October 27.
Today marked the opening night of the 2011-2012 NBA season.
For the past two days, and even earlier than that, fans had been eagerly waiting for tonight's matchups, especially the explosive showdown between the Suns and the Lakers.
There were four other games on the schedule as well: Heat vs. Celtics, Spurs vs. Kings, Knicks vs. 76ers, and Raptors vs. Wizards.
The Heat, Spurs, Knicks, and Celtics were all popular teams, so those matchups would draw plenty of attention too.
In short, the entire league was looking forward to opening night and the beginning of a new season.
From early that morning, news outlets and major newspapers had already been heavily promoting the night's games, driving the hype higher and higher.
The biggest matchup of them all, Suns vs. Lakers, would tip off at 8:00 p.m.
It would also be the first game of the new season.
...
5:00 p.m.
At the villa where Dolores Su and Charlotte Quinn were staying.
"Mom, Blake and I are done eating."
Mia called out as she rubbed her full stomach and walked over to the living room sofa to rest.
"I'm done too."
Blake set down his bowl and chopsticks and joined her on the sofa.
Today, Blake and Mia had come over to have dinner with their mothers.
"Blake, this is your first game of the new season. Make sure you play well tonight and win!"
Dolores Su said while clearing the table.
"Mm-hmm, I know."
Blake nodded. "We have to win."
"Blake was a champion last season. He'll win."
Charlotte Quinn smiled, completely unconcerned.
Mia nodded eagerly from the sofa.
"Blake is amazing. Aunt Dolores, don't worry. He'll definitely win."
"Hehehe!"
Dolores Su smiled brightly, clearly delighted.
After resting for a little while, Blake and Mia said goodbye and left.
Blake first drove Mia home because she still had a gaming livestream scheduled for that evening.
Then he headed to US Airways Center to warm up.
On the way, his agent Austin called.
"Blake, the basketball livestream section on Justin.tv is almost ready. We still need a little more time to promote it, though."
"Once we've brought enough traffic over, we can officially start broadcasting games."
"Got it."
Blake acknowledged him.
At the moment, most basketball fans back home still watched games through traditional television broadcasts.
That habit was deeply ingrained.
Could they be moved to online broadcasts?
Of course.
But it would take enough promotion and exposure to convince them to watch games online instead, and that process would require time.
Blake was not in a hurry.
Beep, beep, beep.
After hanging up, he temporarily put the basketball broadcasting project out of his mind.
His number-one priority tonight was the season opener.
And the Suns were starting against the Lakers.
With the "Paul and Kobe" combination, the Lakers' "Twin Stars," Los Angeles was unquestionably stronger and harder to deal with than it had been the year before.
So Blake intended to take the game seriously.
Before long, he arrived at the arena and began warming up with his teammates.
What surprised him was that there were still a full two hours before tip-off, yet the visiting Lakers had already arrived and started warming up too.
Then he thought about it for a moment.
With competitors as fiercely driven as Paul and Kobe on that team, it was hardly surprising.
A little later, Kobe walked over to Blake and raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, Blake. Did you improve over the offseason? Get any stronger?"
"And are you ready for me to destroy you tonight?"
Blake glanced at him calmly.
"Old man, you know you can retire now, right? Kobe's era is over."
"Now... it's Blake's era."
"Hahahaha!"
Kobe burst out laughing.
"One offseason apart and your trash talk is still just as good, kid. But don't get too cocky."
"This year, I'm really going to beat you."
"I'm taking back the championship that should've been mine."
"Hmph."
Blake curled his lip.
"You said you'd beat me in the playoffs last season too. And what happened? You still lost."
"Tonight, the win is still mine."
"You little brat."
Kobe glared at him and growled, "Just wait. Tonight I'll show you that this year's Lakers are different from last year's."
With that, Kobe turned and walked away, fighting spirit burning inside him.
Blake felt exactly the same.
Half an hour before tip-off, the arena was already packed.
The noise was deafening and the cheers seemed endless.
Phoenix might not have been one of the league's biggest markets, but it now had elite-level attention and popularity.
And all of that had come from the popularity and market value Blake had brought to the city after leading the Suns to a championship as their lone superstar.
"Wow~ wow~~"
The already noisy arena suddenly erupted into another wave of excitement.
Following the fans' gaze, everyone could see NBA Commissioner David Stern slowly emerging from the players' tunnel.
That was exactly why the crowd had become so restless.
Everyone knew why Stern was there.
He had come to present the defending champion Suns with their championship rings.
"Yes! Championship rings!"
George looked thrilled.
"I've wanted this ring so badly!"
Curry was just as excited.
Nash and Carter exchanged a glance, both of them equally emotional.
They had waited far too long for a championship ring.
Now, at last, they had finally gotten what they wanted.
How could they not be happy?
Blake was just as excited.
That ring represented an entire season of hard work and one of the highest honors a player could earn.
Of course he was happy to receive it.
Soon, Blake, Curry, George, and the other Suns players who had earned rings began celebrating in their own ways.
Some raised their rings high with huge smiles on their faces.
Some gathered together and cheered.
Some kissed their rings.
Others shouted and interacted with the fans.
Everyone celebrated the championship in their own way.
On the Suns' bench, Yao Ming watched Blake's happiness and felt genuinely glad for him.
Klay Thompson, meanwhile, watched his teammates receive their rings one by one, his eyes burning with desire.
This year, he wanted one too.
On the Lakers' bench, Kobe, Paul, and the other players applauded to congratulate Phoenix.
"BOOM!"
The cheers from the home crowd rolled through the arena like a tidal wave, deafening and overwhelming, as if a missile had exploded deep beneath the ocean and sent wave after wave crashing outward.
The atmosphere inside US Airways Center was electric.
The championship ring ceremony lasted half an hour.
And just as the Suns' home crowd reached its loudest point, the season-opening showdown between Phoenix and Los Angeles finally tipped off!!!