"Your rhythm feels off?"
Wade narrowed his eyes, clearly confused.
"LeBron, what do you mean? I don't get it."
LeBron shook his head lightly. "I can't really explain it. Every time I attacked, the opportunity was good.
"The chance to finish was there.
"But something always felt missing.
"And because of that, my rhythm never felt right. My offense wasn't flowing, and my shooting touch suffered too."
Wade frowned and fell into thought.
LeBron did the same, trying to figure out exactly why he had felt so uncomfortable during the previous game.
After a moment, Wade suddenly clapped his hands.
"I got it. I know what it is."
"Hm?"
LeBron looked over.
Wade nodded. "LeBron, I think the reason your rhythm felt wrong is because you changed the way you play."
"Huh?"
LeBron froze again, still not quite following.
But Wade's thoughts were becoming clearer.
"Remember what Coach Spoelstra did before the Finals? He had you play off the ball while I handled it.
"It worked pretty well in practice, sure, but practice is still practice. The Finals are completely different.
"You're 'The Chosen One,' LeBron. From the moment you entered the league, you've always played with the ball in your hands.
"Playing off the ball doesn't suit you. It isn't your rhythm.
"That's why, even when you got open looks last game, they didn't feel natural to you.
"Same with those cuts to the basket. You had chances to finish right away, but you weren't attacking the rim off your own dribble.
"That isn't how you normally play.
"Add in the fact that your shot wasn't falling, and everything piled up until your rhythm got more and more out of sync."
LeBron suddenly understood.
He nodded firmly. "I think you're right.
"There were several cuts last night where I felt like I needed another beat to control the play, but the situation was already calling for me to go straight into the layup.
"So I forced the finish and missed.
"It was the same with my jumpers.
"They were open shots, but I still felt like I needed another adjustment. I shot them anyway, and either the angle felt wrong or the arc was off."
"Exactly."
Wade nodded. "Without the ball in your hands, your rhythm gets disrupted. Once that happens, nothing feels smooth.
"Stay here.
"I'm going to talk to Coach Spoelstra. Starting next game, you'll go back to handling the ball and I'll play off it.
"You'll just have to move the ball more when the defense collapses."
"But..."
LeBron hesitated.
"It's fine."
Wade cut him off.
"I'll talk to Coach."
With that, Wade left the room and went straight to Spoelstra's room.
He knocked, then stepped inside.
"Dwyane? What brings you here at this hour?"
Spoelstra asked.
"Uh..."
Wade thought for a moment before speaking.
"Coach, starting next game, I want LeBron handling the ball again. I'll play off the ball."
"What?"
Spoelstra looked surprised.
"Why? You played extremely well last game. Having the ball in your hands worked great for us.
"And besides, LeBron James may be outstanding, but you're the heart and soul of the Heat.
"It makes sense for you to have the ball and control the offense."
Wade waved it off with a smile.
"Thanks for looking out for me, Coach, but LeBron is my brother. If he needs to be the number one guy, that's fine with me.
"What matters is winning.
"We've already sacrificed too much this year. We have to win the championship."
"You really mean that?"
Spoelstra asked seriously.
"Yeah."
Wade nodded just as seriously.
"I can play off the ball. LeBron can't.
"You saw what happened in Game 1.
"So let's switch back."
"If that's what you want."
Spoelstra nodded.
"Alright. I understand. I'll make the adjustment."
"Good."
Wade nodded and left the room.
After watching him go, Spoelstra shook his head slightly.
"You're both top-five players in the league. Anyone can see that 'Flash' Wade is at his best with the ball in his hands.
"Dwyane, you're giving up a lot here.
"Don't worry. I'll do everything I can to make sure that sacrifice ends with a championship."
...
At 6:00 p.m., Blake returned to his villa.
Mia Quinn was playing League of Legends, seriously practicing her skills in preparation for becoming a streamer.
After she finished her game, Blake brought her over to the dining table.
"Mia, my mom is basically done teaching for the semester. Now she's just waiting to see how her students do on their college entrance exams.
"I told her a while ago that once this semester was over, she should quit teaching, come over here, and live with me.
"That way, she won't have to be alone."
"I see."
Mia nodded.
"That sounds nice."
"Yeah."
Blake nodded, then continued.
"So I was thinking, if possible, maybe you could ask Aunt Charlotte to come live here too.
"First, she wouldn't have to live by herself either.
"Second, she and my mom could look after each other. They're so close already, so I'm sure they'd both like being able to see each other often."
"That would be nice."
Mia nodded, then furrowed her brows.
"But Mom's a lawyer, and she's pretty traditional.
"She gave me a hard time for ages when I wanted to go to art school, so I don't know if she'd actually agree to move here."
"You're overthinking it."
Blake shook his head.
"My mom is definitely coming. Use her as your excuse and keep working on Aunt Charlotte. She'll come around."
"Then... I guess I'll try."
...
One day later, Game 2 of the Finals between the Suns and Heat was set to begin.
Once again, it would be played at US Airways Center, on Phoenix's home floor.
The Suns already had one victory.
If they won again tonight, they would seize a huge advantage in the series.
At 8:00 p.m., one hour before tip-off, both teams were already warming up while the stands had long since filled with fans.
The noisy, electric atmosphere gave Phoenix all the energy of any major sports city.
Several NBA stars had come to watch tonight as well.
The Spurs' "Big Three" were all there.
So were the Thunder's young trio.
Their purpose was obvious.
They wanted to watch the Heat Big Three and Blake up close, find their weaknesses, and come back next season ready to beat them all.
Of course, for Kevin Durant, that was only part of the reason.
Scarlett was also coming to watch the game tonight.
So naturally, part of Durant's motivation was seeing Scarlett.
Well...
Actually, that was probably the main reason he came.
...
Meanwhile, in the broadcast studio, Hubie Brown asked, "Dave, who do you think has the better chance of winning tonight, Phoenix or Miami?"
"Hmm..."
Dave Pasch thought for a moment.
"Even though Phoenix won Game 1 by a wide margin, I still think Miami is slightly stronger overall.
"At the very least, I'd call it a toss-up.
"Unless..."