"Gasp!"
The moment [Peeing Ten Meters Against the Wind] said Blake Su's name, countless fans inhaled sharply in shock. Some even swallowed unconsciously.
They were stunned.
Blake Su, a rookie, had surged to third place in the Western Conference All-Star first-round voting with an astonishing 253,000 votes, surpassing superstars like Anthony, Paul, Yao Ming, Duncan, and Nowitzki.
He trailed only Kobe, who sat at the top, and Durant, with just a 1,000-vote gap between them.
"No... way?"
"Blake Su is third? 253,000 votes? That has to be a mistake, right?"
"My God, how is that even possible? He's just a rookie. Sure, he's talented, but he's still a rookie. His popularity shouldn't be this high. How did he get so many votes?"
"Are all these votes coming from China? No, Chinese votes are capped. Then... what's going on?"
"Hey, tell me something. Is it really that hard to admit Blake Su has both skill and popularity?"
"Exactly. He's a rookie, but not just any rookie. He's the youngest 60-point scorer, a man built for game-winners, a one-of-a-kind center who once hit 13 threes in a single game.
And on top of that, he's led his team to 21 straight wins without a single loss in his career so far.
Yes, he's a rookie. But he's the best of the best. Being third in the West isn't strange at all.
Is it really that hard to admit he's a super rookie with both talent and popularity?"
"I... wow. Blake Su is insanely strong."
"That's right, Blake Su is just that good. And you have to remember, centers usually aren't popular in All-Star voting.
Except for Yao Ming and Dwight Howard.
Even someone like Shaquille O'Neal, who won three straight championships at his peak, never led the All-Star vote.
But Blake Su, as a rookie, is already third in the West in the first round. He's also the only rookie in the top 20 across both conferences.
Blake Su really is a super rookie with both talent and popularity."
"The No. 1 pick John Wall isn't even close. Blake Su is the real deal. A true top-tier rookie."
"Blake Su is too strong."
"I'm telling you, he's going to be the top vote-getter this year."
"Hard to say about first place, but with his popularity and ability, he should have no problem making the Western Conference All-Star starting lineup."
"A rookie All-Star starter? That's crazy."
"..."
A rookie with 253,000 votes, ranking third in the West and surpassing a long list of superstars.
The entire league was shaken.
Blake Su, a rookie who seemed to appear out of nowhere, possessed not only extraordinary ability but also astonishing popularity.
Blake Su had reached the peak the moment he debuted.
...
Around the same time.
In the Wizards' locker room.
John Wall frowned after seeing Blake Su's vote count. He had scrolled through the rankings for quite a while before finally finding his own name.
Just 53,000 votes.
Not even a fraction of Blake Su's total.
Wall could not help but question himself again.
"As the No. 1 pick this year... am I really that bad?"
In truth, it was not that he was bad.
It was just that Blake Su was too strong.
...
As for Blake Su.
Although the Suns won in Salt Lake City, playing through altitude sickness had taken a real toll on him. It was not until around 3 p.m. that he finally felt somewhat recovered.
After waking up, he checked the news and saw that he had climbed to third place in the Western Conference voting.
"I've got 253,000 votes. Kobe's close to 400,000. As the current best player in the league and top shooting guard, his popularity is still on another level.
But my numbers aren't low. No, they're actually very high."
That much was clear.
Blake Su had not entered the NBA with massive global attention or overwhelming support from the very beginning.
His popularity had been built step by step, game by game.
Even with strong support from his home country, that kind of recognition could not reach its peak overnight.
In reality, that was exactly what was happening.
Despite his incredible performances across 21 games, it was still just 21 games. In a time when the internet was not fully widespread, international exposure was limited.
Plenty of people knew about him, but compared to the overall fan base, the number was still relatively small.
More importantly, even fans who liked him would not necessarily vote, or even know how to vote.
Fortunately, Sina Weibo, launched in 2009, had grown to over 100 million registered users in just two years and was rapidly becoming a major platform for following trending topics.
Even better, this year's All-Star voting was also available on Sina Weibo.
That was undoubtedly good news for Blake Su and his fans.
However, since this was the first time the platform had opened an All-Star voting channel, it would still take some time for more fans to become aware of it.
"Not bad."
Blake Su, who was not overly ambitious, was quite satisfied with the first-round results.
But compared to the All-Star voting, there was something else on his mind.
"We won against the Jazz, but... I didn't get a 30+ near-quadruple-double. That means I didn't complete the System's random task, and I didn't get the [Michael Jordan's Post-Up Ability].
Man...
The task is hard, but the reward is great.
This System really knows how to mess with me."
After grumbling to himself, he still kept the task in mind. Maybe one day everything would line up, and he would finally complete it.
After all, the [Michael Jordan's Post-Up Ability] was too tempting.
Putting that aside, Blake Su shifted his focus to the next game against the Rockets.
A 22-game winning streak.
A record-breaking battle.
He had to win.
At 4 p.m., Blake Su arrived at the training gym for his usual practice.
The moment he stepped inside, Curry walked over with a grin, spinning a basketball and pointing at him.
"Blake Su, one-on-one.
I think... I only need 30 percent to beat you."
Blake Su: ???
...
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