The Suns sent Blake and George back onto the court first.
The Mavericks naturally could not use an all-bench lineup, so they brought Marion and Chandler back as well. Paired with "Wonder Kid" Barea and Peja, both of whom could catch fire at any moment, the lineup was capable on both ends of the floor.
This allowed Dallas to maintain enough depth on the court while giving older players such as Nowitzki, Kidd, and Terry some extra rest.
Play resumed.
"Smack!"
Blake held the ball on the left wing with Marion guarding him.
Marion wore a grave expression. Facing a player who had just poured in 20 points in a single quarter, he had to remain completely focused.
"Whoosh!"
Blake used a shot fake to test the defense, briefly paused, then suddenly attacked toward the right wing.
He accelerated past Marion with one step, stopped sharply, and pulled the ball back between his legs.
"Whoosh!"
After another crossover in front, Blake burst right again and accelerated straight toward the basket, where Chandler rose to challenge him.
"Thud!"
Blake drove hard into the paint and collided with Chandler in midair. He avoided the block, hung in the air, and went up for the layup.
However, Marion, whom Blake had just beaten, recovered from the side and reached up to block the shot.
Blake's eyes narrowed as he adjusted the shot to a higher angle off the glass.
"Clang!"
The ball struck the rim and bounced out.
On the next possession, Marion once again guarded Blake.
Blake posted him up, absorbed the contact, used a shoulder fake, then turned and rose directly into a jumper.
"Thud!"
But Marion had not lost position. He immediately closed in and heavily contested the shot.
"Clang!"
Blake missed again.
Fortunately, George secured the offensive rebound and passed it back to Blake.
Blake posted up Marion once more and finally scored.
"Wow!"
In the commentary booth, Van Gundy could not help but marvel at what he had seen.
"Marion has been impressive. He managed to stop Blake in single coverage on two consecutive possessions.
"And even on that last basket, Marion clearly bothered the shot. The ball just happened to fall through.
"Heh. Marion's defense has suddenly come alive. Could he have become another 'X-factor,' raising his defense to the limit in an attempt to contain Blake by himself?"
"No, no, no!"
Mike Breen shook his head.
"It may look that way, but it isn't difficult to understand why Marion has managed to contain Blake to some extent.
"I think Blake is simply running low on energy.
"He rested for only two minutes through the first three quarters tonight. Now, in the fourth, he returned after resting for only another two minutes.
"He has to carry the load on offense while also defending at the other end.
"That level of exertion would wear down even a young player with Blake's energy. His condition has declined, and that is why Marion has managed to stop him."
"That makes sense."
Van Gundy nodded in agreement.
"That is the difficulty of carrying a team as its lone star. With no 'X-factor' emerging beside him, Blake has to shoulder even more responsibility."
On the court, Blake's offensive effectiveness had declined because of the tremendous physical toll.
Over the next two minutes and thirteen seconds, the Suns, who should have taken advantage of the opportunity to cut further into the lead, managed to recover only three points.
They still trailed by five.
"Beep! Beep!"
Carlisle called a timeout.
Both teams brought all their starters back onto the court.
The Mavericks had possession.
"Swish!"
Nowitzki immediately pulled Frye away from the basket. After repeatedly using his body to create contact, he drove into the paint and forced in a tough layup.
It was a powerful finish.
It also sent the Suns a clear message.
He was ready to close out the game.
For Phoenix, Blake remained a major threat. Simply standing on the court was enough to draw the attention of several Mavericks defenders.
However, he still needed some time before he could reproduce the berserk offensive display he had unleashed in the third quarter.
The Suns now trailed by seven, so someone needed to step forward and score while Blake conserved his energy.
Who would it be?
Nash?
His stamina had never been exceptional, and after battling all the way into the fourth quarter, he could only focus his remaining energy on organizing the offense.
Curry?
Curry had played very well tonight and had filled the role of the team's second option admirably.
He was capable of stepping up, but the Mavericks knew that too.
After returning to the court, Curry received special attention from the Dallas defense. They refused to give him easy scoring opportunities, and he struggled to find his rhythm.
George?
George had given everything on defense, but he was still a rookie, and offense had never been his greatest strength.
These were also the crucial closing moments of the game.
George?
Yes.
George.
With Blake needing time to recover, Curry facing suffocating defense, and Nash unable to shoulder both the scoring and playmaking responsibilities, Paul George finally stepped forward late in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.
"Swish!"
First, he caught Nash's pass in the left corner and buried an open three-pointer.
On the next possession, George faced Nowitzki one-on-one at the left high post.
He accelerated directly into him and attacked the basket as though carrying a bundle of explosives.
George twisted his body in midair and banked the ball off the glass.
"Swish!"
Good.
At a critical moment, the rookie had attacked Nowitzki's defense head-on and finished with authority.
"Great play!"
Even Coach Gentry on the bench could not help but praise the aggressive drive.
"This is what all that preparation was for.
"Go, George!"
Gentry's voice tightened with excitement, his confidence in George unmistakable.
George had already scored five straight points and was beginning to erupt.
He did not disappoint Gentry.
Cutting through the lane from the free-throw line, George attacked the basket again.
"Swish!"
Another basket.
On the next possession, George returned to the left corner and launched another three-pointer.
The first time George had hit from there, no one had paid much attention.
Now Marion realized that George was catching fire and rushed over to contest.
But once George had found his rhythm, Marion could no longer stop him.
"Swish!"
The ball tore crisply through the net.
Another three.
In only a few minutes, George had scored ten points with two drives and two three-pointers, leading the Suns on a 14 to 3 run.
Phoenix not only erased the seven-point deficit, but also took a two-point lead.
"Beep! Beep!"
Carlisle hurriedly called a timeout to halt George's unstoppable assault.
A Suns fan sitting courtside noticed the hint of panic on Carlisle's face and sneered.
"Only George has caught fire, and you're already panicking.
"If the Suns had been the ones producing 'X-factors' one after another tonight, the Mavericks would have been blown out a long time ago."
...
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