Players from both the Heat and the Suns arrived at the arena early to warm up, hoping to be in peak condition when the game began.
"Boom!"
Inside the arena, the deafening cheers of the fans burned like fire, setting the entire building ablaze with excitement and energizing everyone in attendance.
The atmosphere was electric!
This crucial Game 6 of the Finals had also attracted countless celebrities and big names.
Among them were South Korean superstar "Psy," Japan's Koji Wada, who sang a theme song for Digimon, and world heavyweight boxing champion "Iron Mike" Tyson.
The basketball world was well represented too.
"The Answer" Allen Iverson, Dikembe Mutombo, and "Iggy" Andre Iguodala were seated together.
"Black Mamba" Kobe was also in attendance, with John Wall sitting beside him.
Across the court, "Point God" Paul and "Melo" Anthony had come to cheer on their good friends LeBron and Wade!
And that was far from all.
Many other celebrities had quietly taken their seats throughout the massive arena, all wanting to witness what was certain to be a spectacular Game 6!
Looking around the arena, countless Heat fans could be seen waving flags and banners or holding up eye-catching homemade signs.
They carried messages such as, "It ends here!", "We're ready to celebrate the championship!", "No Game 7!", "Final Series Score: 4-2!", and "Heat Champions!"
One after another, those messages told the Heat players they were about to become champions while telling the Suns that they were going to lose the series.
There was no doubt that it boosted the home team's confidence while putting pressure on the visitors.
Of course, there were Suns supporters in the stands as well, holding banners that read, "See You in Game 7!", "Suns Champions!", "Just Watch, We're Coming Back!", and "Blake Will Crush You!"
The game had not even started yet, but between the banners, the roaring crowd, the arena DJ's constant shouts, and the fans' overwhelming anticipation, this nationally televised Game 6 had already reached fever pitch!
...
There was something else.
If the Heat won tonight, they would become NBA champions. Just as he had before the previous game, Commissioner David Stern had made preparations in advance.
Inside a lounge near the locker rooms, the championship trophy and the Finals MVP trophy had already been prepared, while "Lord of the Rings" Russell had been invited to wait there and rest.
If the Heat won tonight, he would present the Finals MVP trophy to the winner.
Of course, if the Suns won, Mr. Russell would travel to Phoenix and present the Finals MVP trophy to the winner after Game 7 instead.
From the fans to the players, from the coaches to management, and finally the league officials, everyone had finished making their preparations behind the scenes.
Now, all that remained was for the game to begin, for the battle to unfold, and for the final result to be decided.
On the court, an hour and a half might not have sounded long, but to the waiting fans, it felt endless.
At last, the moment arrived.
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
As the starting lineups of both teams stepped into the center circle, Game 6 of the Finals was finally about to begin!
"Jump ball!"
Once again, Blake and Bosh faced off for the opening tip.
There was no suspense.
"Smack!"
Once again, Blake got to the ball first, tipping it away and securing the first possession for the Suns.
Nash collected the ball and slowly brought it across half court.
"Thud, thud, thud!"
He controlled the ball at the top of the key.
On the right high post, Blake had his back to Bosh. Suddenly, he spun and cut toward the basket, shaking free of Bosh as Haslem immediately rotated over from under the rim.
"Whoosh!"
Nash spotted the opening and fired a pass.
To Blake?
No.
He found Frye underneath instead.
Frye caught the ball and went straight up.
"Boom!"
An easy two-handed slam!
Heat 0, Suns 2.
The Suns struck first on the road, opening the game with a dunk and getting off to an ideal start.
Heat ball.
LeBron brought the ball up and reached the top of the key, where rookie Paul George picked him up.
Behind George, Blake was lurking as the second line of defense.
Knowing that the Heat relied heavily on attacking the rim, Blake deliberately positioned himself closer to the paint, allowing him to patrol as much of the floor as possible. Whenever Miami drove inside, he would be in position to contest.
Or rotate over in help defense.
Of course, if the Heat chose to settle for threes from the perimeter, there was only so much Blake could do.
"Whoosh!"
LeBron exploded forward.
He powered past rookie George, using his overwhelming strength to knock him off his line, only to run straight into Blake's help defense.
"Whoosh!"
LeBron immediately kicked the ball out.
He found Wade in the corner.
Wade pulled up for three.
"Clang!"
No good.
But Bosh grabbed the rebound, turned, and tossed up a short floater before Frye could react.
Swish.
The Heat scored, but there was nothing wrong with Blake's defensive approach.
Miami simply did not have much three-point shooting.
Their outside shot was hardly a serious threat.
Possession changed hands.
After Nash brought the ball up, he glanced toward Blake calling for the ball at the left high post, then suddenly bounced a pass to Curry cutting through the lane near the free-throw line.
"Whoosh!"
Curry caught it, took one hard dribble, and immediately attacked the rim.
Wade stayed with him from the side.
Curry soared into the air, hung there, and twisted his body to avoid the block before banking the ball off the glass.
"Clang!"
No good.
That was an extremely difficult shot!
"Smack!"
LeBron secured the defensive rebound and pushed the ball up the floor himself before passing to Wade on the right wing.
Wade went one-on-one against Curry.
"Thud!"
"Whoosh!"
He used one hard bump to apply pressure, then suddenly burst forward like lightning, leaving Curry behind and driving toward the basket.
George rotated over to help.
"Whoosh!"
Wade fired a pass across the lane.
LeBron suddenly cut in from the left low post, caught the ball, gathered his steps, and rose with the ball held high, ready to hammer down a vicious dunk.
Under the basket, Frye's eyes widened.
He did not even have time to jump.
All he could do was watch.
But from the weak side...
"Whoosh!"
Blake, who had been watching the perimeter, came charging over in huge strides, moving like a bolt of lightning.
He launched himself into the air and flew across the lane, fully extending his long arm.
The next instant.
"Smack!"
Just as LeBron was about to throw down a tomahawk dunk, Blake's hand slammed into the ball.
He rejected "King James" LeBron at the rim!
"What?!"
LeBron was stunned, but he had no time to think.
The moment he landed, he recovered the loose ball and immediately lowered his shoulder into Frye.
"Thud!"
One powerful collision knocked Frye backward.
LeBron gathered the ball with both hands.
"Whoosh!"
He exploded straight up from a standstill, looking to hammer home the putback.
But Blake was still waiting under the basket.
"Whoosh!"
Blake jumped too.
At a full 12 centimeters taller than LeBron and possessing a longer wingspan, Blake rose into the air and fully extended his arm, instantly taking control of the space above the rim.
The next instant.
"Smack!"
His enormous hand met the ball in LeBron's hands once again.
On a single possession, Blake had blocked "King James" twice!!!