[2011 All-Star Voting Now Open! Cast your vote for your favorite players! Note: Voting portal located at the top right of the homepage.]
6:00 PM.
The moment the NBA released the announcement, fans exploded with excitement.
Yes.
All-Star Weekend—an event fans look forward to every single year. Just the thought of the Four Great Shooting Guards appearing on the same stage alongside superstars like Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett is enough to make anyone's blood boil with excitement.
Of course.
Not every player can make the All-Star Game. Only those who possess both elite ability and immense popularity can step onto that stage of glory.
Therefore,
if fans want to see their favorite players in the All-Star Game, the voting before All-Star Weekend becomes especially crucial.
The ones with the most votes rule the stage.
That saying fits All-Star Weekend perfectly.
Back in 2002, Yao Ming relied on China's massive fan base to push "The Big Diesel" Shaquille O'Neal into a backup role—even though Yao was already playing at an All-Star level at the time.
Still, having a three-time Finals MVP in his prime like Shaq come off the bench was a little exaggerated.
Then in 2009, Yi Jianlian averaged just 12.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, yet received an enormous number of votes—surpassing Kevin Durant and even forcing the prime Kevin Garnett into a backup role.
That situation was even more outrageous.
As a result, the league had no choice but to revise the rules. To make the All-Star Game, players now had to first be selected to the candidate list regardless of fan votes, which ultimately kept Yi Jianlian out of the All-Star Game.
At the same time,
the weight of votes from Chinese fans was also restricted.
Although it was unfortunate that Yi Jianlian didn't make the All-Star Game, the truth was that his ability and statistics at the time weren't quite enough for the All-Star stage.
If he had been as dominant as Yao Ming, even if people complained, it wouldn't have mattered in the end.
So,
when it comes down to it, strength determines everything.
As soon as the news was released and the voting channel opened, heated discussions immediately erupted among fans.
"Hey, everyone—guess which players will start in the East and West this year?"
"I'll go first! For the East: guards Wade and Rose, forwards LeBron and Garnett, center Howard. For the West: guards Kobe and Paul, forwards Durant and Anthony, center Yao Ming!"
"What are you talking about? No Stoudemire in the East? No Tim Duncan in the West?"
"Well… there are some flaws, but that's roughly how it looks. The only issue is Yao Ming is still out indefinitely with injuries—whether he can recover is a big question."
"Hey, aren't you guys forgetting something? Blake Su is incredibly popular right now, and he has both the skill and the hype. How could he not make the All-Star starting lineup?!"
"Him? No way. Sure, he's talented, but he's still just a rookie. How could his popularity possibly compete with those veterans who've been in the league for years?"
"Exactly."
"Right. It's not that Blake Su isn't good enough. It's just that the All-Star threshold is popularity plus ability. Blake Su's popularity may surpass other rookies, but compared to established All-Star superstars, there's still a noticeable gap.
That gap can only be closed gradually over time."
"Bingo!"
"Even someone as dominant as 'The Chosen One' LeBron James didn't make the All-Star Game in his rookie season. Let alone Blake Su, who suddenly burst onto the scene.
It's impossible!"
"That actually makes sense!"
"Hmph, you guys are underestimating Blake Su. He has far more popularity and strength than you think."
"Exactly. I unconditionally believe Su God will make the All-Star Game. And a rookie becoming an All-Star starter? That's not impossible.
Jordan did it!"
"Can Blake Su really be compared to Jordan?!"
"Stop dreaming. No way!"
"Quit arguing. Instead of wasting time trash-talking, why not go vote for your favorite player? I don't care—I'm going to vote for Blake Su."
"Same here."
"Count me in."
"I'm voting for LeBron!"
"I like Paul~~"
"My Kobe!!!"
"..."
The discussion among fans gradually shifted from debating which players would make the All-Star team to a fierce argument over whether rookie Blake Su could become an All-Star starter.
But no matter what—
All-Star voting had officially begun.
...
Back to Blake Su.
He returned to Phoenix and got back to his small villa around eight in the evening. After spending a few relaxing days with Mia, he felt refreshed and in great shape.
Leaning against the sofa, he relaxed while scrolling through the news, naturally seeing that All-Star voting had opened.
"With my current strength and popularity—and with the support of my fans—making the All-Star Game shouldn't be a problem."
But…
can I make it as the starting center?"
"Push Yao Ming out of the spot?
That actually sounds pretty interesting."
But thinking of Yao Ming, Blake Su realized that compared to replacing him as a starter, he would much rather see Yao recover and continue playing in the NBA.
"This is his final season. After playing only five games before getting injured again, Yao probably won't appear on an NBA court anymore.
In the end,
it all comes down to injuries."
"What if… what if his injuries could heal? What if, together with me now, plus the steadily improving Yi Jianlian and some younger talents in Chinese basketball…"
"The regret of the Chinese men's basketball team stopping at the quarterfinals in the 2008 Olympics—
could it be redeemed in the 2012 Olympics?!"
Thinking this far, Blake Su fell into deep thought.
After a moment, he gently shook his head.
What was he even thinking about? Such vague, unrealistic possibilities.
"Shower, shower, shower… then sleep~"
Clearing his mind, Blake Su went to take a shower.
But just as he finished and was about to go to bed, he suddenly realized he was hungry. Out of nowhere, he felt like eating something hot.
So,
Blake Su headed to the night market not far from the villa, grabbed some late-night food, and started walking back.
On the way back, as he passed by the Suns' training gym,
he noticed the lights were still on.
And at this hour—
it was already past midnight.
Who would still be training at a time like this?
That was strange.
Blake Su thought for a moment, then decided to go inside and take a look.
…
(Author's Note
I understand that not everyone enjoys the parts of the story that reference China or Chinese basketball. However, I've chosen to keep them because they are part of the original context of the story and the main character's background.
That said, these moments are few and brief. The main focus of the story is still the NBA itself—its players, games, and the overall basketball journey. These references are simply kept to preserve the original context of the story.)