The next day.
At the Suns' practice facility.
Gentry gathered the players, who were going through their daily training, and after taking a deep breath, slowly said, "Guys, the playoffs are here!
Stay calm.
This is a completely different stage from the regular season. Every opponent we face will be strong, so we have to treat every game with our full attention.
Because
our opponents will grab hold of every weakness we have, magnify it as much as they can, keep attacking it, keep scoring through it, and eventually use it to win the game.
So,
no matter who the opponent is, we absolutely cannot be careless, and we absolutely cannot expose our weaknesses to them.
Even though we, the Suns, are entering the playoffs as the league's No. 1 seed, Blake Su, Curry, George, and the others have no playoff experience.
So let me warn you in advance.
No matter how brutal I say the playoffs are, you won't truly feel it until you experience it yourselves. So when you feel the pressure on the playoff stage,
remember this.
You must stay calm, you must find ways to adapt, and you absolutely cannot get frustrated, lose your composure, or fall apart.
Do you understand?!"
After saying that,
Gentry glanced at Blake Su, then shifted his gaze to Curry and George. As for the incredibly strong Blake Su, Gentry was still relatively at ease.
Curry and George were also important helpers for the team.
Whether they could perform steadily in the playoffs was crucial for the Suns as well.
"Got it."
"Understood, Coach. We'll give it everything we've got!"
Curry and George nodded firmly. Blake Su also nodded with a focused expression. From the very beginning, his goal had been the playoffs, and the championship.
Now,
as he stepped onto the playoff stage, of course he would take it seriously. Everything was for victory. Everything... was for the championship!
"Good."
Gentry nodded slightly and continued, "Then over the next few days, besides maintaining your basic daily training, make sure you protect your bodies and stay in the best possible condition.
Guys,
let's go all out in this year's playoffs and achieve something that shocks the entire league!"
"Oh!"
The Suns players raised their fists high and responded in unison.
When it came to the playoffs, everyone was united and full of anticipation.
...
That night.
After returning to the villa, Blake Su called his mother at around nine o'clock. They chatted for a while, and he once again confirmed with her
that she should resign from her teaching job after finishing with this current class of students.
She could enjoy the rest of her life early.
After that, he made another call to Mia Quinn.
"Quinnie, how many scenes do you think you still have left to film?"
Blake Su asked.
"Uh..."
Mia Quinn rolled her big eyes, thought for a moment, did a quick estimate, and said, "Maybe a few more months? I don't have that many scenes, but it's not the kind of role that gets killed off early."
"Oh, okay."
Blake Su nodded and smiled. "So that means the role is pretty good, then. Quinnie, do your best. We'll take things slowly."
"Mm-hmm~~"
Mia Quinn nodded her little head repeatedly. She was quite relaxed about it too.
"Right."
After chatting for a bit, Blake Su brought the topic back and said, "Quinnie, after some time passes, uh... probably after the playoffs are over,
around July or August, I guess.
Once you finish filming this drama, I'll help you try streaming. Don't feel any pressure. Just treat it like something fun."
"Okay!"
Mia Quinn nodded and smiled. "Got it. Blake has already mentioned it so many times. If Quinnie still refuses, that'd be too embarrassing."
"That's good... Oh, right, Quinnie, I bought you a lot of snacks, and some of the skincare products you usually use, like 'Fairy Water' and stuff. Remember to check for them."
"Really? Wow~ Thank you, Blake~"
"Hm? How many times have I told you? Between us, you're not allowed to say thank you. Uh... Quinnie, have you had anything troubling you lately? Or anything happy happen?!"
"I have. Recently..."
"Hahaha, that killed me. Looking for your toothbrush while holding your toothbrush. Quinnie, how can you be this adorably clueless... Once the playoffs are over, I'll come find you. Wherever you want to go, we'll go have fun there."
"Mm-hmm. Then Blake, you have to do your best in the playoffs too. Try to... try to win the championship and bring glory to our country's basketball world."
"Absolutely~"
"Oh, and Blake, don't you like horror movies? I recently found a single-player horror game called Fireworks. The reviews look pretty good, and apparently there are a lot of twists.
When you have time,
you should try it!"
"Really? Then I definitely have to play it. You know me..."
"..."
Back and forth, the two of them talked for a long, long time before finally hanging up reluctantly. Even though it was all simple, everyday chatter,
they were still very happy.
Because... what made it happy was not the conversation itself, but the person on the other end.
...
Under the anticipation of countless fans, the two days of rest and preparation passed in the blink of an eye, and the first round of the 2010-2011 NBA Playoffs
finally began.
8 p.m.
US Airways Center.
Game 1 between the Suns and the Grizzlies would tip off in one hour, but the stands were already packed, without a single empty seat.
"Wow~ wow~"
"Go Suns! The Suns are the strongest!"
The entire arena was already filled with noise and excitement an hour before the game.
That kind of atmosphere was usually only seen in big cities like New York or Los Angeles.
Now,
the Suns had achieved it too.
And the reason they could do that was the chain reaction brought by Blake Su's overwhelming personal popularity.
Inside the broadcast studio,
Mike Breen and Van Gundy were commentating on the Suns' first game of the first round of the playoffs.
"Ahem..."
Mike Breen cleared his throat and gave a pregame explanation. "The playoffs are played as a series. In the first round, the Suns are facing the Grizzlies.
In this series,
the two teams will play up to seven games. The first team to win four games advances. The home-and-away format is: two home games, two away games, one home game, one away game, and one home game.
The team with the better regular-season record gets home-court advantage, which means one extra home game in the series."
"That's right."
Van Gundy took over and said, "Tonight, with home-court advantage, the Suns should be able to beat the Grizzlies easily, just like they did in the regular season, and pick up their first playoff win."
"Heh!"
Mike Breen chuckled and agreed. "It might seem a little early to say that, but with the strength the Suns have shown this season,
there's really nothing wrong with expecting them to win at home.
However... as for how things will actually play out, let's look forward to the official game together!
In addition,
there are three other matchups tonight: Bulls vs. Pacers, Mavericks vs. Thunder, and Magic vs. Hawks!"
...
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