"We... lost?!"
"No way. Did our Suns really lose to the Grizzlies, and at home too? My god, this can't be real."
"They really did lose."
"Man, looks like the Suns really are just a bunch of newcomers without much playoff experience. No matter how well they played in the regular season, they still can't handle the playoffs."
"That shouldn't happen!"
"What the hell?!"
"..."
When the game ended.
In the stands, the fans were still talking in confusion.
At the commentary desk.
Van Gundy was stunned too, but after thinking for a moment, he came back around and said, "The Suns suffered a shocking upset loss to the Grizzlies.
That's stunning news.
However, as we said during the game, this is the Suns' first time on the playoff stage, and they haven't adapted to the defensive intensity and rhythm of the playoffs. In that sense, the loss is understandable."
"Is that really it?"
Mike Breen asked, puzzled. "But Blake Su had a '30+' triple-double tonight with 32 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks.
Blake Su played that well, so how did the team still lose?"
"Efficiency."
Van Gundy gathered his thoughts and analyzed, "Don't just look at Blake Su's '30+' triple-double. His efficiency tonight wasn't actually that high.
He shot 12-for-25 from the field, 4-for-9 from three, and 4-for-6 at the free-throw line.
That is close to 50 percent shooting, but for Blake Su, his regular-season field goal percentage was often as high as 60 percent, 70 percent, or even more.
And the reason this weaker Suns team has been able to win is because Blake Su has always been so efficient. He has been carrying the team forward almost by himself.
So tonight's efficiency was a bit low for Blake Su, and it wasn't enough to lead the team to victory.
Of course, considering he faced high-intensity double-teams all night, the fact that Blake Su still put up a '30+' triple-double is already extremely impressive.
On top of that, the loss isn't Blake Su's responsibility alone. His teammates failed to adapt to the playoffs and couldn't play at their usual level. That was also a major factor."
"True."
Mike Breen nodded thoughtfully and took over. "The Suns suffered an upset loss tonight, but we can see that their strongest core.
Rookie Blake Su seems able to adapt to the playoff stage with real composure.
In that case, even though some of his young teammates still need to adjust, overall, even after losing one game, the ability that made them the top team in the West is still there.
The Suns still have the upper hand in this series."
"That's right."
Van Gundy nodded as well, then glanced at the prepared stats and smiled. "This Suns team won more than 20 straight games twice this season and finished first in the West. Everyone believes they absolutely won't suffer a shocking upset loss to the eighth-seeded Grizzlies.
They absolutely won't fall victim to an 8-over-1 upset."
Also... credit where it's due. Even though the Suns suffered an upset loss, we have to properly praise Blake Su. In NBA history.
Only three players had ever recorded a triple-double in their playoff debut: 'Magic' Johnson, 'King James' LeBron, and Johnny McCarthy, the first player ever to do it.
Tonight, Blake Su became the fourth player in NBA history to record a 'triple-double' in his playoff debut.
At the same time... he is also the youngest player in NBA history to record a 'triple-double' in his playoff debut. That's an incredible record too."
"This rookie Blake Su really is outstanding."
When it came to Blake Su, the commentators never seemed to run out of praise.
On the court.
The Grizzlies players who had won the game were fired up and thrilled. Tonight, as the lower seed, they had beaten the championship-favorite Suns.
And they had done it on the road.
That gave them tremendous confidence and made them firmly believe they could win the series and pull off a No. 8 seed upset.
As for the Suns, who had suffered the upset loss, they were not as dejected as people might have expected after truly losing. Just as Alvin Gentry had said.
This was the price they had to pay to adapt to playoff intensity.
Of course, as the first seed in the West, the Suns also had enough confidence to believe they could defeat the Grizzlies and advance to the next round.
As for Blake Su, although he had lost the first game of the series, he had still created a record. And the System's random mission was to create three or more records in a single series.
To obtain the defensive ability of "The Glove" Payton.
"I've already created one record. Two more to go..."
Blake Su murmured as he returned to the locker room.
...
While the Suns' upset loss to the Grizzlies had the US Airways Center buzzing with discussion.
At the Mavericks' home court.
The matchup between the Mavericks and the Thunder had also reached the final quarter, with the last two minutes left.
At the moment, the Mavericks, playing at home, held a 6-point lead. Tonight, the "German Tank" Nowitzki had already poured in 34 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks.
With one unstoppable "One-Legged Fadeaway" after another, he was trying to tear the Thunder apart.
However, just as the home fans thought that with only two minutes left and a 6-point lead, the Mavericks had already locked up the win and were holding victory in their hands.
Durant first hit a three-pointer, then personally stopped Nowitzki. After that, in transition, he drove and kicked the ball out to Harden.
"Swish!"
Another three-pointer fell.
One score, one stop, one assist, and two threes. In less than a minute, Durant led the team on a 6-0 run and instantly tied the game.
At the same time, Westbrook also stepped up, using his "Turtle"-like powerful body to stop another Mavericks attack.
Immediately after.
Durant went one-on-one against Nowitzki, crossed over repeatedly in front of him, found space, and pulled up for a fadeaway to hit a deadly mid-range jumper.
"Swish!"
Then Nowitzki missed the potential game-winning three.
In the end... relying on Durant's clutch mid-range shot, the Thunder edged out the Mavericks by 2 points on the road and took the first win of the playoff first round.
The third-seeded Mavericks in the West also suffered an upset loss to the sixth-seeded Thunder.
At the same time, tonight also featured the Bulls against the Pacers and the Magic against the Hawks. On the first night of the playoffs, there were four games in total.
Before long.
At the United Center, the Bulls' matchup with the Pacers began, and at the Amway Center, the Magic's matchup with the Hawks also tipped off.
The result.
The Bulls, led by the "Windy City Rose" Rose, and the Magic, led by "Superman" Howard, one the first seed in the East and the other the fourth seed, two teams with higher records.
Both lost to their opponents at home.
And with both the Bulls and the Magic falling.
Tonight.
The Suns, Bulls, Mavericks, and Magic, four teams with higher regular-season rankings, all suffered upset losses on their own home courts.
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (40 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.