Almost the moment the game ended, social media exploded.
#Blake Scores 62#
#Blake Hits Falling Three for the Game-Winner#
#Blake Hits 8 Threes in One Quarter#
#Blake Scores 30 in One Quarter#
#Suns Force Game 7#
#...#
There were countless trending topics about Blake, practically taking over the entire list, and every single one was blowing up.
The fans were ecstatic.
"My God, the 'Monster Rookie' Blake is incredible! The Suns were down by as many as 20, and he still brought them all the way back.
"Then he hit the game-winner and carried the Suns into Game 7!
"Insane!
"Absolutely insane!"
"HOLY SHIT!!! Blake... the GOAT!!!"
"Sixty-two points in one game, eight threes in one quarter, thirty points in one quarter. Just look at those numbers! Is that even human?! Blake is way too good!"
"Hahaha!"
"Back-to-back LeBron-Wade connections, the Heat Big Three coming at him with everything they had, and Blake still turned the game around almost single-handedly and beat Miami at the buzzer.
"He's incredible.
"Blake is absolutely freaking incredible!"
"That's how you do it, Blake! He successfully carried the Suns into Game 7. Now Phoenix has a great chance to beat the Heat and win the championship!
"The championship dream might really come true!!!"
"Yeah!"
"Come on, Blake! Just one more game! One last battle! Bring home that championship!"
"Go, Blake!"
"BLAKE IS FUCKING AWESOME!!!"
"..."
The comments beneath every trending topic poured in like a flood.
The Suns had seemingly been trapped in a hopeless situation, and the fans had nearly watched their championship dream disappear.
Then Blake stepped up and led the comeback.
A reversal from such desperate circumstances only made the victory more satisfying.
That was why the fans were so excited, so thrilled, and so happy.
And their admiration for Blake, the man who had carried the team back from the brink, only grew stronger.
It wasn't just the fans.
One former NBA star had watched the game from home, and when Blake hit the game-winner, even he jumped to his feet in excitement.
He was so fired up that he immediately posted online:
"Blake was incredible today. He was the team's savior.
"When the Suns were staring into the abyss, Blake stepped forward, pulled them back, and forced the series into Game 7.
"The Blake we see today is no longer some inexperienced rookie, nor is he simply the 'Monster Rookie' we once called him.
"To me, Blake is like an emperor who can steady an entire team and command everyone around him.
"I'd call him 'The Emperor.'"
The Emperor?
The moment the post went up, the topic shot into the top three of the trending rankings within mere minutes.
#Blake: "The Emperor"#
The topic exploded.
"Whoa! Blake, 'The Emperor.' That nickname is insanely cool!"
"Exactly!"
"It really is perfect! Calling Blake 'The Emperor' fits him so well!"
"Hahaha! The era of the 'Monster Rookie' Blake is over. Now... it's the era of 'The Emperor'!"
"Love it!"
"Go, 'The Emperor'! Beat the Heat in Game 7 and bring home the championship!"
"LET'S GO!!!"
"..."
The post sent the fans into another frenzy.
At the same time, the nickname created for Blake, "The Emperor," was accepted by fans almost immediately.
...
Meanwhile, the game had ended deep into the night, but Twitter was still buzzing nonstop.
"Down 20 in what looked like a completely hopeless game, Blake became the 'Sun God,' played the 'superhero,' and carried the Suns to a comeback win at the buzzer.
"The 'Monster Rookie' is ridiculous."
"I'm serious. A rookie drops 62 in a Finals game and beats the Heat Big Three with a falling three at the buzzer.
"Blake is absurd. He absolutely deserves the name 'Monster Rookie.'"
"Is that really so impressive? I mean... the last time Blake was this good was way back in the previous game."
"Damn... I thought you were a hater for a second. Turns out you're one of us!"
"I already had my keyboard ready to flame you, and then you hit me with that?!"
"Nice one!"
"You got me!"
"Hey, did you guys see that video? After the game, when Blake was heading back to the locker room, the Suns owner literally knelt down in the tunnel and bowed to him!"
"Damn..."
"I would've bowed too. Blake really became the 'Sun God' tonight and saved the Suns almost single-handedly."
"Seriously, the 'Monster Rookie' is way too good."
"Still calling him the 'Monster Rookie'? We can't keep calling Blake that anymore.
"From now on, his nickname should be... the 'Sun God.'"
"'Sun God' Blake? That actually sounds awesome. Pretty badass."
"Bingo!"
"I completely agree. After a performance like tonight, Blake absolutely deserves to be called the 'Sun God.'"
"Same here."
"No, no, I don't think that works long-term.
"Sure, Blake became the 'Sun God' tonight and saved the Suns.
"But what if he leaves Phoenix someday and joins another team?
"Calling him the 'Sun God' then would sound kind of weird."
"That's true."
"Yeah. So what would you call him instead?"
"Well, I was just looking through some of the other trending discussions. Someone compared Blake to an emperor and called him 'The Emperor.'
"'The Emperor' Blake.
"I actually think that sounds pretty damn imposing. And it suits Blake's whole attitude, that sense that when he steps onto the court, nobody else matters.
"What do you guys think?"
"Uh... that actually sounds pretty good!"
"'The Emperor' Blake? Yeah, that works. That's awesome!"
"That's the one! 'The Emperor' Blake!
"The Emperor has arrived. No one else compares. He's the one and only, the strongest new ruler in the league!"
"'The Emperor' Blake! Tonight he was the Suns' 'Sun God,' the 'superhero' who saved Phoenix!"
"From now on, Blake isn't the 'Monster Rookie' anymore.
"He's 'The Emperor'!"
"Agreed!"
"Absolutely!"
"..."
It was already deep into the night, yet the fans showed no sign of going to sleep.
Game 6 of the Finals had been a wild roller coaster from beginning to end, so thrilling that everyone was still buzzing with excitement.
And amid wave after wave of discussion, the nickname that would replace "Monster Rookie" was finally settled.
"The Emperor" Blake.
The name had caught on.
...
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