The first two games of the Finals had both been played on the Suns' home court.
The next two would be in Miami, and with two days off for travel and rest, Game 3 would tip off on the third night.
So the following day, after taking one day off, the Suns prepared to leave for Miami.
They wanted to arrive early and give themselves plenty of time to adjust to playing on the road.
That morning, before leaving, Blake reminded Mia Quinn to be careful while she was home alone and told her not to go out unless necessary.
But Mia clearly had no intention of listening.
Instead, she emerged from her room with a packed suitcase, looking ready to leave herself.
"What are you doing?"
Blake pointed at the suitcase.
"Going to watch your game, obviously."
Mia answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Wait."
Blake stared at her. "Didn't I already tell you that you're not going to Miami by yourself? Not unless you have a friend going with you."
Mia tilted her chin up with a smug little expression.
"Hmph. I am going with a friend."
"Who?"
Blake asked.
"The girl who took me to the hospital last time. She wants to watch the Finals between the Suns and Heat too, so we made plans to go together.
"And guess what?
"She's a fan of yours too."
Mia smiled.
"Really?"
"Of course."
"Oh."
Blake nodded, then smiled. "If it's the kind girl who helped you that day, then I'm fine with it.
"When we get the chance, we should treat her to dinner and properly thank her for helping you."
"Mm-hmm. I know."
With everything packed, Mia left before Blake did.
"Wait, I'll take you!"
"No need. I already called a car."
"Then be careful on the way!"
"I know!"
Watching Mia hurry off so eagerly, Blake couldn't tell whether she was more excited about seeing his game or meeting up with the girl who had helped her.
Either way, knowing she had someone with her put his mind at ease.
Later, Blake joined the rest of the Suns and flew to Miami on the team plane.
They checked into a hotel near American Airlines Arena.
There was no practice that day.
Instead, everyone rested, caught up on sleep, and focused on keeping their bodies and energy levels in the best possible condition.
...
The next day, coverage of Game 3 between Phoenix and Miami was everywhere.
There were predictions for the game itself and for the series as a whole.
Fans debated endlessly.
The media kept pumping out reports.
As tip-off drew closer, anticipation for Game 3 continued to rise until it became one of the biggest topics among basketball fans.
At 3:00 p.m., the Suns arrived at the practice facility provided by Miami and began warming up.
They wanted to adjust to the road environment as early as possible and enter the game in rhythm.
At 8:00 p.m., one hour before tip-off, American Airlines Arena was already packed.
This was Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
With this level of attention and excitement, there was never any chance the arena would be anything less than full.
Plenty of NBA stars had come to watch as well.
Among them were "His Airness" Michael Jordan and "Batman" Scottie Pippen, along with Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian.
And beyond basketball, celebrities from all walks of life were in attendance too.
"Michael, who are you rooting for?"
Pippen asked.
"Hmm..."
Jordan thought for a moment.
"I'm rooting for Blake, but I still think the Heat Big Three have the better chance of winning."
It was almost the same answer Kobe had given Wall earlier.
"Fair enough."
Pippen nodded and looked toward the Heat Big Three warming up on the court.
"You've got 'King James' LeBron, a two-time MVP, two-time All-Star Game MVP, and scoring champion.
"Then there's 'Flash' Wade, who has a Finals MVP, an All-Star Game MVP, and a scoring title.
"And finally, there's 'CB4' Bosh, one of the top five, maybe even top three, power forwards in the East and the former franchise player in Toronto.
"All three are fully developed stars, even superstars.
"Put them together, and the amount of talent is overwhelming.
"Phoenix, meanwhile, only has Blake.
"The Heat Big Three have already become the league's recognized villains, the kind you'd see in a movie. Evil, but incredibly powerful.
"Blake, on the other hand, has been cast as the 'superhero' by countless fans.
"But whether he really has what it takes to become the 'savior' is still hard to say."
"Heh."
Jordan smiled.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what Blake does.
"But even if he loses, so what?
"A rookie leading his team all the way to the NBA Finals is already an incredible achievement."
"That's true."
"Championship or not, what Blake has done this season is already enough to put him in the history books."
...
On the opposite side of the stands, Yi Jianlian looked excited.
"Phoenix has to fight hard tonight, and Blake has to give it everything too.
"He needs to use that incredible individual ability and leadership to carry them to another win.
"He has to win the championship this year and show the entire world that we can reach the very top of the NBA too!"
"Exactly."
Yao Ming clenched his fist.
"I believe in Blake completely.
"I believe he can turn this around, become the 'superhero,' and save the day!"
"Haha."
Yi Jianlian laughed.
He was usually quiet and reserved, but around Yao Ming, his senior and longtime teammate, he could loosen up.
And now that Blake had a genuine chance to win an NBA championship, Yi was naturally excited.
Yao Ming looked toward the court with anticipation.
"If Blake wins the championship this year, and if our men's national team can take another step forward at the 2012 Olympics...
"Then our basketball program will gain even more recognition around the world.
"People everywhere will start taking us seriously, maybe even seeing us as a genuine threat.
"If that day comes, it would be incredible."
"Yeah."
Yi's eyes lit up as well.
Then he asked, "By the way, Yao, how's your foot? How's the rest of your recovery going?"
"Pretty well."
Yao Ming smiled.
"Besides getting to watch Blake become this good, I think the happiest thing for me this year has been how unexpectedly well my injury has been improving.
"At this rate, I probably won't recover completely, but I should be able to return to the court next season."
"Really? That's great."
Before the game, everyone chatted casually while waiting for tip-off.
The fans were already buzzing with excitement, and their enthusiasm only pushed the atmosphere inside the arena higher and higher.
On the court, Blake was fully focused on his warmup.
He had prepared carefully for tonight.
This was Miami's home floor, and stealing a road win here would be huge.
Ten minutes before tip-off, Blake looked toward the tenth row of the stands.
Mia had told him roughly where she would be sitting, but since he didn't know the exact seat number, he scanned the entire row.
It didn't take long.
Even from a distance, Mia stood out immediately.
Blake spotted her, then shifted his gaze to the woman sitting beside her.
The friend Mia had told him about.
The moment he saw her, Blake's eyes widened.
He froze.
"It's her?!"