"Beep! Beep!"
Gentry hurriedly called another timeout.
"Guys, we can't leave Nowitzki open. With his scoring ability, he'll punish us every time."
Gentry's expression was grave.
"But..."
George looked helpless.
"We can't leave Terry or Peja open either. They've both become 'X-factors' tonight, and they're shooting unbelievably well.
"They've been every bit as dangerous as Nowitzki.
"If we ignore them, they'll just keep scoring too."
"Yeah."
Curry rubbed his forehead in frustration.
"Damn..."
After hearing George and Curry, Gentry found himself at a loss. He sighed, thought for a moment, then said:
"Stick to man-to-man defense as much as possible and don't lose your assignments.
"No matter what, we can't give Nowitzki easy scoring opportunities."
"Right."
"Understood."
The players nodded.
The situation was actually simple. The Mavericks had several scoring threats, and the Suns needed to stop them.
The problem was that whenever they covered one, someone else was left open. If they shifted to that player, another one could erupt.
They were plugging one hole only for another to open.
It was not working.
But they had no other choice.
"Tsk."
Blake clicked his tongue, equally frustrated and overwhelmed.
Time waited for no one. The timeout quickly ended, and the Suns once again had to face a Mavericks team with one "X-factor" after another catching fire.
The game resumed.
Every Suns player defended with complete focus, but the same problem remained. Whenever they stopped one player, another found an opening.
Dallas always had someone who could score.
"We can't stop them."
Blake narrowed his eyes as he recognized the problem.
"The Mavericks have too many 'X-factors,' and Nowitzki is still their centerpiece, ready to explode at any moment. There's no way we can shut everyone down tonight.
"In that case, we might as well fight them with offense.
"As long as we score enough, we can still close the gap even if we sacrifice a little on defense."
Once he reached that conclusion, Blake did not hesitate.
"Swish!"
At the top of the arc, facing Nowitzki, Blake used a hesitation step and pump fake before suddenly rising for three.
The shot was dead on target.
"Swish!"
Nothing but net.
On the next possession, Blake struck again.
The instant he caught the ball at the top of the arc, he attacked decisively, drove into the crowd, switched hands in midair, and finished with an acrobatic reverse layup.
"Swish!"
Another basket.
"Blake's attacking with incredible aggression. He's trying to take over the game by himself again."
On the Mavericks' bench, Carlisle immediately recognized what was happening.
He sprang to his feet and shouted toward the court:
"Defense! Defense! Shut Blake down!"
The Mavericks understood and tightened their coverage on Blake.
At that point, Blake began using the threat of his own scoring to draw double-teams and create opportunities for his teammates.
The Suns kept scoring.
However, they were facing three explosive threats in Nowitzki, Terry, and Peja, along with Kidd's steady production.
Dallas had plenty of firepower of its own.
Both teams traded basket after basket, and the game became a fierce back-and-forth battle.
But the Mavericks had started with a twelve-point lead.
As the shootout continued and time ran down, the gap barely shrank.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
In the final minute, Blake buried two consecutive deep, highly difficult threes, one from each wing.
Six straight points.
But the Suns were still down six.
Nowitzki had remained quiet for more than three quarters, but Terry and Peja's performances as "X-factors" finally freed him in the fourth.
"Swish!"
From the left elbow, Nowitzki rose over a double contest from George and Curry and buried a difficult One-Legged Fadeaway.
The basket pushed the lead back to eight.
It also ended the game.
"ROAR!"
Nowitzki raised both arms and screamed, his face twisted with emotion.
He had been stifled all night.
No, he had been stifled for three straight games.
But in the fourth quarter tonight, Nowitzki finally rediscovered the dominant offense that belonged to him.
With the victory and those furious roars, he released all the frustration that had built up over the past several games.
"Yeah!"
"BOOM!"
The entire arena erupted in deafening cheers, feeding off Nowitzki's emotion.
Mavericks fans had waited far too long for this victory.
Fortunately, it had finally arrived.
The result was no longer in doubt.
The Mavericks defeated the Suns by eight points, protected their home court, and cut the series deficit to 2-1.
...
After the game, inside the broadcast studio, Hubie Brown gestured toward Dave Pasch.
"Dave, what are your thoughts on this game and the Mavericks' victory?"
"Well..."
Dave Pasch thought for a moment before answering directly.
"Honestly, the Mavericks' role players were outstanding tonight.
"Multiple 'X-factors' stepped up, and that's what won them the game.
"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Lady Luck was on Dallas' side tonight. Their luck was completely maxed out.
"That's the only reason they were able to win.
"Based on what we saw in the first two games, the Mavericks should have had no chance tonight.
"Blake Su finished with 45 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks while also limiting Nowitzki to a certain extent.
"Yet somehow, Dallas still won."
"Whoa..."
Hubie Brown looked stunned.
"You're saying Blake Su posted a 40-plus-point triple-double tonight?"
"That's right."
Dave Pasch nodded.
"Blake Su played extremely well. He finished with a 40-plus-point triple-double, but even that wasn't enough to save the Suns.
"Terry, one of Dallas' 'X-factors,' made nine threes and scored 33 points.
"Peja Stojaković added 13 points in the fourth quarter alone.
"Their extraordinary performances forced the Suns to spread their defense too thin, which finally allowed Nowitzki to take over late and seal the victory."
"Exactly."
Hubie Brown adjusted his glasses.
"Before the game, we believed the Mavericks had almost no chance as long as Blake Su could contain Nowitzki.
"But Dallas pushed its luck to the absolute limit. One 'X-factor' after another erupted, allowing the Mavericks to come back and defeat the Suns.
"No one expected that before the game.
"Even someone who imagined it was possible would have considered it extremely unlikely.
"Yet it happened.
"That is the unpredictability and appeal of the playoffs.
"If an 'X-factor' emerges in every remaining game to ease the pressure on Nowitzki, allowing both him and those supporting players to thrive, then the outcome of this series will become uncertain all over again."