"The Emperor"!
This imposing nickname created exclusively for Blake spread like wildfire, becoming widely known in an incredibly short time.
Meanwhile, in an upscale residence in Los Angeles, Klay Thompson, who had recently graduated from Washington State University, had also watched Game 6 that night.
When he came across footage of the Suns owner kneeling before Blake in the arena tunnel, a spark of excitement flashed in his eyes.
"A player so incredible that even his own team's owner kneels before him. 'The Emperor' Blake... he really is amazing!
"I hope that someday, I can become a player as great as Blake!!!"
...
Game 7 of the Finals would take place three days later on the Suns' home court.
At the Heat's practice facility...
"'The Emperor,' huh? That nickname really does suit him."
"King James" was sitting in the lounge reading the morning basketball news, so naturally, LeBron had already heard about Blake's new nickname.
Miami had once led the series 3-1 with three chances to close it out, only to lose two straight and be dragged into a Game 7 on Phoenix's home floor.
In terms of momentum, the Suns had completely overwhelmed the Heat.
Even so, Miami remained confident.
After practice, when the exhausted players gathered in the lounge to rest, LeBron stood up and addressed everyone.
"Hey, this is the final battle. There's nowhere left to retreat, and we have no reason to lose.
"We've carried too much on our shoulders this year, so we have to win the championship.
"And we have the ability to do it.
"No team in Finals history has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the series. The Suns won't be the first.
"Guys, our backs are against the wall. Let's fight through it, beat the Suns, and win the championship!"
"Yeah!"
The players answered in unison.
Game 7 of the Finals.
The final battle.
The last game of the season.
Whatever had happened earlier in the series no longer mattered.
Now, they had to cast everything else aside and fight with everything they had.
Everything for the win.
Everything for the championship.
Over in Phoenix, the Suns gathered at their arena the following afternoon.
After surviving two elimination games and forcing Game 7 back onto their home court, the entire team was overflowing with confidence.
"Hey, there's only one game left!
"Just like the last two we won, let's keep this momentum going and make it three straight!
"Let's pull off another miracle.
"Let's make Finals history by becoming the first team ever to come back from a 3-1 deficit and win the championship!
"With 'The Emperor' Blake on our side, we're not losing!
"Guys, let's go!!!"
Nash shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Yeah!"
"The championship belongs to the Suns!"
The entire team roared together.
Their morale was sky-high, their fighting spirit was burning, and their confidence in winning the championship was even greater than Miami's.
The Suns and the Heat were motivating themselves in different ways, and both approaches were working.
Both teams were prepared to put everything on the line in Game 7.
Until one of them won.
In the days leading up to the game, both teams maintained their confidence and intensity while preparing relentlessly, determined to enter Game 7 in peak condition.
At the same time, newspapers, television networks, reporters, commentators, and even the NBA itself were promoting the matchup everywhere.
The hype surrounding Game 7 was enormous.
But in truth, it hardly needed any promotion.
A Game 7 of the Finals would decide the NBA championship.
It would also be the final game of the entire season.
That alone gave it overwhelming attention.
Whether they supported the Suns or the Heat, practically every basketball fan would be watching.
Everyone wanted to see this explosive winner-take-all showdown.
Would "The Emperor" Blake once again become the "Sun God," play the role of the "superhero," and defeat the Heat Big Three standing in his way?
Or would the Heat Big Three have the last laugh, winning the championship in dominant fashion in their very first season together?
That was what every fan wanted to know before the game began.
...
Around the same time, at Adidas headquarters...
Inside Manager Wagner's office, Wagner stared at the latest basketball headlines.
"The Emperor" Blake.
Sixty-two points.
A falling three-pointer at the buzzer.
A performance that seemed almost superhuman.
And now the Finals had been pushed to Game 7.
Wagner was thrilled.
Absolutely thrilled.
"Beautiful! 'The Emperor' Blake, I knew someone who became a sensation the moment he entered the league would never disappoint me!"
"Fantastic!"
Wagner shouted alone in his office, grinning like an overexcited kid.
It took him a while to finally calm down.
Then he narrowed his eyes.
"I was worried for quite some time, but now we've reached Game 7.
"Everything is going according to plan.
"Now, as long as Blake wins Game 7 and leads the Suns to one more victory...
"Everything will explode!
"And I'm going to carry out my plan during Game 7.
"If they win, sales of the Blake Su Generation will go through the roof!"
With that thought, Wagner immediately called Austin, Blake's agent.
After speaking with him, Wagner placed another call, this time to Leviton, the production manager.
Leviton answered.
"Leviton, three days from now, by the early morning after Game 7 of the Finals, how many pairs of the Blake Su Generation can we have ready?"
Wagner asked.
"Uh..."
Leviton quickly ran the numbers.
"If nothing goes wrong, about five million pairs."
"Excellent!"
Wagner nodded.
After waiting for so long, that was exactly the number he wanted to hear.
As for just how much profit they could make...
That all depended on Game 7.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Blake, don't let me down.
"Hopefully, this ends up being a huge win for both of us."
After hanging up, excitement burned in Wagner's eyes.
...
Game 7 of the Finals was destined to be a historic showdown watched by the entire league.
Naturally, countless stars wanted to be there in person.
"Black Mamba" Kobe Bryant, former No. 1 pick John Wall, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Michael Jordan, the "God of Basketball," "Batman" Scottie Pippen, "The Answer" Allen Iverson, and many others.
Players and superstars from across the basketball world had made it clear, whether through interviews, Twitter posts, or videos uploaded online, that they planned to attend Game 7.
And it wasn't only basketball players.
Many celebrities had also publicly announced that they would be there.
Taylor Swift, "Black Widow" Scarlett Johansson, soccer superstar Lionel Messi, tennis legend Roger Federer, South Korean television icon Yoo Jae-suk, and many others had all said they planned to attend.
Of course, those were only the players, athletes, and celebrities who had publicly confirmed their attendance.
In reality, many more stars had quietly purchased tickets without announcing anything.
And even without counting those people, the list of known attendees was already staggering.
Fans couldn't help but marvel at it.
"My God, one Game 7 is attracting this many superstars and celebrities?!"
"Doesn't that mean this year's Finals Game 7 between the Suns and Heat is going to have an All-Star crowd?!"