When the teams returned for the second half, everyone expected a fierce battle.
Instead, the Hawks' offense suddenly went cold for no apparent reason. The Bulls were not especially efficient either, performing no better than they had in the first half.
Even so, the gap quickly widened.
By the end of the third quarter, Chicago had stretched its five-point halftime lead to sixteen, outscoring Atlanta by eleven in the period.
The Hawks began to panic.
They were already under enormous pressure with elimination looming. Now they trailed by sixteen with only one quarter remaining.
Worse still, the "Windy City Assassin" Derrick Rose remained unstoppable.
How could the Hawks possibly turn this around?
It seemed like an impossible problem, and Atlanta never found an answer. The pressure finally threw them completely off their game.
In the fourth quarter, the Bulls went several minutes without scoring, but the Hawks were in no condition to capitalize. They managed to trim the deficit by only a few points.
Once Chicago regained its composure, all suspense disappeared.
In the end, the Bulls cruised to a fourteen-point victory on their home court. They eliminated the Hawks 4-1 and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
That left only the Heat and Celtics still battling in the Conference Semifinals.
...
The following night at 9:00 p.m., Game 5 between the Heat and Celtics tipped off at American Airlines Arena.
Blake had just finished a grueling series against the Lakers and was still tired. Mia Quinn had not needed another IV that day, but she was resting at home while she recovered.
Neither of them went out.
Blake leaned back on the couch, waiting for Game 5 to begin. Mia sat beside him with a small laptop table in front of her.
A laptop table?
Yes.
Even though she was sitting in the living room, Mia was busy playing League of Legends.
"Quinnie, stop playing. The game's about to start."
"Okay, okay. I'm coming."
Her answer came quickly, but the rapid clicking of her mouse and keyboard showed no sign of stopping.
She clearly had no intention of quitting.
Blake found the situation amusing. Usually, wasn't it the man playing games while the woman told him to stop?
Why were their roles reversed?
Something was definitely wrong here.
He glanced at her screen. Both teams were gathered near the top side of the map, locked in a fierce five-on-five fight over Baron Nashor.
The battle was close.
No wonder Mia was so focused.
Watching her play with such intense concentration, Blake shook his head.
"Seeing you this energetic makes me wonder whether you were faking that cold yesterday."
"Hey, Blake. Are you saying something bad about me?"
"No. Not at all."
The corner of Blake's mouth twitched.
She was completely absorbed in the game, yet she could still hear him talking about her.
Women really were frighteningly perceptive.
"Yes! We stole Baron and wiped them all out! We won! Wow, they surrendered. Another victory.
"So easy!"
After winning, Mia finally released the mouse and bobbed her head happily.
A few seconds later, she started another match.
"Quinnie, the basketball game is about to begin. Why are you still playing? I thought you liked watching basketball."
"Who told you that?"
Mia picked up the warm brown sugar water Blake had prepared for her and took a sip.
"I don't like basketball that much. I only want to watch when you're playing.
"Besides, I'm taking gaming seriously because I'm preparing to become a streamer someday.
"Blake, I've watched plenty of gaming streams. A lot of the female streamers are pretty, but their skills are painful to watch."
"They're still popular, but I don't like that kind of content. When I start streaming, I'm going to win people over with skill."
Blake was left speechless.
Worse yet, he thought she had a point.
"Good luck, Quinnie."
He raised a fist in encouragement, gave her a thoroughly forced smile, and turned his attention to the game.
...
The Heat and Celtics began their battle.
In the previous game, every member of the "Celtics' Big Four" had stepped up. They had managed to overpower the "Heat's Big Three," avoid elimination, and cut the series deficit to 3-1.
Even so, almost no one believed Boston could complete the comeback.
Most people saw the previous game as nothing more than one final burst from a team already destined to lose.
There was no way all four stars could erupt again that night.
Sure enough, the Heat led by seven after the first quarter.
Back on their home court, the "Heat's Big Three" looked determined to end the series that very night.
The "Celtics' Big Four" returned early in the second quarter, hoping to reverse the momentum.
But the "Heat's Big Three," the league's great villains, refused to give them any opening.
By halftime, Miami's lead had grown to fifteen.
Just as everyone had predicted, the game was gradually losing all suspense.
After the break, Boston made one final attempt at a comeback.
Miami shut it down and widened the gap even further, showing no mercy.
By the end of the third quarter, the Heat led by more than twenty points.
The game was effectively over.
After watching three quarters, Blake's expression grew serious.
"The Heat really are strong. More specifically, their Big Three are terrifying.
"LeBron and Wade are both among the top five players in the league individually. Then there's CB4, Bosh, the former franchise player of the Raptors.
"When those three attack together, defending them feels like plugging one leak only for another to open somewhere else.
"And offense isn't their only strength.
"They're excellent defensively, and their transition offense after forcing a stop is one of their greatest weapons.
"They're difficult to deal with. Extremely difficult.
"No wonder so many fans treat them like the villains in a movie. They're powerful, and everyone loves to hate them."
The more Blake considered the matchup, the more troublesome the Heat seemed.
He had beaten them during the regular season, but that did not make him underestimate them.
He had needed fifteen three-pointers, seventy-two points, and a game-winner just to escape with a narrow victory.
He could not expect to produce that kind of superhuman performance in every playoff game.
"If we reach the Finals and face the Heat, they'll be the strongest opponent we've faced all season. No question.
"I don't know whether my current ability will be enough to beat them.
"But there's no point worrying too far ahead. I'll take things one step at a time.
"When the time comes, I'll find a way.
"Besides, the System might issue another random quest. Maybe I'll complete it, earn another reward, and become even stronger."
Blake's mental attribute stood at 99, nearly the maximum.
His mindset truly was exceptional.
No matter the situation, he remained confident.
While Blake was lost in thought, the one-sided fourth quarter quickly ended.
There was never any suspense.
The Heat closed out the Celtics 4-1 and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals as expected.
With Miami's victory, the Conference Semifinals were officially over.
The Conference Finals matchups were now set.