"Unless what?"
Hubie Brown followed up.
Dave Pasch smiled and joked, "Unless the Mavericks somehow used up all of Miami's luck, and one of the Heat's stars ends up struggling badly in every game of the series."
Well...
"Hahaha!"
Hubie Brown burst out laughing.
"You know, that almost makes sense."
As commentators and fans alike discussed the matchup, Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Suns and Heat finally tipped off amid deafening cheers.
"Jump ball!"
Blake and Bosh met at center court.
"Smack!"
Blake easily tapped the ball away.
"Easy. Of all the playoff series, this might actually be Blake's easiest matchup when it comes to opening tips."
"Exactly. It also shows how much Miami lacks size inside."
Nash collected the ball and initiated Phoenix's first possession.
He brought it to the top of the key with Chalmers guarding him, then suddenly accelerated into the lane.
He bounced a pass behind him toward Blake on the left side of the arc?
No.
It went to George cutting through the right side of the lane.
Miami's attention was focused on Blake, leaving George completely unattended.
George caught the ball, took a single dribble, gathered, and exploded toward the rim for a powerful dunk.
But just as he rose on his final step, a shadow suddenly appeared above him.
Who was it?
"LeBron?!"
George's eyes widened.
"Smack!"
LeBron came flying in from behind and swatted the ball away just before George could hammer it through.
"Whoa!"
"A huge chase-down block from LeBron!"
Bosh secured the rebound and immediately fired a long pass ahead to Wade.
Wade caught it and took off in transition.
Curry gave chase.
The two raced down the floor, but the gap between them only widened.
Wade simply outran him.
"BOOM!"
He finished the break with a thunderous two-handed dunk.
"Wade is just too fast."
"That's why they call him 'Flash.' His speed is incredible!"
Suns 0, Heat 2.
Phoenix came back the other way.
This time, Blake brought the ball up himself.
At the left side of the arc, he faced Bosh.
The instant Blake shifted the ball into his right hand, he lowered his stance and burst toward the right.
"Right side!"
Bosh reacted immediately and moved laterally to cut him off.
But just then...
Blake suddenly stopped and rose straight into a pull-up jumper.
"What?!"
Bosh's eyes widened as he desperately tried to recover and contest.
Too late.
The ball was already well beyond his reach.
"Swish!"
Nothing but net.
On the next possession, Blake once again found himself matched up with Bosh, this time in the right high post.
He backed Bosh down, using his lower body to absorb contact several times.
Then Blake suddenly released the pressure and spun halfway around.
He exploded forward.
Bosh's center of gravity had risen while bracing for contact, and Blake blew past him in a single step.
Blake attacked the rim and went up against Haslem in midair.
"Swish!"
He hung long enough to bank the layup in.
"Great play! Five straight points from Blake. He's as steady as ever."
"He's Phoenix's number one option. He has to be!"
Miami pushed the ball back upcourt.
LeBron controlled it at the top of the key with Paul George guarding him.
He slowly lowered his stance.
Then...
He attacked.
No fancy dribbles.
Just overwhelming strength.
LeBron drove forward like a bulldozer.
George absorbed the first two bumps, but LeBron eventually knocked him off his line.
Once inside the paint, LeBron exploded toward the rim.
Frye jumped to contest.
But LeBron's combination of vertical leap and explosiveness gave Frye no chance.
"BOOM!"
LeBron hammered home a tomahawk dunk right over him.
On the next possession, LeBron attacked again.
Another brutal "bulldozer" drive.
This time, George managed to stay with him better, but LeBron still barreled toward the basket like a freight train.
"Swish!"
He powered through and scored anyway.
"He's relentless!"
"A tomahawk dunk, then another powerful drive. 'King James' has completely shaken off his struggles from Game 1 tonight. He's attacking the rim with unstoppable force!"
As Hubie Brown and Dave Pasch spoke, LeBron struck again.
He caught a pass from Wade on the perimeter.
Instead of shooting immediately, LeBron took one dribble against George and settled into his rhythm.
Then he rose.
"Swish!"
The three dropped cleanly through the net.
"And now the three is falling too! 'King James' is completely back tonight, and this is what makes Miami truly dangerous!
"Phoenix ball.
"How will Blake answer? He's at the top, a step beyond the arc. Is he really going to pull up from there?
"Wow! He is!
"A deep three right over Bosh!
"Is it good?!
"Yes! Yes! Yes!
"Answer three!
"Blake fires right back from well beyond the arc, reminding Miami that this is Phoenix, and this is his court!"
Nash brought the ball up and handed it off to Blake at the top.
Bosh and LeBron immediately rushed him with a double-team.
Was Blake going to lose it?
No.
At the last possible moment, he slipped the pass out.
Great play.
Curry caught it in the left corner and immediately rose for three.
Chalmers closed out, but barely bothered the shot.
Was it good?
No.
But Nash collected the rebound and kicked it to George in the left high post.
LeBron immediately closed in.
George controlled the ball, looking for Blake.
Then...
"Whoa!"
LeBron turned up the pressure and ripped the ball away from George!
He lunged after the loose ball, secured it, and immediately fired it ahead.
Wade was already streaking downcourt.
The chemistry between LeBron and Wade was incredible.
Miami had the break, with only Curry back.
Wade raced into the paint.
Was he going to finish through Curry?
No!
He tossed the ball high into the air and veered away.
Behind him, LeBron came soaring in.
He rose above the floor like a king descending on the court, caught the ball in midair, and flew straight over Curry standing beneath the basket.
"BOOM!"
A thunderous tomahawk slam!
"WOW!
"What a LeBron-Wade connection!
"That was incredible!"
Hubie Brown was nearly shouting himself hoarse, completely swept up in the moment.
Dave Pasch was just as fired up.
"James came out blazing tonight! We're not even halfway through the first quarter, and he already has 9 points!
"From defense to offense, he's showing every bit of the dominance that earned him the name 'King James!'"
"Beep, beep!"
That spectacular LeBron-Wade alley-oop, capped by LeBron's violent dunk over Curry, forced Phoenix to call timeout.
At this point, they had no choice.
They needed to stop Miami's momentum.
More specifically, they needed to slow down "King James," who had already taken over the game.
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (40 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.