"Oh?"
Leviton's eyes lit up as well. "What do you have in mind?"
Wagner sat back down and took a moment to calm his excitement before explaining, "Here's my idea. On the night the Suns advance to the Finals, we open preorders for the 'Blake Su Generation.'
"Then, if the Suns win the championship, we officially launch the 'Blake Su Generation' early the following morning, when Blake's popularity and status as an NBA champion are at their absolute peak.
"That way, we're guaranteed to maximize our profits. What do you think?"
"Of course that would be ideal."
Leviton nodded, then added, "But what if they don't win the championship? Wouldn't that mean..."
"Exactly."
Wagner cut him off, his excitement rising again.
"That's why it's a gamble. We're betting that Blake can win the championship!"
"Good!"
Once he understood, a trace of fervor flashed through Leviton's eyes.
"We've already come this far, so let's take the gamble.
"I'll make the arrangements right now. We'll have the workers put in even more overtime and produce as many pairs of the 'Blake Su Generation' as possible before the Finals end."
"Okay!"
Smack!
The two high-fived and smiled.
...
Waiting for a game was always agonizing.
After what felt like an eternity, only half an hour remained before tip-off.
"Boom!"
Inside the American Airlines Center, the fans' deafening cheers shook the arena. The game had not even begun, yet the crowd was already overflowing with excitement.
Everyone eagerly awaited tip-off.
Fifteen minutes before the game, Mavericks leader and "German Wunderkind" Dirk Nowitzki spoke with reporters.
A reporter asked, "Dirk, in the last two games, players such as 'Wonder Kid' Barea, 'The Jet' Terry, Peja, and Stevenson have all stepped up as 'X-factors.'
"They've seemingly had luck on their side, delivering one explosive performance after another to keep the team alive. Last game, they even helped defeat the Suns and pull one back in the series.
"Do you think the Mavericks' role players will continue stepping up as 'X-factors' and delivering standout performances tonight?"
"Uh..."
Nowitzki thought for a moment before answering, "Every one of our players will perform efficiently tonight, just as they did in the last game.
"But I don't consider them 'X-factors,' nor do I see those performances as sudden outbursts. That is simply what our players are capable of.
"When the team was in trouble, everyone stepped up and contributed. We closed the gap and eventually completed the comeback.
"That was our real strength, not the luck everyone keeps talking about."
"Pfft!"
George, who was warming up nearby, heard him and looked thoroughly unimpressed.
"What kind of 'real strength' is that? If Barea, who averages 0.8 made threes per game, hitting five in a single quarter counts as real strength...
"And Terry, who averages fewer than two threes per game, hitting nine in one game at a ridiculously high percentage also counts as real strength...
"Then I guess I should have no problem hitting ten threes tonight."
Curry joined in. "If that was real strength rather than an 'X-factor' performance, then pigs really can fly."
"Uh..."
Blake listened without knowing what to say. He patted George on the shoulder.
"Nothing else needs to be said. I'm looking forward to your ten threes tonight."
"Wait, Blake..."
Before George could finish, Curry walked over and copied Blake, patting George on the shoulder with a solemn expression.
"Nothing else needs to be said. I'm looking forward to your ten threes tonight."
Blake walked away after saying his piece.
Curry tried to do the same, but George grabbed him from behind and locked an arm around his neck.
"Stephen, I feel like you're looking down on me!"
"Hey, Blake said it first! Why aren't you angry with him? I... I'm just a mindless parrot!"
"I don't care!"
...
Amid the noisy warm-ups, time passed quickly.
Soon, warm-ups ended.
Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals between the Mavericks and Suns was about to begin.
For both teams, this was a game they could not afford to lose.
"Jump ball!"
Once again, Blake and Chandler faced each other at center court.
"X-factor, X-factor. Let me become an 'X-factor' tonight. Let my luck explode and allow me to win one ball over Blake's head.
"Even if it's only once."
With that fantasy in mind, Chandler convinced himself he could do it.
He leaped with all his strength, reaching to tip the ball away, only for reality to slap him in the face again.
"Smack!"
Blake beat him to the ball once more.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Nash brought the ball up for the Suns' first possession.
He reached the top of the arc, looked toward Blake, then suddenly went the other way and passed to George in the left corner.
A three-pointer?!
"Whoosh!"
George rose and fired.
Was it going in?
Had his luck already peaked?!
"Clang!"
No.
Nowitzki secured the rebound and passed to Kidd, who brought the ball up the floor.
Kidd reached the top of the arc but did not rush the possession. He waited for Nowitzki to establish position at the left high post and call for the ball.
"Whoosh!"
Kidd made the pass, but not to Nowitzki.
Instead, he found "The Jet" Terry curling out from the corner.
Terry?
Yes.
After his outstanding performance in the previous game, Terry had been placed in the starting lineup tonight.
"Whoosh!"
Terry caught Kidd's pass, turned, and immediately launched a three-pointer.
Curry followed him around the screen and lunged forward to contest, putting significant pressure on the shot.
"Clang!"
The ball struck the rim and bounced high.
A miss?
"Swish!"
But as it came down, it dropped through the net.
On the next possession, Blake faced Nowitzki at the top of the arc.
After a quick crossover in front, he gathered the ball and rose directly into a three-pointer.
The arrow flew.
"Swish!"
Nothing but net.
Mavericks 3, Suns 3.
The Mavericks regained possession.
Kidd brought the ball up and ran the same play.
Nowitzki called for the ball at the high post to draw the defense's attention, while Terry used Marion's screen to curl out from the corner once again.
"Whoosh!"
Terry caught Kidd's pass, turned, and fired another three-pointer.
With his confidence already soaring, he did not hesitate at all.
"Thud!"
George charged over from the wing to help.
Although he was half a step late, his height and wingspan still allowed him to contest the shot heavily.
"That one is definitely missing."
George was confident. He had already seen panic in Terry's eyes.
However, in the very next second...
"Bang!"
"Swish!"
Terry's hurried three-pointer banked off the backboard and dropped in.
"What?!"
George's eyes widened in disbelief.
"One three-pointer bounced around the rim and fell in. Then he panicked and threw up a shot that had no business going in, only for it to bank off the glass!
"What is this?
"What kind of luck is this?!
"It's Terry again. He's already hit two lucky threes. Don't tell me he's going to become an 'X-factor' again tonight!"
Watching from the side, Curry's lips twitched.
"Again? Isn't this going too far?"
...
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