"Two-for-seven in the first quarter. And several of those misses came on wide-open shots or excellent chances at the rim.
"For a superstar like LeBron, that's really not what you expect."
During the break between quarters, Wall shook his head repeatedly from the stands.
"True."
Kobe nodded. "LeBron definitely looks off tonight. He's struggling, but in a way, it's understandable."
"Huh?"
Wall looked puzzled.
Kobe shrugged. "This is the NBA Finals. Not everyone can step onto this stage and stay completely composed while playing at their usual level.
"Especially LeBron. The last time he reached the Finals, in 2007, he got swept by the Spurs' 'Big Three.' That had to leave a mark.
"I think he just needs a little time to settle down and adjust to being back on this stage."
"Ah."
Wall nodded thoughtfully, then grinned. "So Blake reaching the Finals as a rookie and still playing this well tonight... doesn't that make him even more impressive?"
"Of course."
Kobe nodded without hesitation and smiled.
"Blake isn't an ordinary rookie. He's a monster.
"He has that incredible ability to stay calm under pressure, no matter the situation. I'm not worried about him at all.
"What I'm more interested in is how Curry and George perform.
"If Phoenix wants to win this series, those two are going to have to give Blake some help.
"But they're still young. Whether they can handle the pressure and play their normal game remains to be seen."
Wall nodded again and turned his attention back to Blake.
On the other side of the stands, Paul frowned slightly.
"Something's off with LeBron tonight. He hasn't shown what he's really capable of."
"Heh."
Anthony crossed his arms, completely relaxed.
"Don't worry. That's LeBron we're talking about. He'll be fine."
"True."
Paul nodded. "It's only been one quarter. There's still plenty of basketball left. He'll find his rhythm and respond."
The crowd remained loud and energized.
After one quarter, the "Monster Rookie" Blake and "Flash" Wade had both delivered standout performances, while "CB4" Bosh had been solid.
But with "King James" LeBron struggling, Miami found itself behind.
Suns 28, Heat 24.
Phoenix led by 4.
The second quarter began with the bench units.
Miami kept "Flash" Wade on the floor to lead its reserves, while Vince Carter handled the same role for Phoenix.
Wade had been sensational tonight.
Every possession seemed to reflect both his hunger to score and his desire to win the championship, expressed through one relentless attack after another.
In barely two minutes, Wade scored, created for his teammates, and personally erased the 4-point deficit.
"Beep!"
Gentry immediately called timeout.
Blake and George were the first Suns starters sent back onto the floor.
Normally, both would have rested another four or five minutes.
Not tonight.
They were back early for one reason.
To win.
This was the NBA Finals.
If they weren't going all out now, when would they?
Miami responded by bringing LeBron and Bosh back early as well.
Play resumed.
Phoenix continued to throw heavy defensive pressure at Wade, making it harder for him to attack. As a result, Wade shifted more toward facilitating and defending.
So who would carry Miami's offense?
Naturally, LeBron and Bosh.
But "CB4" Bosh wasn't getting many touches. Most of his work came on the glass, on defense, and as a spot-up shooter on the perimeter.
"King James" LeBron, meanwhile, had plenty of opportunities to catch and attack or simply take open shots.
The problem was that his efficiency tonight had been awful.
And his struggles continued into the second quarter.
It wasn't just that LeBron was wasting good opportunities. His poor shooting also cost Bosh several chances to get involved offensively and forced Wade to attack against double-teams, sometimes even multiple defenders.
In short, LeBron's slump created a chain reaction that dulled Miami's entire offense.
Phoenix had a different problem.
As a team built around one superstar, the "Monster Rookie" Blake had been the focus of Miami's defense from the opening tip.
And that defensive pressure only kept increasing.
Even so, Blake continued attacking aggressively, forcing the Heat to send a second defender, and sometimes even more attention, in his direction.
Only then would he give up the ball.
After all, trying to mindlessly force shots against the elite defense of the Heat Big Three would hardly be a smart approach.
At 8:31, Blake drew the defense and kicked the ball to Curry in the left corner.
Curry buried the three.
At 7:11, Blake was double-teamed in the left high post and fired a bounce pass toward George cutting through the lane.
The pass was slightly off, and George nearly lost it.
But he gathered the ball, charged to the rim, and hammered it home.
"George attacked that one with authority!"
"Absolutely, although Haslem's defense underneath was practically nonexistent. It was like he never even saw George coming."
At 4:11, Blake rose for a contested jumper from the free-throw line with LeBron right on him.
LeBron might have been struggling offensively, but his defensive presence was still formidable.
"Clang!"
The shot missed.
But George grabbed the offensive rebound and immediately kicked it across to Curry on the left side.
Chalmers scrambled back to contest.
Curry gave him a quick shot fake.
Chalmers bit.
Curry immediately put the ball on the floor, drove along the baseline, and floated up a short runner.
"Swish!"
Good.
At 2:14, George once again cut into open space and received a pass from Blake.
George moved it to Curry.
Curry swung it to Nash at the top.
Nash immediately redirected it without holding the ball, sending it to Blake on the right side of the lane.
Blake caught it facing the basket and lofted another high pass toward the rim.
George came flying in from the opposite side.
Alley-oop!
"BOOM!"
Two-handed slam!
"Great play!"
Curry pumped his fist and shouted.
"Wow! Curry has knocked down a three, George has thrown down a couple of strong finishes, and both of them have really stepped up in the second quarter. They're giving Phoenix a lot more firepower."
Van Gundy sounded impressed.
Mike Breen smiled and waved a hand.
"That's because Blake is drawing so much defensive attention. It's opening everything up for Curry and George.
"You know..."
"Wow!"
Before Breen could finish, Van Gundy suddenly exclaimed, "Look at this!
"Blake is standing near the top of the arc without the ball, and Bosh and LeBron are both guarding him!
"What are they doing?!"
With both defenders focused on Blake, Curry was left completely alone in the corner.
Nash immediately fired the pass over.
Curry was already set.
He caught it and rose straight into the three.
Was it good?
"BANG!"
Right through the net.
Breen laughed when he saw it.
"See? That's the kind of attention Blake commands.
"You could call it 'Blake Gravity.'"