Buzz!
Blake Su froze.
"Happy New Year, Blake!"
"Happy New Year!"
"Wishing our Blake Su a Happy New Year in advance!"
"..."
Blake Su was still stunned when, led by Steve Nash and Carter, the entire team stepped forward to offer their greetings.
It was obvious they had prepared this in advance.
The sudden wave of greetings left Blake Su even more bewildered. Curry smiled and said, "Blake, I know February 2nd is the actual New Year's Eve.
But everyone will still be on vacation that day, and after tonight we'll all be pretty tired. We weren't sure we could all get together, so we talked it over ahead of time and decided to celebrate with you today. You don't mind it being a bit early, right?"
Blake Su stood there in a daze. When he finally came back to his senses, he felt nothing but warmth and gratitude. He had never imagined that all his teammates would come together like this just to wish him well.
He chuckled and broke into a wide smile.
"Of course not. I'm happy if anything. Thank you, Curry, and thank you everyone for the wishes."
He truly meant it.
Curry grinned as well. As the one who had organized everything, seeing Blake Su this happy made all the effort worthwhile.
Right after that, Curry handed over a gift with a smile.
"Blake, I looked into it and found out that it's tradition to bring gifts when visiting during the New Year.
So I prepared something too. It's not expensive, just a small token of my appreciation.
I hope you stay happy every day, keep improving, and lead our Suns to even greater success!"
"Thank you!"
Blake Su accepted it with a smile.
"And me too."
George suddenly stepped forward, presented his gift, and said with a grin, "Wishing Blake Su good health, success in everything, and happiness for the whole family!"
"Oh..."
Curry waved his hand, exposing him without mercy.
"George, that's way too cliché. You clearly just copied that from the internet. No sincerity at all."
George scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.
"It's not cliché at all. I really like it. Thank you, George."
Blake Su smiled as he accepted the gift.
"And me!"
"Here's mine too!"
With Curry's planning, every player had prepared a gift. Even some staff members who were close to Blake Su brought small presents.
By the end, gifts of all sizes filled Blake Su's entire trunk.
The gifts themselves were simple, but what mattered to Blake Su was the thought behind them. Especially knowing Curry had gone through the trouble of picking gifts and preparing everything.
He felt lucky to have a friend like Curry.
George, Steve Nash, Carter, and the rest all treated him well.
In short, Blake Su was so happy today that he felt like a 500-pound kid, completely overjoyed.
With Blake Su in such high spirits, the atmosphere in the Suns' locker room was excellent. Combined with their seven-game winning streak, everyone headed into the game against the Bucks feeling relaxed.
Soon.
8:00 p.m.
US Airways Center.
An hour before tip-off, the Suns were already on the court warming up.
At that same moment online, the NBA released an announcement. Voting for the NBA All-Star Game had officially closed, and the final vote counts would be announced in a week after accurate tabulation.
As soon as the news came out, it sparked heated discussion.
"Whoa, it's over. I can't wait for the results!"
"Last year Kobe barely missed being the top vote-getter. This year, with two straight FMVPs and his status as the best active player, can he take it?!"
"Last year's vote leader, King James LeBron, went to Miami to form the Big Three. With his popularity affected, can he repeat?!"
"Derrick Rose, the Rose of Chicago, has been playing at an MVP level this year. Known as Jordan's successor, can he match Jordan and become the vote king?!"
"Dwight Howard, the Beast, who holds the voting record, can he win it again this year?!"
"What are you all talking about? Blake Su already topped the third round of voting and is ahead of Kobe by 320,000 votes. He's definitely winning."
"Exactly!"
"That's right!"
"What are you saying? The final results aren't even out yet. How can you be so sure it's Blake Su?!"
"Yeah. That's only after three rounds. Until the final numbers are released, nobody knows who will come out on top. Don't speak too soon."
"Hah, we'll see."
"Hmph, bring it on!"
"..."
Fans argued endlessly. Before the official results were announced, supporters of each superstar refused to back down, and no one could truly claim victory.
All they could do was wait for the final outcome.
At the same time, the more heated the debate became, the more everyone looked forward to seeing who would ultimately claim this year's title of vote king.
...
Back at the arena.
While fans online argued over the vote leader, the Bucks players walked out of the tunnel and onto the court to warm up.
But the moment Bogut appeared.
"Booooo!"
A deafening wave of boos instantly erupted throughout the Suns' home arena. Every single fan locked their eyes onto Bogut, making it clear that all that hostility was directed at him.
Why?
Because the last time the Suns' winning streak was snapped, Bogut tried to twist the narrative, turning an ordinary loss into something that blamed Blake Su alone.
He had attempted to mislead the public.
That infuriated Blake Su's fans, which is why the arena was now filled with boos.
The way the fans glared at Bogut made it seem like they wanted to tear him apart on the spot. Just stepping onto the court, Bogut was already hit with overwhelming hostility. His body trembled slightly, and unease crept into his heart.
It felt as if he had walked into a slaughterhouse, waiting to be cut down.
Blake Su, who had never liked Bogut and even despised him, was aware of what had happened. Since that was the case, after beating Bogut badly last time, he had no problem doing it again tonight.
"Hey, Andrew, you'd better be careful tonight. The Suns might target you."
"Yeah, Blake Su isn't someone you can mess with. And it's their home court. If you can avoid him, do it. Otherwise, it could get dangerous."
"Think about what happened last game, Andrew."
Amid the overwhelming boos, teammates like Jennings and Salmons warned Bogut. Thinking back to his own comments and the beating he took from Blake Su before, he seemed to realize how serious the situation was.
But so what?
At worst, he would just avoid provoking Blake Su.
That did not mean he was afraid of him.