"Boom!"
The moment Blake Su buried the deep three-pointer, a deafening roar swept through the arena.
The home crowd erupted.
That shot had put the Suns ahead by two, and the Lakers had only 27.2 seconds left. All the pressure was suddenly on them.
"Beep! Beep!"
Phil Jackson had no choice but to call a timeout.
"Wow!"
"A block followed by a deep three at the most critical moment. Absolutely devastating! Blake Su's composure in the clutch is off the charts!
It's almost unbelievable!"
Inside the broadcast studio, Mike Breen was so excited that he nearly leaped out of his seat. Van Gundy was just as fired up.
"A chase-down block to regain possession, followed by a deep three that crushed the Lakers' spirit.
With the game on the line, Blake Su's composure and decision-making are incredible. He doesn't look anything like a rookie. He looks like a superstar!"
"Exactly."
Mike Breen nodded repeatedly before declaring, "As far as I'm concerned, Blake Su is already a superstar!"
In the stands, Yi Jianlian shook his head again and again, still unable to believe what he had just witnessed.
"My God, how did Blake Su have the nerve to take a three from that far out? And then he just drilled it like it was nothing.
Incredible.
Blake Su is unbelievable."
"Hahaha!"
Yao Ming burst out laughing, his expression practically a meme.
"It was ridiculous, but that's how Blake Su plays. When it's him taking the shot, it somehow makes perfect sense.
The Lakers are in trouble now.
You beat me last time. Tonight, Blake Su is going to take it all back."
Elsewhere in the stands, Klay Thompson stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
"Blake Su is a center. He actually dared to shoot that, and he made it?
That's unbelievable."
He had heard about Blake Su's extraordinary three-point shooting back when the rookie center was still in college, but hearing about it was nothing compared to seeing it in person.
Tonight, Blake Su had completely stunned him.
Curry had always been the player Klay looked up to, but now he was beginning to think his friend might have been right. Blake Su's three-point shot really might be even better.
And he was a center.
A few rows below, Kyrie Irving clenched his fists, barely holding back a curse.
"What the hell was that? How can anyone make a three like that? Blake Su is ridiculous.
Come on, Kobe. Hold on.
The Lakers have to win tonight. This series can't end here."
Even as Irving cursed under his breath, he continued praying for Kobe and the Lakers.
"We've got this!"
"That three broke them! The Suns are definitely winning now!"
"We're moving on!"
The entire arena was already filled with the excitement of victory.
But Mia Quinn's seat in the tenth row was empty. Yoon-ah and Jessica were also gone from their seats in the fifth row.
...
The game resumed after the timeout.
The Lakers trailed by two with 27.2 seconds remaining. There was still enough time to run a complete possession. A basket would tie the game, while a three-pointer would put them ahead.
That made this possession absolutely crucial.
"Smack!"
Kobe held the ball at the top of the key, gripping it in his right hand with Blake Su guarding him one-on-one from behind.
Neither of them moved.
They were silently studying each other, trying to anticipate the next move.
Several seconds later, Kobe began dribbling through his legs. He backed out toward the perimeter, creating a full step of separation from Blake Su, then suddenly exploded forward.
Blake Su reacted immediately, sliding laterally to stay with him.
Their bodies slammed together.
Kobe absorbed the contact and used a series of half-turns, trying to shake Blake Su loose.
At the same time, George rotated over to help while Pau Gasol came up to set a screen.
Amid the confusion, Kobe accelerated laterally from the right high post to the left, then took another step back.
With Blake Su still contesting him, Kobe stopped abruptly, leaned away, and released a fadeaway jumper.
Blake Su's hand was right in his face.
It was an incredibly difficult shot.
Would it fall?
"Clang!"
No.
Kobe's crucial fadeaway bounced off the rim.
Frye secured the rebound.
Only 7.3 seconds remained. The Suns still led by two and had possession. Worse yet, the Lakers had no timeouts left.
The situation could hardly have been worse for them.
It already looked like a certain loss.
"It's over!"
"It's really over now!"
Countless Lakers fans clutched their heads in despair, while the Suns fans raised their arms, ready to celebrate the victory and a place in the next round.
On the court, Kobe's expression was frighteningly dark.
He knew exactly how hopeless the situation looked.
But he still refused to give up.
"Full-court press!"
Kobe roared and charged toward Blake Su, denying him any chance to receive the inbound pass. Odom, Pau Gasol, and the others rushed forward as well.
Every Laker picked up a man, pressing the Suns across the entire court.
George stood on the baseline, preparing to inbound the ball.
He looked for Blake Su first, but Kobe had him covered.
He turned to Curry, but there was no opening there either.
Then he spotted Nash breaking free near the right side of the arc and sent the pass his way.
The pass was slightly high.
Nash jumped to catch it, but the moment his feet touched the floor, Odom closed in and pressured him.
Nash remained calm and spun away.
But as he completed the turn, he ran straight into Kobe.
The "Bloodthirsty Mamba" had bloodshot eyes and was charging at him like a starving tiger tearing prey from another animal's jaws.
"Smack!"
Kobe ripped the ball straight out of Nash's hands.
There were 6.3 seconds left.
"Aaah!"
Driven by an overwhelming hunger for victory, Kobe secured the steal and immediately found Blake Su standing in his path.
With a low growl, he charged straight toward the paint.
The two raced beneath the basket, where George was already waiting to contest the shot.
Kobe took off while cradling the ball.
Everyone knew he had to attempt a layup.
Blake Su and George both went up without hesitation, smothering him from either side.
If Kobe forced the shot directly, their four massive hands would surely send it back.
But Kobe had no other choice.
He launched himself into the air and collided head-on with George, who had jumped straight up. At the same time, Blake Su closed in from Kobe's left.
The two defenders completely sealed off his path to the basket.
Then, using the impact from George, Kobe spun to his right in midair. He slipped past George while creating a small amount of separation from Blake Su.
The move left Kobe with his back to the basket, and the contact had thrown his body completely off balance.
Still, there was no other option.
Kobe glanced toward the rim from the corner of his eye, pushed his core strength to its absolute limit, and flipped up a hook shot with his back to the basket.
He was off balance, facing away from the hoop, and surrounded by two defenders.
The difficulty of the shot was almost beyond belief.
"If that goes in, I'll eat sh..."
A fan screamed from the stands, but before he could finish the last word, he froze like a statue.
"Swish!"
The ball dropped cleanly through the net.
Kobe had stolen the ball and converted an impossible layup to tie the game!