The instant the ball ripped through the net, the arena fell silent.
Just for a moment.
Then a thunderous roar erupted, shaking the entire building.
Was this really a road game?
Yes.
It was a road game, yet the cheers were deafening, rolling through the arena like thunder!
"Game-winner!"
"We won!"
"Blake hit the game-winner! The Suns beat the Heat and forced Game 7 of the Finals!"
"Ooooh!"
Cheers, shouts, and screams blended together as countless Suns fans waved their arms wildly and celebrated without restraint!
"Holy shit!"
"He really hit the game-winner!"
Mutombo shook his head repeatedly, still stunned.
"My God. A falling three for the win, right over 'King James' with LeBron smothering him. That was incredible."
Iguodala's mouth hung open in shock.
"Hahaha!"
Iverson burst out laughing.
"Blake really is one incredible kid. He's an era-defining center!"
"Are you kidding me?!"
Jon Barry's eyes were wide with disbelief.
"A falling three while hanging in the air, and he beats the Heat at the buzzer!
"That shot from Blake was unbelievable!
"It was absolutely ridiculous!"
"Hahaha!"
Mark Jackson laughed excitedly.
"What an outrageous game-winner! The 'Monster Rookie' Blake really was born to hit game-winners!"
"My God!"
Jon Barry kept shaking his head as he shouted, "No, no, no! Think about what just happened!
"This was Game 6 of the Finals, on the road, with Phoenix having already lost two straight chances to extend the series and facing enormous pressure.
"They trailed by as many as 20 points.
"And then a rookie hit eight threes and scored 30 points in a single quarter, almost single-handedly erasing that 20-point deficit and even helping the Suns take the lead!
"Then, in the closing moments, perhaps the most dangerous combination in the league, the LeBron-Wade connection, struck on back-to-back possessions to put Miami back in front and seemingly finish the game.
"But Blake somehow survived!
"He was facing the league's best small forward, a back-to-back MVP, 'King James' himself, with LeBron right in his face and seemingly about to block the shot.
"And Blake stayed in the air, waited until he began to descend, avoided the block, and buried the game-winning three!
"You can't even describe this Blake as merely a 'Monster Rookie' anymore.
"To me, he was a god sent down to save the Suns.
"Tonight... Blake was the 'Sun God'!"
The Sun God?!
Mark Jackson sucked in a sharp breath, excitement flashing in his eyes.
"Game 6 of the Finals. Win or go home.
"Eight threes in one quarter. Thirty points in one quarter. Sixty-two points for the game. A comeback from 20 points down.
"Blake, a rookie, took on the Heat Big Three almost single-handedly and beat Miami with a falling three at the buzzer!
"Tonight, the 'Sun God' descended and saved the Suns.
"Blake is... the 'Sun God'!"
"Yes! Exactly! Blake..."
The two commentators were completely carried away.
In the stands, Paul stared at the court in disbelief.
"He actually made that?! How could he make that?!
"LeBron was right in his face. He practically had the shot blocked!
"And somehow Blake still got the ball off and made the three for the game-winner?!"
CP3 could hardly believe his eyes.
"Melo" Anthony was just as stunned.
"Who could ever imagine a center playing like this? Who hits a falling three like that to win the game?!
"Blake has completely shattered everything I thought I knew about him.
"His three-point shooting is so ridiculously accurate that it doesn't even look like something a center should be capable of.
"Blake... he really doesn't play like a center at all!"
"Whether he's a center or not doesn't matter anymore."
Paul shook his head, his expression grim.
"What matters is that Miami lost.
"They were up 3-1 in the series, and now they just got beaten at the buzzer on their own home court.
"They let Phoenix force a Game 7, and that Game 7 will be on the Suns' home floor.
"This is looking bad for the Heat."
And he was right.
Blake had dragged the Suns back from a 20-point deficit, hit the game-winner, beaten the Heat, and tied the series at 3-3.
Now, both teams were at match point.
There was no room left for retreat in Game 7.
Whoever won would be NBA champions!
Phoenix had won two straight and would now return home for the deciding game.
The Suns had completely seized the momentum.
So after Blake buried that falling three at the buzzer, panic began to creep into the Heat.
"He can actually make a game-winner like that?! Blake... that rookie... is he seriously this good?!"
Chalmers stood near the sideline clutching his head, staring at the almost unreal scene before him.
He simply couldn't believe it.
"What the hell...?"
"CB4" Bosh stood frozen in place, completely dumbfounded.
"What a monster."
"Flash" Wade stared at Blake.
As he narrowed his eyes at the rookie wearing number 0, a trace of fear appeared in his gaze.
And as for "King James," the member of the Big Three who had become the backdrop for Blake's game-winner, his expression was darker than anyone's.
LeBron had never imagined this outcome.
And he knew exactly what it meant.
They had blown the lead.
They had lost at the buzzer.
And Blake had forced the Finals to a Game 7.
LeBron said nothing.
His face grim, he turned and walked straight toward the tunnel, his mind seemingly blank.
Wade and Bosh followed close behind.
One after another, the Heat players left the court with dejected expressions and disappeared into the tunnel in defeat.
"Blake!!!"
Curry was the first to come charging over, pumping his fist and laughing with the excitement of a schoolkid as he rushed toward Blake to celebrate the incredible comeback and game-winner.
"Game-winner!"
George came sprinting over too, looking every bit as excited.
Then Nash, Carter, Dragić, head coach Gentry, and everyone else on the Suns bench poured onto the court.
They surrounded Blake.
Everyone screamed themselves hoarse, pumping their fists and shouting in celebration, completely losing themselves in the joy of victory.
"ROAR!"
Even Blake couldn't hold it in.
He pounded his chest and threw his head back, roaring several times as he savored his own unforgettable Finals game-winner.
"Boom!"
The arena erupted once more.
The deafening cheers of the Suns fans reverberated throughout the building and carried far beyond it.
It almost felt as though the echoes could reach all the way from Miami to Phoenix.
At the commentary table, Jon Barry and Mark Jackson remained caught up in the excitement for quite some time before finally beginning to settle down.
Slowly, they slipped back into their roles as commentators.
"Ahem..."
Jon Barry cleared his throat several times, composed himself, then declared loudly:
"The 'Sun God' Blake saved the Suns tonight!
"He has forced the Finals to a Game 7!
"And his unbelievable performance tonight wasn't just extraordinary.
"He broke record after record once again!"
...
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.