Girls' Generation had come to the United States to shoot a photo spread in New York.
During their free time, Yoona and Jessica came over to watch the game. Since Yoona was coming with Jessica, she had not told Blake beforehand.
As for Mia Quinn, although Blake knew she was coming, he did not know the exact day. Mia wanted to watch Game 5, but she also did not want to disturb him.
So she came alone.
In other words, Blake did not know that Yoona and Mia Quinn had come to watch the game, and naturally, he had no idea they were in the arena.
"Hey!"
In the fifth row of the stands, "Ice Princess" Jessica hugged Yoona's arm, turned her head to look at her, and demanded, "Yoona, be honest with me. Do you already like Blake?"
"No way."
Yoona instinctively waved her hand.
"Hey!"
Jessica let out another soft protest, leaned closer to Yoona, and pressed her again. "Yoona, look at me and say that one more time."
"Uh..."
Yoona pursed her lips. After hesitating for a moment, she pushed Jessica's head away and laughed. "Fine, I admit I like him.
But he doesn't seem interested in me."
As she said that, she sighed.
"Really?"
Jessica looked shocked. "Our Yoona is this pretty and a top star too. Blake... what kind of taste does he have?"
"You can't judge whether you like someone just by fame and looks. Don't talk about him like that," Yoona said.
"Hey!"
The moment she said that, Jessica got upset and scolded her playfully. "Yoona, I only said one thing, and you're already defending him?
It's over. It's over.
My Yoona has completely fallen."
"I haven't."
Yoona stuck out her tongue.
Only then did she realize she had instinctively defended Blake, so she quickly changed the subject. "Enough. The game's about to start. The Suns have to win tonight too."
On the court, just as Yoona said, warmups had ended. Both teams' starters came onto the floor, and Game 5, the crucial match point battle, was about to begin.
"Jump ball!"
Once again, it was Blake and Bynum at center court for the tip.
Bynum bent at the waist, lowered his knees, lifted his chest, raised his head, and stretched out his arm. His expression was focused. He had prepared everything just to win this tip.
But.
"Thump!"
"Smack!"
Blake rose into the air and, as always, beat Bynum to the ball with ease, tipping it away and giving the Suns the first possession again.
"#&^*&...!&...!"
Bynum shouted several times at the air as he ran back on defense. No one knew what he was saying.
Blake glanced at the shape of his mouth and thought... it was probably praise like "Blake is amazing" or "Blake is so handsome."
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Nash brought the ball up and reached the left side above the arc. He looked at Curry, who had used George's screen to sprint toward the left corner, but instead swung the ball to Blake in the middle.
"Smack!"
Blake caught it one step beyond the three-point line. Seeing "D-Fish" Fisher in front of him, he caught, raised, and fired a three-point arrow.
"Aaaah!"
Fisher growled and lunged at him, but he was not even close enough to get a hand in his face.
"Clang!"
Unfortunately, Blake missed his first shot.
The rebound?
Bynum, already irritated after being humiliated on the jump ball again, shoved Frye aside in the paint and grabbed the board. But... George's hands were quick.
"Smack!"
He knocked the ball loose again.
"Whip!"
He sent it straight to Curry in the left corner, and Curry caught it and decisively let a three fly.
"Swish!"
Nothing but net.
His first three went in. Back on his home court, Curry seemed to have a good touch tonight.
Suns (3): (0) Lakers.
In this crucial Game 5, the Suns struck first again and took the opening possession.
Lakers ball.
Fisher brought it up and passed to Kobe. The floor spread to one side, and Pau Gasol came up to screen. Kobe used it to attack from the right wing into the high post.
Curry was just about to rotate over.
"Whip!"
Kobe pulled up directly. Curry could do nothing about it.
"Clang!"
But Kobe missed too.
Blake protected the rebound and gave it to Nash to push. Nash reached the right side above the arc and fired a bounce pass to Blake, who was cutting toward the free-throw line.
"Screech!"
Blake caught the ball with his right hand and immediately took three long steps to the rim. Artest stuck to him and chased from the side, while Bynum was also stationed under the basket.
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
Both men jumped to block him.
But Blake rose on his third step, hung in the air, double-clutched to avoid the block, and banked it in from the right side.
The ball changed hands.
Kobe broke past Blake, but after Curry came over to help, he passed to Bynum under the basket. Bynum powered up against Frye, but the shot was bothered.
"Clang!"
No good.
The ball came off the rim, and Nash collected it.
Run!
The Suns countered.
On the move, Nash fired another hard bounce pass to the left side above the arc, where Blake stopped one meter beyond the three-point line.
"Get up on him!"
Phil Jackson roared from the sideline.
Fisher and Artest rushed toward Blake at full speed.
But.
"Whip!"
Blake looked at the rim and made a cross-court pass instead, finding Curry set up in the left corner. Curry caught it, raised up, and fired another three.
Quick release.
"Swish!"
Nothing but net.
Curry, burning hot tonight, hit two straight threes from the exact same spot.
"Hmph!"
Kobe snorted, clearly a little unhappy with his teammates' slow defensive rotations.
The ball changed hands.
Kobe brought it up himself and went to the left low post, preparing to back down George one-on-one. But... Curry and Nash suddenly rushed over to trap him.
Kobe was forced to stop.
"Whip!"
He passed through the gap to Artest on the perimeter, who swung it to Pau Gasol at the right high post. Pau caught it and chose to back down Blake.
"Thud!"
One step of contact.
With a half-spin, Pau got Blake behind him and suddenly accelerated, trying to shake him off. But... the instant he slipped past Blake and started his drive.
"Smack!"
Blake struck hard from behind, knocking the ball out of Gasol's hands.
"What?!"
Pau Gasol, who had already been preparing to go up for the layup, was startled.
"Whoosh!"
Blake had already grabbed the ball and started the break. However, the Lakers got back quickly too. Fisher and Artest immediately retreated on the perimeter.
Artest was the fastest, sprinting to the front.
Fisher was slightly ahead of Blake as well, ready to swipe at the ball at any moment. But...
"Whoosh."
Blake opened up his stride. With long, powerful steps, he overtook from behind, using pure speed to shake off Fisher and charge to the free-throw line.
He looked at the basket and saw only Artest underneath.
"Whip!"
Gripping the ball, Blake lifted it high and launched into his three steps.
"Stop right there!"
Artest growled and jumped with everything he had, ready to block Blake.
But in the next second.
"Boom!"
Blake rose high with the ball held above him and slammed it straight through the rim over Artest's head.
"Buzz!"
"Bang!"
"Step!"
The first sound was the rim groaning. The second was Artest, who had just been dunked on, crashing heavily to the floor.
The third was Blake landing after hanging on the rim.
Then.
"Boom!"
US Airways Center erupted with a deafening roar like a giant wave crashing across the sea. The entire arena was boiling, completely boiling over.
"Beep, beep!"
Phil Jackson hurriedly called a timeout.
Because after Blake's steal and fast-break poster dunk over Artest, the Suns had opened the game with a godlike 10-0 start, and the Lakers were already showing signs of a total collapse.
...
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