"Blake Su, I won tonight. Counting our matchup at the start of the season, we finished the regular season tied at two wins each. I'm looking forward to seeing you in the playoffs. That's when we'll settle it."
Kobe said it with a smile.
For Stephen Curry, that kind of bragging after a win would be childish behavior. But for the "Black Mamba" Kobe, it was the purest expression of his will to win.
Just as many fans had said before the game, the Lakers had already lost to the Suns twice in a row. Kobe's hunger for victory would not allow him to lose three times to a team led by a rookie.
Blake Su understood that very well.
But after visiting the Curry household last time and becoming more familiar with Kobe, Blake Su still could not resist teasing him.
"Kobe, we're not tied. I won."
"You're talking nonsense."
Kobe denied it immediately.
Blake Su smiled and said, "I wasn't there for the first game at the start of the season. In the three games after that, I won two and you won one.
"So overall, I have the slight edge."
"Heh."
"No. It's two wins and two losses."
Kobe refused to admit it.
Blake Su simply shrugged, unconcerned. "Fine, fine. Since Kobe says so, then we'll call it a tie."
After saying that, Blake Su waved and walked away.
That left Kobe standing there, getting more irritated the more he thought about it. A fierce fighting spirit surged out of him as he gritted his teeth and said, "Blake Su, you little punk.
"You'd better hope you don't run into me in the playoffs. Otherwise, I'll knock you down and make you admit defeat."
...
The Lakers versus Suns matchup came to an end.
The Suns lost, and their current 24-game winning streak was snapped.
This loss caused quite a stir.
"Damn, they finally lost!"
"So they can lose after all!"
"Of course. No team can just keep winning forever. The Suns have already had two 20+ game winning streaks in one season. They've already broken records and created a miracle.
"They've done an incredible job.
"Forget losing one game. Even if they lose ten more after this, I still believe the Suns can show their strength in the playoffs and make a deep run."
"Exactly. Losing is normal, especially when it's only by 2 points against the defending champions. The Suns played well. They deserve credit."
"Now that the Suns' 24-game winning streak is over, the biggest storyline before the playoffs should be the Suns versus Heat matchup."
"That's right. But before they play the Heat, the Suns still have four opponents left: the Thunder, Mavericks, Warriors, and Hornets. The Thunder and Mavericks are tough too."
"So what?"
"Exactly. Even if they beat the Suns, what does that prove? The Suns already beat both the Thunder and the Mavericks before. At this point, those wins and losses don't matter that much.
"Right now, I just want to see the Suns play the Heat. They haven't truly faced each other this season, so that matchup is the one that really matters."
"I hope the Heat beat the Suns!"
"Same here."
"Me too!"
"Haha, everyone thinks the Suns are the strongest team just because they've been hot lately, but they don't realize that the 'Heat Big Three' are the real strongest team in the league.
"They're the true playoff powerhouse."
"I agree!"
"That's why I hope Blake Su can play the superhero and take down the villainous 'Heat Big Three,' giving the league some peace."
"Can't wait..."
With the Suns' 24-game winning streak over, fans no longer had much reason to think about a 33-game streak.
So all of their anticipation shifted completely to the ultimate showdown between the Suns and the Heat.
...
While the outside world was discussing the end of the Suns' winning streak and the upcoming Suns versus Heat showdown, inside the Rockets' training facility, there was a treatment room.
Yao Ming, who had just finished an examination for his foot injury, was waiting for the report with his rehabilitation therapist. Both of them seemed to be in good spirits.
"Yao, your recovery has been going well lately. I'm sure this report will be much better than expected," the therapist said with a smile.
"Yes."
Yao Ming nodded, moved his left ankle, and smiled. "I've been feeling really good lately. If I can keep this up, I might actually have a chance to keep playing."
"I hope so."
The therapist smiled as well. Of course, that was exactly what he wanted to see.
"The report is ready!"
As the two were talking, a medical staff member brought over the scans and the injury report, then handed them to the therapist and Yao Ming.
"How does it look?"
Yao Ming asked.
After looking through everything, the therapist could not help laughing. "Yao, your left ankle is recovering far, far better than we imagined.
"At this rate, maybe you really can play next season. And when I say play, I don't mean playing five games like you did this season and then risking another shutdown.
"I mean truly returning to the court."
"Really?"
Hearing that, Yao Ming was overjoyed, but he almost could not believe it.
The therapist also found it somewhat hard to believe, but the scans clearly showed that the recovery was going extremely well. He nodded and said, "It's true, Yao. All the effort you've put into rehabilitation hasn't been wasted.
"Aside from your ankle injury, you don't have any other physical injuries."
"And right now, your left ankle is only recovering much better than expected. It still hasn't fully healed, and we don't know what changes may come later.
"So in my opinion, you probably won't return to your absolute peak. But if you keep recovering with the same dedication as before, you should be able to perform at around eighty percent of your former level."
"Eighty percent?"
Yao Ming's eyes lit up.
"Yes."
The therapist nodded firmly.
"That's enough!"
Yao Ming looked thrilled.
He thought to himself that if he could recover to eighty percent, then not only might he return to the NBA next season, but he could also make a real impact in the Olympics after that.
"That's amazing!"
Thinking of that, Yao Ming could not stop smiling.
As for why Yao Ming had recovered so well, it was thanks to the [Injury Reduction Candies] Blake Su had given him.
But Yao Ming did not see it that way.
Before meeting Blake Su and eating the candy, Yao Ming had already given up almost everything else and devoted himself completely to recovering his body as much as possible.
And by now, more than half a month had already passed since he ate the [Injury Reduction Candies].
Back then, Blake Su had said that as long as he ate the candy and thought about recovering, he would immediately get better. Setting aside how absurd it sounded for an injury to heal just by eating a piece of candy and thinking about it, the timing did not match either.
So Yao Ming never believed his recovery had anything to do with eating the [Injury Reduction Candies].
In his view, all of this was entirely thanks to his own relentless effort in rehabilitation.
It was proof that persistence paid off, and that heaven did not disappoint those who refused to give up.
...
...
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