormous pressure on him.

Especially tonight.

When he got hurt, Blake had looked calm on the outside.

Inside, however, even he had been worried.

Yes, he still had the [Injury Reduction Candy].

But what if the examination had shown a fractured pinky?

What if the [Injury Reduction Candy] hadn't restored him enough during those fifteen minutes of treatment?

What then?

Fortunately, every worry and every bit of pressure disappeared the moment that final left-handed three dropped through the net.

And truthfully, that last hand-switch three had involved plenty of luck.

The shot bounced around the rim before falling.

Blake had improvised in midair and thrown it up without any real confidence that it would go in.

But it did.

Sometimes, luck is part of the game.

Still, saying Blake won purely because of luck wouldn't be fair either.

Before that game-winning three, there had been the steal.

Was [Eagle Spear] responsible?

Not entirely.

Blake had already gambled for two steals before finally succeeding on the third attempt.

By the time he used [Eagle Spear] successfully, that breakthrough had come after repeated attempts.

In the end, though, basketball games are decided by results.

And the final result belonged to Blake.

It belonged to Phoenix.

The Suns were champions.

All the pressure finally left Blake.

Now he could simply enjoy his championship and savor a night that, from beginning to end, somehow felt destined to belong to him.

"ROAR!!!"

The instant the title was secured, Blake sprinted toward center court.

He spread his arms wide, sweat running down his forehead, tilted his head back, and roared toward the rafters.

He let every emotion out at once.

And he fully embraced the overwhelming joy of becoming a champion.

"BOOM!"

Led by Curry and George, every Suns player rushed onto the court.

The coaches and front office followed.

Everyone converged on Blake.

And together, they threw themselves into the celebration of a championship.

...

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