Suns 0, Mavericks 7.
Back on their home court, the Suns had fallen behind 7-0 to start the game. It hardly seemed like a good sign.
Of course, that was only how the fans and commentators saw it. As far as the Suns were concerned, a seven-point deficit was nothing to worry about.
Suns ball.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Blake brought the ball up himself and faced Marion at the top of the key. He crossed between his legs, switched hands, then suddenly accelerated toward the right wing.
One hard burst.
"Screech!"
Blake stopped on a dime, pulled the ball back between his legs, and gathered it in his left hand. The moment he saw Marion shift his weight, he rose straight up.
"Whoosh!"
A long two.
Marion hurriedly recovered and contested, but he had no chance of blocking it. He could barely affect the shot at all.
But...
"Clang!"
Blake missed again.
Fortunately, Frye secured the rebound and kicked it out to Nash, who immediately fired a bounce pass to Curry cutting into the left corner.
"Whoosh!"
Curry floated it up.
"Swish!"
Finally, the Suns were on the board.
On the next possession, Marion and Nowitzki misread each other. Both thought the other would step up to guard Blake, so neither moved.
That left Blake completely open on the right side above the arc.
A true passing master would never let an opportunity like that go to waste.
"Snap!"
Nash delivered the ball perfectly into Blake's hands.
Blake caught it, looked at the empty space in front of him, even took one dribble to settle himself, then rose for three.
"Whoosh!"
"That's good!"
Two people said it the instant the ball left Blake's hands.
One was Curry, who had complete faith in Blake.
The other was Marion.
That was how open Blake was. It looked like a practice shot. Even his opponent thought it was going in.
But...
"Clang!"
Another miss.
"He missed again?!"
Inside the broadcast studio, Mike Breen could hardly believe Blake had missed such an open three.
"Blake just had a good look a moment ago, and now he misses another one?
"Don't tell me... Blake's shot is cold tonight too?"
Van Gundy frowned and drew in a sharp breath.
"Blake has always been remarkably consistent, and the Suns need that explosive production from him every single game.
"If his shot really isn't falling tonight, that's terrible news for Phoenix."
It was only speculation from the two commentators.
But unfortunately, they were right.
Blake truly had no shooting touch tonight.
Whether he created the shot himself or received a great pass from Curry or Nash, he simply couldn't convert consistently.
His efficiency was low.
No.
To be precise, it was extremely low.
By the end of the first quarter, Blake was just 2-for-7 from the field with 4 points.
Four points in an entire quarter on less than 30 percent shooting.
It was almost impossible to believe those numbers belonged to Blake.
The Mavericks, meanwhile, were doing their jobs.
Terry provided offense, Chandler attacked the boards, Kidd ran the offense, and everyone else played their role.
They were playing well.
But there was nothing extraordinary about it. Everyone was simply performing at their normal level. Unlike the previous three games, there wasn't some unexpected "X-factor" suddenly catching fire.
There was one other difference.
"The German Wunderkind" Nowitzki was in rhythm tonight.
Or rather, he had finally found his rhythm again and returned to the level he had shown in the first two rounds.
Blake was struggling.
Nowitzki was back in form.
Under those circumstances, even without another "X-factor" emerging, Dallas still had a much stronger offense than Phoenix.
Suns 22, Mavericks 30.
After one quarter, the Mavericks led by eight.
"Hahaha!"
"Without Blake, you Suns are garbage! The Mavericks are winning tonight, and we're taking the series too!"
"Mavericks championship!"
During the break between quarters, several Mavericks fans shouted excitedly.
The Suns fans paid them no attention.
"Come on, it's one bad quarter. They're only down eight. That's nothing for Blake."
"Exactly."
"He's the 'Monster Rookie.' As long as he's healthy, he can always score, turn the game around, and take over!"
"Just wait."
"You guys are dreaming. The Suns are winning tonight, and the Suns are going to the Finals!"
"..."
Despite Blake scoring only 4 points in the first quarter on less than 30 percent shooting, the fans still had absolute confidence in him.
They believed he would bounce back.
In the second quarter, Carter led the rotation unit for three minutes and managed to keep the game within reach, preventing the deficit from growing any further.
That was a major positive for Phoenix.
"Beep, beep!"
Timeout.
The starters returned for both teams.
The home crowd watched eagerly, waiting for Blake to find his touch, waiting for him to go into overdrive and lead a furious comeback.
But reality hit them hard once again.
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
Blake came back in and immediately got two good scoring opportunities.
He missed them both.
"Huh?"
Even Blake found that strange.
After those two misses, he realized just how cold his shooting touch really was.
So while he remained confident and would still take a good shot without hesitation, he stopped forcing his offense.
Instead, he shifted more of his attention toward defense and playmaking, hoping to find his rhythm as the game went on.
It was the right approach.
But this was the Western Conference Finals.
The Suns were a single-star team. They needed Blake to play well every night if they wanted him to carry them.
Tonight, he simply wasn't producing at his usual level.
At the same time, Nowitzki had fully rediscovered his form. Even with Blake guarding him, his offensive efficiency remained strong.
As a result, although Blake still contributed defensively and drew plenty of attention because of the threat he posed, the Suns continued to struggle on offense.
By the end of the second quarter, Blake was still in a slump.
He recorded 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block in the quarter, but scored only 4 points.
Eight points at halftime.
Seeing Blake with only 8 points through an entire half was genuinely shocking.
But it also made one thing perfectly clear.
Blake was having a terrible night.
Suns 46, Mavericks 64.
Dallas won the second quarter by another ten points and entered halftime with a massive 18-point lead.
Inside the broadcast studio, Mike Breen glanced at the numbers and said, "The Mavericks haven't had any 'X-factors' explode tonight. Everyone is simply playing at their normal level.
"For the Suns, this should have been the perfect opportunity to build momentum and close out the series.
"Instead, the entire team has been fairly ordinary tonight.
"And their unquestioned centerpiece, the 'Monster Rookie' Blake, isn't just having a bad game. He's in a serious slump.
"That only makes matters worse.
"The Suns are a single-star team. They're down 18 at halftime, and their one true centerpiece is struggling.
"If Blake can't find his form in the second half...
"Phoenix is in real trouble tonight."
...
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