"Blake Gravity?"
Van Gundy blinked, looking puzzled.
Mike Breen smiled. "What I mean by 'Blake Gravity' is simple. As long as Blake is on the floor, it doesn't matter where he is or whether he has the ball. He draws defensive attention.
"And a lot of it.
"That's exactly why his teammates get less pressure and better scoring opportunities.
"Take the second quarter tonight. George cut to the basket and barely had control of the pass, yet he still managed to throw down an easy dunk right under Haslem's nose.
"That happened because Haslem, despite being the center, had his attention fixed on Blake out on the perimeter.
"And the clearest example came just now.
"Blake was moving without the ball and still drew two defenders, leaving Curry completely wide open.
"Remember, Curry is shooting well tonight. Normally, Miami wouldn't willingly leave him open. They wouldn't dare.
"But because of 'Blake Gravity,' Curry is still getting clean looks even with a hot hand."
"Ah, now I get it!"
Van Gundy nodded. "So 'Blake Gravity' is really just the enormous defensive attention commanded by an all-around superstar.
"Even without the ball.
"Think of 'His Airness' Michael Jordan in the past, or 'Black Mamba' Kobe Bryant today.
"Superstars like that can hurt you from anywhere on the court at any moment.
"They have their own gravitational pull."
"Exactly."
Breen gave him a thumbs-up.
"There are only a handful of superstars in the league who command that kind of attention.
"And Blake already has it as a rookie.
"That's remarkable."
"Absolutely."
Van Gundy nodded. "I think that's also one of the reasons the 'Monster Rookie' has been able to lead a one-star team all the way to the Finals."
As the two commentators continued praising Blake, the first half came to an end.
...
At halftime, Van Gundy looked over the stat sheet.
"What an incredible first half of Game 1.
"The two best players on the floor have still been Blake and Wade.
"The 'Monster Rookie' has done everything for Phoenix, scoring and creating for his teammates. He already has an incredible 27 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.
"Meanwhile, 'Flash' Wade has been just as impressive. He has 22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal on excellent efficiency.
"As for everyone else, Curry and George have both played extremely well for Phoenix.
"Curry has 16 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists, while George has 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 block.
"For Miami, Bosh has 10 points and has played about as expected.
"LeBron has 12, but he needed 15 shots to get them and made only 5.
"That efficiency is far too low.
"Phoenix leads by 12 at halftime. Fortunately for Miami, LeBron has still been excellent defensively, while Wade and Bosh have done their part on that end too.
"Otherwise, this deficit could be even larger."
Breen picked up from there.
"Phoenix is getting contributions across the board, while Wade has been carrying most of the load for Miami and LeBron has been well below his usual level.
"If that continues, the Suns are very likely to take Game 1."
"Absolutely."
In the stands, the cheers had never stopped.
Now that Phoenix had built a 12-point lead, the crowd had become even louder.
This was the NBA Finals.
Every victory brought them one step closer to the championship.
And right now, the Suns were moving closer to both.
How could the fans not be excited?
"Yeah!"
"Keep it going! Put them away with one big run in the third, take Game 1, and beat those Heat villains!"
"Go Suns!"
"Go Blake!"
"Let's go!"
"..."
The atmosphere inside US Airways Center continued to build.
Then halftime ended.
The second half began.
Miami wanted to erase the deficit and take the lead.
Phoenix wanted to blow the game open with one decisive run and put it away early.
What followed was an all-out offensive battle.
For Miami, "Flash" Wade kept attacking with his Eurostep, relentlessly driving to the basket and drawing contact.
If he wasn't scoring, he was getting to the free-throw line.
Wade was simply on fire tonight.
"CB4" Bosh didn't get many touches, but he handled his role as Miami's third option well.
He knocked down mid-range jumpers, battled for rebounds inside, and did his job defensively.
Overall, he was playing well.
Then there was "King James" LeBron.
He had been the best of Miami's three stars throughout the regular season and playoffs, but tonight his performance was about as poor as it could get.
He was still scoring some points, but he was using far too many possessions to get them.
His efficiency was terrible.
Phoenix was a different story.
The "Monster Rookie" Blake remained dominant, trading baskets with "Flash" Wade and getting the better of the matchup.
Curry's three-point shot was falling as well, and he was fully delivering as Phoenix's second scoring option.
George was having a strong game too.
He contributed offensively, and his defense was one of the reasons LeBron was struggling so badly.
LeBron, Wade, and Bosh against Blake, Curry, and George.
With LeBron playing so poorly, Phoenix continued to hold the edge offensively throughout the third quarter and kept control of the game.
Then, late in the quarter...
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Blake hit three three-pointers.
Curry hit two.
George added another.
Six threes between the three of them.
US Airways Center was suddenly raining three-pointers.
Even with "Flash" Wade and "CB4" Bosh fighting desperately to keep Miami within reach, it wasn't enough.
By the end of the third quarter, Phoenix had turned its 12-point halftime lead into a massive 25-point advantage behind the outstanding play of Blake, Curry, and George.
The game had become a blowout.
During the break before the fourth quarter, Van Gundy stared at the scoreboard in disbelief.
"What happened here?
"Before the game, most experts gave Miami a slight edge.
"But after only three quarters, not only have the Heat failed to show that advantage, they're down by an incredible 25 points and staring at a nearly impossible situation.
"This is the NBA Finals.
"Coming back from 25 down in one quarter would take a miracle."
"Exactly."
Breen nodded.
"LeBron has been completely out of rhythm tonight, while just about everyone on Phoenix has played well.
"Especially Blake.
"He came into this game determined to win and determined to prove that even as the lone superstar on his team, he could still beat the Heat Big Three.
"He has 41 points through three quarters, and Phoenix leads the Heat Big Three by 25.
"The 'Monster Rookie' has made his statement with an extraordinary Finals performance."
...
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