With that, everyone headed to the living room.
On the huge LCD TV in the living room, this year's All-Star Game Top 10 Plays were playing.
"Play number ten: Kobe accelerates on the drive, storms into the paint, rises high, and hammers it down, showing off the full talent of the Black Mamba."
"Play number nine: Wade drives to the rim, looks back to find LeBron, and LeBron catches it in midair before throwing down a rim-level C-shaped tomahawk dunk.
"The Wade-LeBron connection ignites the arena."
"Play number eight: 'Windy City Rose' Derrick Rose rushes into the lane like a bolt of lightning, takes flight, and proves that a smaller body can still carry explosive power.
"A folding dunk that blasts the rim!"
"Play number seven: Blake Su soars into the air, looking as if he's about to descend like a divine weapon, only to switch hands midair for a layup, recreating Michael Jordan's iconic moment.
"The fans scream and cheer for him!"
"Play number six: Blake Su drives in for a layup, uses a behind-the-back hand switch and lateral shift to avoid Howard's defense and steal attempt, then turns in midair for a reverse dunk.
"A tribute to Kobe Bryant."
"Play number five: It's Blake Su again. Facing a block attempt from 'King James' LeBron, he simply puts his back against LeBron, turns away from the basket, and tosses the ball up.
"And the ball miraculously goes in!
"This was a completely formless shot, and it was just too cool!"
"Play number four: Blake Su drives in for a layup against three defenders. Even after being forced past the baseline, he somehow pulls off a negative-angle scoop, sending the ball from behind the backboard and into the net.
"Another formless shot goes in, shocking every fan watching."
"Play number three: In a dangerous moment, Blake Su's drive is met once again by a double block from Stoudemire and LeBron, but Blake Su stays calm under pressure.
"With a behind-the-back release, he catches Stoudemire and LeBron completely off guard.
"Another formless shot a layup, and it still goes in. This shot was simply perfect!"
"Play number two: Still Blake Su. In a tough situation, he attacks quickly, faces Stoudemire's defense, and fires a fast, straight-line bank shot while fading away.
"Completely unreasonable. Completely formless.
"But... it banks in again. A jaw-dropping quick attack that sets the whole arena on fire!"
"And the final play of the All-Star Game Top 10 also belongs to the 'Monster Rookie' Blake Su. Facing 'King James' LeBron's airtight shot-blocking defense, Blake Su pulls off an almost insane flat-back fadeaway and delivers the ultimate near-buzzer-beater!"
Buzz.
After watching the All-Star Game Top 10 Plays along with the commentary, Curry, George, Carter, and the others felt their minds buzzing. They were completely stunned.
Because out of the ten plays, Blake Su, a rookie, had taken seven of them all by himself. He had practically monopolized the All-Star Game Top 10.
The key was that every single Blake Su highlight that made the list, each of those extreme, show-stopping Formless Shots, looked flawless.
Every one of them deserved to be there.
Even though everyone had watched the All-Star Game live from the arena, seeing each play pulled out separately now, paired with the commentator's passionate voice, still made their blood boil.
Even Kobe, who only had one play on the list, could not help applauding Blake Su.
"Brutal. Absolutely brutal!"
Goran Dragić shook his head and laughed. "Blake Su played that All-Star Game like he ate some kind of luck candy. No matter how he threw it, it went in. The harder the shot, the more he made it."
"Haha!"
Steve Nash smiled too. "Yeah, but even if there was some luck involved, without enough talent and real ability, those ridiculous shots still wouldn't go in just because you got lucky."
"Exactly."
Carter nodded in complete agreement. "Blake Su is ridiculously strong. He doesn't play like a rookie at all, and he definitely doesn't play like a center."
"Hahaha!"
Kobe also laughed and said, "This year's All-Star Game really did get stolen completely by a rookie. That kid Blake Su, when it comes to basketball...
"There's honestly nothing to criticize."
"Taking seven spots on the list? Not bad, I guess. After all, it's Daiki. The status has to be maxed out."
While everyone else was shocked, Blake Su only smiled faintly and did not think much of it. To Daiki Aomine, all of these things were nothing more than a piece of cake.
Blake Su had just beaten everyone one-on-one on the court, and now this Top 10 list, where he alone claimed seven spots, only added more shine to him.
In an instant, he became the center of everyone's attention.
The one and only focus.
"Ugh..."
Curry could not take it anymore and cut off the topic with a laugh. "Watching Blake Su put on a one-man show in basketball is boring. Let's go play pool instead."
"Hm?"
George immediately understood and echoed him with a grin. "Exactly. Come on, let's play pool. I heard Blake Su is amazing at pool too.
"Let's all play."
"Right, right. We can play basketball every day, but chances to hang out like this don't come around often. Pool is much more interesting." Steve Nash, quick to read the room, followed along with a smile.
"Haha!"
Kobe smiled without saying anything, but he picked up a cue and tossed it straight to Blake Su. The group wasted no time and headed directly to the pool room.
"???"
Blake Su, dragged along with them, looked utterly confused.
I feel like you guys are all targeting me like crazy, but I don't have any proof!
...
The group kept having fun at Curry's house until past five in the afternoon, around dinnertime. By then, Curry no longer had the energy to personally prepare dinner.
So Curry ordered a full table of lavish dishes. After everyone ate their fill, they finally headed home one by one.
The visit to Curry's house had been a great time for everyone. They had fun, felt satisfied, and grew a little closer to one another.
Even Kobe, who had joined in with them, did not feel out of place at all.
Eating, drinking, playing, and laughing, the day passed quickly. By the time Blake Su returned to his villa, it was already past eight at night. He still had one more day off tomorrow.
The night after tomorrow, the Suns had a game.
In fact, some teams would already be playing tomorrow night, but the Suns' schedule gave him one extra day of rest.
"I still have tomorrow. I can't waste it. I need to use this chance to give Yao Ming the [Injury Reduction Candies] and have him start preparing for the 2012 Olympic basketball tournament."
With that thought, Blake Su immediately called Yao Ming and arranged to meet him in Phoenix tomorrow afternoon. Of course, Yi Jianlian would come along too.
After hanging up, it was only nine o'clock.
Blake Su was not sleepy at all and was wondering what to do when he suddenly realized that the group photo Yoona had given him today was still in the car.
So he went to the car in the courtyard to get the photo.
Once he had the photo in hand, Blake Su suddenly felt like taking a drive. He did not want to waste what little remained of his time off.
So he stepped on the gas and drove off, listening to music as he cruised aimlessly through the streets. It was actually pretty enjoyable.
When he passed by the airport, Blake Su suddenly needed to use the restroom.
So he found a temporary roadside parking spot, parked the car, and went to the public restroom near the airport. But when he came out and was about to return to the car, he suddenly noticed something.
On the curb, a woman dressed all in white was crouching there with her hair hanging loose.
A chill suddenly ran down Blake Su's spine, and a name popped into his mind.
"Sadako?"
...
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