Inside the broadcast studio.
Mike Breen looked at the prepared roster sheet on the desk and said, "The Eastern and Western Conference All-Stars have all entered the arena. Now, let me introduce the lineups to our viewers.
For the Eastern Conference.
Starting lineup: in the backcourt, we have the "Windy City Rose" Derrick Rose and "The Flash" Dwyane Wade. On the front line, there is "King James" LeBron James and "STAT" Amar'e Stoudemire, with "Superman" Dwight Howard at center.
On the bench: "Gentleman Ray" Ray Allen, "CB4" Bosh, "The Big Ticket" Garnett, Al Horford, "Iso Joe" Joe Johnson, "The Truth" Pierce, and Rajon Rondo.
The head coach is Celtics head coach Doc Rivers.
For the Western Conference.
Starting lineup: in the backcourt, "Black Mamba" Kobe Bryant and "CP3" Chris Paul. On the front line, "KD" Durant and "Melo" Anthony, with the "Monster Rookie" Blake Su at center.
On the bench: "The Big Fundamental" Duncan, "Big Gasol" Pau Gasol, "Manu" Ginobili, "The New Wolf King" Love, "The German Tank" Nowitzki, "Brodie" Westbrook, and "D-Will" Deron Williams.
The head coach is Suns head coach Alvin Gentry.
Just thinking about these players sharing the court already gets me excited."
"Yeah."
Beside him, Van Gundy was dressed neatly and nodded with a smile. "The All-Star starters from both conferences are all among the very best players of this era.
And Blake Su.
For him to be among them as a rookie, that is what's truly impressive."
"That's right."
Mike Breen picked up the conversation and said in a resonant voice, "Blake Su is not only the only rookie selected to this year's All-Star Game, he is also a rookie who made the starting lineup.
You have to remember.
Until now, only "Shaq" O'Neal, Grant Hill, and Yao Ming had ever made the All-Star starting lineup in their rookie seasons.
Now.
Blake Su is the fourth player to do it, and... he also earned his All-Star starting spot as the leading vote-getter. Just based on that alone.
Among all the rookies who have ever made the All-Star starting lineup, Blake Su is undoubtedly the best."
"Yes."
Van Gundy nodded again, acknowledging Blake Su's strength and popularity, then continued, "Speaking of Yao Ming, it really is a shame this year.
His votes in the center category were second only to Blake Su's, so he would have been an All-Star reserve center at the very least. Unfortunately, he has been troubled by injuries and had to withdraw from this All-Star Game.
At the same time.
Shaq, who was injured not long ago, and the Kings' combo guard Tyreke Evans have also withdrawn. I hope they can all recover soon."
"Look!"
As Van Gundy was speaking, Mike Breen pointed toward the court and said, "The camera is on Yao Ming. He's here watching the game today, and Yi Jianlian is right beside him.
Blake Su is there too. The three of them are chatting.
Seeing those three together really warms the heart. They've all carried a lot of pride for their country, and now they're here sharing the same stage."
"It does."
"Players like them have helped put their country's basketball on the map. When you see them together like this, you can't help but appreciate what they've brought to the game.
I hope they only keep getting better."
For a moment, Van Gundy was also filled with emotion.
The focus returned to the court.
There was a natural sense of familiarity between them.
Blake Su took the initiative to walk over to Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian. The three of them chatted and laughed for a while before Yi Jianlian received a phone call. After giving them a quick gesture, he stepped away from the noisy court for a moment.
"Blake, you really are getting better and better. You are the pride of Chinese basketball!"
Yao Ming praised him with a smile.
"Thank you!"
Blake Su smiled and accepted the praise, then said, "Yao, before this, you said that next year we would fight in the Olympics together and make up for the regret from 2008.
Do you remember?"
"Of course."
Yao Ming answered without hesitation, but then he let out a soft sigh. "Blake Su, seeing you grow stronger and stronger makes me genuinely happy.
I also truly want the Chinese men's basketball team to achieve better results.
But... my recovery doesn't seem very promising. I might be able to play next year, but I probably won't even be at half my usual level.
If I'm like that, not only would I be unable to help much, I might even become a burden."
At that thought, helplessness and unwillingness appeared on Yao Ming's face.
"Mm."
Blake Su nodded, then smiled faintly. "Recovering from an injury isn't something that happens overnight. I believe you'll be better by next year, Yao.
But.
Since we're serious about helping the national men's basketball team fight for a better result, then... we can start preparing right now.
So.
After All-Star Weekend, when we have time, let's set a time to meet, have a meal, and talk about this in detail. What do you think?"
"Sure."
Yao Ming nodded and agreed immediately.
He had already been thinking about this for a long time. It was only because he had been busy recently and focused on his recovery that he had not brought it up. Now that Blake Su had taken the initiative, he naturally had to take it seriously.
"What's sure?"
Yi Jianlian had just returned from his phone call and only caught the last sentence, so he asked.
"Yao, tell Yi about it. I'm going to warm up."
"Got it!"
With that, Blake Su returned to the court first, while Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian continued talking about what had just been discussed.
On the other side of the stands, Yoona, Jessica, and Krystal had their beautiful eyes fixed on Blake Su the entire time. During the last Lakers versus Suns game.
Yoona and Jessica had come to watch and became fans of Blake Su.
Tonight, the two of them had come specifically for Blake Su. Krystal's group, f(x), happened to have activities in the United States recently, and since her older sister had come over as well.
She came along with them.
"Hey, is that player wearing the number 0 jersey Blake Su?"
Krystal asked.
She knew the least about basketball, but she had heard quite a lot about Blake Su along the way, so now she was a little curious too.
"That's right."
Yoona nodded with a smile and said, "What do you think? He's pretty good-looking, isn't he?"
"He really is."
Krystal smiled and said, "Blake Su is tall, he's great at basketball, and he's good-looking too. No wonder you two became fans. If I liked basketball, I'd definitely become his fan too."
"Right?"
"Ice Princess" Jessica covered her mouth and laughed softly. "Blake Su really is the perfect male god in my heart."
"He's my male god too."
Yoona's smile bloomed like a flower.
The three stunningly beautiful women sat together, and every smile and movement from them formed a bright, eye-catching scene. The male fans around them were all completely captivated.
However.
When they realized that the three beauties' gazes had been fixed on Blake Su the entire time, tears of envy fell from their eyes.