"A game-winner!"
"We won!"
"The Suns won!"
"Blake Su hit a behind-the-backboard three at the buzzer! Victory belongs to the Suns, and we're heading to the Western Conference Finals!"
"Blake Su is incredible!"
"Blake Su is unstoppable!"
"Wow!"
Cheers and shouts rang through the arena.
Screams and praise blended into one deafening roar.
The instant Blake Su buried the behind-the-backboard three to steal the game, every Suns fan in the arena leaped to their feet and celebrated with everything they had.
The noise was like a bomb detonating in the depths of the ocean, sending towering waves crashing through US Airways Center.
After a grueling Game 5 that went into overtime, the closeout battle finally reached its perfect conclusion with Blake Su's game-winner.
That behind-the-backboard three gave the Suns a one-point victory and sealed the series at 4-1.
The Suns were through to the Western Conference Finals!
In the stands, the "Baby-Faced Assassin" Isiah Thomas clicked his tongue repeatedly in amazement.
"Wow. A three from behind the backboard, and he actually made it. Blake Su is unbelievable."
"Absolutely."
"Magic" Johnson was just as stunned.
"He got past Odom, Fisher, and Artest, then hit the game-winning three over Kobe's contest.
"That was incredible.
"If someone were watching basketball for the first time, they would never guess that the player who made such a difficult game-winner was a center.
"And not only that, he's a rookie.
"It's unbelievable!"
"Hey, hey."
Seeing that the two of them were about to praise Blake Su endlessly, "The Dream" Hakeem Olajuwon interrupted them with a relaxed smile.
"Just a reminder. I won the bet.
"So don't forget that you each owe me dinner."
"Haha, no problem."
"That game was incredible. Dinner is a small price to pay!"
In the front row, Pippen drew several sharp breaths.
"He actually won the game with a three like that? That's insane."
Michael Jordan chuckled.
"For a center to master the three-point shot to this degree at such a young age...
"That's talent."
Across the stands, Klay Thompson's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Holy crap! Blake Su is a center, and he shoots threes that well?
"He's even more accurate than I imagined.
"And he did it against Kobe Bryant. Blake Su's nerve in the clutch is ridiculous."
"Wow!"
"The Answer" Allen Iverson sprang to his feet without realizing it.
"That was incredible. Truly incredible, Blake Su.
"You actually hit a game-winner like that.
"I already thought highly of you, but you're even better than I imagined. Keep going, young man.
"After beating Kobe like this, you're going to have the entire league terrified of you."
"Aaah!"
Kyrie Irving clutched his head and screamed, the light gradually fading from his eyes.
He could not believe that Kobe, the player he admired, loved, and even idolized, had lost to a rookie.
And he had lost on a buzzer-beater.
The result left Kyrie completely shaken.
Across the arena, Yi Jianlian pumped his fist and roared.
"A behind-the-backboard three to win it! Blake Su is insane!"
Blake Su was his friend. Seeing him eliminate the Lakers in such dramatic fashion and advance to the Western Conference Finals filled Yi Jianlian with excitement.
Usually quiet and reserved, he now wore a huge smile.
"Hahaha!"
Yao Ming was already so thrilled that he broke into another meme-worthy laugh.
"Beautifully done, Blake Su! Damn, you were incredible!
"You beat the Lakers and reached the Western Conference Finals.
"You accomplished what I never could. You've surpassed me. You're the pride of basketball back home, and its future."
"Keep going.
"Keep charging forward just like this. Win the Western Conference Finals, reach the NBA Finals, and don't stop until you lift that trophy!"
Yao Ming did not know whether he was getting ahead of himself, but the words came out before he could stop them.
He was simply too happy.
Or perhaps Blake Su's performance had been so extraordinary that he deserved every word of praise.
At the entrance above the stands, Yoona and Jessica threw their arms around each other.
"Yes!"
"Blake Su hit the game-winner!"
"We won!"
Bright smiles bloomed across their faces. Their happiness was genuine.
"Boom!"
Nearly everyone in the arena was swept up in the joy of Blake Su's game-winner and the Suns' victory.
Everyone except the Lakers fans.
On the court, the same cries rang out.
"A game-winner!"
"We won!"
"We're going to the Western Conference Finals!"
The words were similar, but the excitement and joy behind them came straight from the heart.
Every Suns player rushed onto the court and surrounded Blake Su, reveling in the victory and soaking in the cheers that followed his game-winner.
Tonight belonged to the Suns.
"Blake Su, you were incredible."
Even Alvin Gentry was trembling with excitement.
Lance, who had watched the entire game from the bench, was equally overwhelmed. He stared at Blake Su with an intensity that bordered on greed.
"A player this powerful and unstoppable...
"How could we possibly let him go? Even if the owner says nothing, I'll do everything I can to help the Suns keep him."
From the players to the front office, the entire Suns organization was immersed in joy.
The Lakers, however, stood on the opposite end of that emotion.
The defending champions had been eliminated by a rookie's game-winner, an almost absurd three-pointer from behind the backboard.
It was a crushing blow.
Artest, Bynum, and the rest of the Lakers stood in stunned silence, their faces filled with disappointment and frustration.
There was also a trace of helplessness in their expressions.
They had defended the final possession as well as they possibly could. They had done everything right.
But Blake Su, this era-defining center, this "Man Born for Game-Winners," had still made the shot.
It was an utterly unreasonable game-winner.
What else could they do?
Even Kobe felt helpless.
Before the ball fell through the net, he had believed there was no possible way the shot could go in.
But it had.
Blake Su had hit the game-winner.
And that shot had eliminated the Lakers and sent them home.
There was no changing it now.
"Sigh..."
Kobe let out a quiet breath.
His eyes were filled with frustration and disappointment. He had given everything he had tonight and done all that was within his power.
He desperately wanted to win.
He wanted to build a dynasty.
He wanted to catch Michael Jordan.
But with this loss and elimination, all those hopes had vanished.
Kobe was heartbroken.
With his head lowered, his lonely and dejected figure was painful to look at.
At that moment, Blake Su walked over.
Without saying a word, he pulled Kobe into a tight embrace.