Halftime was over.
The teams switched ends to begin the second half.
Trailing by 14 points, the Mavericks had the first possession.
Now that the fans understood what was happening, every eye in the stands turned toward Nowitzki. They expected him to be feeling the pressure.
But Nowitzki remained completely unfazed.
It was only a 14-point deficit.
The Mavericks still did not believe they were going to lose.
"Smack!"
Nowitzki caught Kidd's pass at the left elbow, and Blake immediately closed in, continuing to guard him one-on-one.
However, Nowitzki called for a screen. Using Marion's pick, he moved to the free-throw line and found himself matched up against Paul George.
"Thud!"
He backed him down with one hard bump.
"Whoosh!"
Then he turned sideways and rose into his "One-Legged Fadeaway." With his height, the backward lean, and that slightly raised leg, George had no way to contest it effectively.
All he could do was watch Nowitzki release the ball.
"Swish!"
Nothing but net.
"Great shot!"
Kidd clenched his fist, visibly fired up. Seeing that Nowitzki could shake Blake and still score efficiently gave him a surge of confidence.
They still had a chance to close the gap!
But reality quickly slapped that hope away.
10:13 remaining.
"Swish!"
There were no fancy dribble moves and no lightning-fast drive. Blake simply rose for a pull-up jumper.
He drilled the three right over Marion's defense.
8:33 remaining.
Facing Stevenson, another defensive specialist, Blake pounded the ball, stepped back for a shot fake, then suddenly accelerated and blew past him in an instant.
"Whoosh!"
He charged straight into the heart of the defense, soared through the air, and hammered home a vicious dunk.
6:11 remaining.
Blake drew a double-team, powered his way forward, then slipped the ball between his legs and passed it out. Curry curled into position and caught it in stride.
"Whoosh!"
He rose and fired from three.
"Swish!"
Good.
Curry's three-point shot was scorching hot tonight.
5:44 remaining.
Nowitzki was double-teamed by George and Curry, so he immediately kicked the ball to "The Jet" Terry, who was waiting in the opposite corner.
But then...
"Whoosh!"
Blake suddenly darted into the passing lane and intercepted the ball in midair. Without holding it for even a moment, he sent it ahead to "Captain Canada" Nash, who was already sprinting downcourt.
"Swish!"
Nash went coast to coast and easily finished the layup at the open basket.
3:11 remaining.
"Swish!"
Nowitzki found himself matched up against Curry. He backed him down once in the low post, shook him off with a half-spin, then followed with a hop step and dropped in a short hook.
On the ensuing transition possession, Blake pushed the ball up the floor at full speed.
Nash was calling for it near the left wing, but Blake instead fired a diagonal pass to Curry, who was racing toward the left corner.
"Screech!"
Curry stopped on a dime, caught the ball perfectly, and immediately launched a three.
The entire sequence flowed in one smooth motion. Nowitzki rushed over to contest, but he was half a step late, and the ball sailed just above his fingertips.
"Swish!"
Nothing but net.
"Answer three!"
After being scored on by Nowitzki, Curry took Blake's pass and answered by burying a three right over Nowitzki's head.
33.2 seconds remaining.
Over the previous two possessions, the "German Wunderkind" had first driven in for a finger roll, then caught Kidd's pass on the perimeter and knocked down a three.
Five straight points.
He had rediscovered his unstoppable scoring touch.
Now brimming with confidence, Nowitzki posted up Blake at the left elbow.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
He repeatedly leaned into Blake, creating half a step of separation before turning sideways and rising into another "One-Legged Fadeaway."
"Thud!"
Blake's eyes narrowed. He exploded upward with everything he had.
He could not block the shot, but he applied plenty of pressure.
"Clang!"
The ball struck the rim and bounced out.
"Tsk."
Knowing the contest had affected him, Nowitzki clicked his tongue.
The rebound?
Chandler secured it and pulled it tightly against his chest. He used his body to knock Frye aside, then sprang straight up from a standstill.
Was he going for a two-handed slam?
"Smack!"
Just as Chandler was about to throw it down, Blake came flying in. He planted, leaped, reached well above Chandler, and swatted the ball away from the side.
"Unbelievable. One second Blake was guarding Nowitzki on the perimeter, and the next he was under the basket blocking Chandler.
To be that tall and still move that quickly. His athleticism is incredible."
George collected the loose ball on the perimeter.
Run!
"Whoosh!"
The Suns' run-and-gun offense roared to life.
George raced ahead and passed to Nash. Nash moved it forward to Curry, who accelerated into the frontcourt. Curry attacked the basket, drew Terry, then suddenly tossed the ball into the air.
George came flying in from behind.
Was it going to be an alley-oop dunk?!
No.
After catching the lob, George tossed the ball upward again. Marion, who had prepared to block George, froze in confusion.
The next instant...
"BOOM!"
Blake came charging in from behind, caught the ball in midair, and crushed a one-handed dunk through the rim.
"Wow! A flawless fast break and an absolutely perfect alley-oop. The Suns' advanced run-and-gun offense is beautiful to watch!"
At the commentary table, Van Gundy could not hide his amazement.
Mike Breen looked equally delighted.
"Blake's presence has made the Suns' run-and-gun offense even more powerful than it was during the Stoudemire era."
"Absolutely."
Back on the court, 16.4 seconds remained.
Kidd pushed the ball up the floor, accelerated past Nash on the left wing, entered the lane, and used a hop step to force his way into the paint.
"Whoosh!"
He faked a pass to the left, fooling Frye and drawing George over to help. But instead, he pushed the ball to the right and found Nowitzki waiting in the right corner.
"Whoosh!"
Nowitzki fired from three.
"Swish!"
The shot ripped through the net.
The "German Wunderkind" was still a force to be reckoned with.
With 8.3 seconds left in the third quarter, Nash brought the ball across midcourt and was trapped by Terry and Kidd. He squeezed a pass through the gap to Blake on the opposite side.
"Step!"
"Step!"
Marion and Kidd turned and sprinted back toward Blake.
Blake glanced at the clock, took one dribble forward, and pulled up from the right wing, nearly two meters beyond the three-point line.
"Whoosh!"
He launched the deep three.
"There's no way that goes in!"
Marion roared.
"Swish!"
As his shout echoed through the arena, the ball sliced cleanly through the net.
A buzzer-beater.
"BOOM!"
The arena erupted as cheers rolled through the stands like a tidal wave.
At the commentary table, Van Gundy glanced at the stat sheet and smiled.
"Nowitzki scored 13 points in the third quarter, yet the Mavericks now trail by 22."
"How is that possible?!"
Mike Breen looked stunned.
Van Gundy chuckled.
"Because no one has been able to contain Blake. Through three quarters, he already has 34 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
His all-around 30+ triple-double, combined with the pressure he has put on Nowitzki defensively, has helped the Suns build a lead of more than 20 points.
The Mavericks are finished tonight."
The rest of the game unfolded exactly as Van Gundy predicted.
In the fourth quarter, with Blake on the bench, the Mavericks briefly cut the deficit to single digits.
But it still was not enough.
In the end, Blake's night was finished after three quarters, and the Suns cruised to an eight-point victory over the Mavericks, taking Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
The result caught everyone by surprise.
...
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