"Yes!"
In the front row, Mia Quinn looked even smaller than usual surrounded by all the "giants" around her, but she still clenched her little fist excitedly.
"A 25-point lead. Blake's definitely winning tonight."
Mia happily bobbed her head, then pulled out her phone and began typing, apparently sharing her excitement with someone else.
On the Suns' bench, Nash finally relaxed.
"We've got this."
He had worn a tense expression all game, but after three quarters and a 25-point lead over Miami, a smile finally appeared on his face.
"Yeah."
Carter smiled. "Blake, Curry, and George have all been great tonight. The three young guys on this team are the reason we've built such a huge lead."
"I've been alright, I guess."
George scratched his head, putting on a modest expression.
"Heh."
Curry rolled his eyes at him.
"Who was it that came over to me a minute ago asking me to praise how incredible he's been tonight?"
"Stephen, nobody's going to think you're mute if you keep your mouth shut."
George glared at him.
"He got you!"
"Hahaha!"
Everyone burst out laughing.
With a massive 25-point lead, the Suns were completely confident about winning the game, and the entire bench had loosened up.
The mood on Miami's side was the exact opposite.
The Heat players looked at one another in silence, the atmosphere heavy.
No one had imagined before the game that things would turn out like this. It was the last situation they wanted to face, yet here they were.
"This one's on me."
LeBron was the first to take responsibility.
And it was true.
He hadn't just played below his usual level tonight. He had played badly.
Still, no one blamed him. This wasn't the time to start pointing fingers at one another.
"We still have one quarter."
Wade, who had scored 33 points through three quarters, steadied himself and said, "Don't give up. Let's keep fighting. Maybe we can still pull this back."
"Alright."
LeBron was the first to agree.
"Exactly."
Bosh spoke in a serious tone. "This is the NBA Finals. Until the game is over, we have no reason to give up."
"Yeah!"
Everyone agreed.
Spoelstra, who had been preparing to give them a motivational speech, simply nodded and decided there was nothing more he needed to say.
The fourth quarter soon began.
Would Miami start with its bench?
No.
The Heat Big Three stayed on the floor without taking any rest.
On the Suns' bench, Nash noticed immediately.
"Coach."
He looked toward Gentry.
Gentry merely shrugged. "It's fine. A lead this big won't disappear that easily.
"The guys who need rest should still get their rest.
"We've already knocked Miami out of its normal rhythm. They're running on fumes now. As long as we don't let them disrupt our own rhythm, we'll be fine."
"That makes sense."
Nash nodded, taking the lesson to heart.
On the court, the Heat Big Three faced a Phoenix lineup led by Carter.
The matchup was completely one-sided.
Miami clearly had the advantage, but after staying on the court without resting and already burning through so much energy, even the Big Three couldn't put together a devastating run.
Over the next 4 minutes and 11 seconds, the Heat cut the deficit from 25 to 15.
They had made up 10 points.
That was already a strong push.
But then...
"Beep!"
Gentry made his move and sent the starters back in.
Miami had already struggled to keep up with Phoenix tonight. Now the Heat Big Three were getting more and more fatigued, while LeBron still hadn't found his rhythm.
Phoenix, meanwhile, had Blake, Curry, and George coming back after nearly 10 minutes of rest when the break between quarters was included.
They were fresh and ready.
George attacked the rim and locked in defensively.
Curry knocked down threes and cut without the ball.
As for Blake, he didn't shoot much after checking back in for the fourth.
He took only four shots, spending most of his time facilitating the offense and drawing defensive attention.
But those four shots were enough.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Three-for-four from beyond the arc.
Those three shots were a dagger to Miami's comeback hopes.
"Flash" Wade kept fighting until the end, finishing the night with 40 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
A spectacular stat line.
But it still wasn't enough to overcome Blake's even more impressive performance, along with the secondary firepower provided by Curry and "defensive specialist" George.
Once the Suns' starters returned, Phoenix quickly regained control and pushed the lead back above 20.
Meanwhile, the clock kept running.
In the end, the Suns extinguished the Heat by 22 points, taking Game 1 of the Finals in a blowout and claiming a 1-0 series lead.
...
In the stands, Wall shook his head in amazement.
"Three more threes in the fourth, right when Miami was trying to make a comeback.
"He just killed the game.
"That was ridiculous."
Kobe smiled.
"That kid Blake knows exactly when to strike.
"Once he sees an opening, he presses the advantage and finishes you off.
"Tonight, Blake put on a one-man superstar performance and led Phoenix past Miami.
"Step by step, he's becoming the 'superhero' everyone wants him to be."
On the opposite side of the stands, Paul frowned as he watched Miami suffer such a lopsided defeat.
"Not exactly the start they wanted."
"Melo" Anthony, however, remained completely calm.
"Relax.
"With LeBron and Wade, there's no way Miami loses this series.
"When it's all over, the Heat Big Three will be the ones laughing last."
"Pfft. Where's all that confidence coming from?"
A Suns fan sitting nearby overheard him and instinctively fired back.
Melo turned and shot him a glare.
The fan's face immediately changed, and he hurried away in a panic.
That was Melo for you. Tough guy, few words.
...
At the commentary table, Van Gundy said, "Phoenix just beat Miami by 22 points. They blew out the Heat and took Game 1 of the Finals.
"I definitely didn't expect that.
"But looking back at how this game unfolded, the result actually makes sense."
"Oh?"
Mike Breen played along. "Why do you say that?"
"Hmm..."
Van Gundy paused for a moment before continuing.
"Throughout the season, Miami has relied on the Heat Big Three all playing well together and overwhelming opponents.
"Phoenix, meanwhile, has relied heavily on one superstar, with the 'Monster Rookie' Blake carrying the team through incredible individual performances.
"Different approaches, same result.
"Both teams reached the Finals.
"But tonight, the roles were reversed.
"Blake, Curry, and George all played extremely well for Phoenix. They were the ones who looked more like a Big Three.
"Meanwhile, 'King James' LeBron struggled badly, 'CB4' Bosh was merely solid, and only 'Flash' Wade truly erupted and tried to carry Miami by himself.
"With that kind of role reversal, a blowout loss was almost inevitable."
"Exactly."
Breen nodded.
"But even with Curry and George playing so well, Blake was still clearly on another level.
"Tonight, Blake hit 7 three-pointers and poured in 50 points, along with 13 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks.
"Fifty points and a near triple-double.
"There's no question about it.
"Blake was the clear MVP of Game 1 of the NBA Finals."