The NBA officially released last week's Player of the Week awards.
In the Eastern Conference, the honor went to the Heat's "Flash," Dwyane Wade. He averaged 27.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists, along with an impressive 2.1 steals, leading the Heat to a perfect 3-0 record.
In the Western Conference.
There was no suspense. Once again, it went to the Phoenix Suns. Averaging 37.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2.5 steals, and 3 blocks, he led the team to a 4-game winning streak.
This marked Blake Su's sixth consecutive Player of the Week award.
"Six straight weeks? And he's just a rookie? That's insane!"
"Seriously, other than saying 'that's crazy good,' I can't even find better words to describe how strong Blake Su is."
"Monster. Absolute monster."
"Haha, a rookie dominating a whole conference full of superstars, sweeping Player of the Week six times in a row. That's going down in history."
"No, no, six straight is already historic, but it's not over yet. With Blake Su's current form, he'll win it again next week.
He's still breaking records."
"Blake Su is ridiculous!"
"..."
Fans kept marveling at Blake Su's incredible stats and leadership. Winning Player of the Week over and over had practically turned the award into his personal showcase.
However.
Just as fans were enjoying the moment, the league released another announcement.
All-Star First-Round Voting Results.
The moment it dropped, it instantly drew the attention of nearly every fan and countless players.
Because after the Christmas games, what everyone looked forward to most was All-Star Weekend, and the key to getting there was the All-Star voting.
Talent and popularity ruled everything.
Only the best earned the right to take part.
And the votes decided it all. Fans wanted their favorite players to get high vote totals and make the All-Star team, while players wanted those votes too.
It meant they had both skill and popularity.
As soon as the first-round results were released, a fan shouted,
"Hey, someone with a big mouth who can talk, give us a full breakdown of the results!"
"I got it. I'm the big-mouth one."
A fan with the username [Peeing Ten Meters Against the Wind] stepped up.
"Alright, first-round All-Star voting results. Let's start with the East.
Right now, in first place is 'Superman' Dwight Howard with 336,000 votes. As the holder of the all-time voting record, his popularity and strength are beyond question.
Second place is 'King James' LeBron James with 311,000 votes. Last year's vote leader just missed the Finals.
A real shame.
He went to Miami this summer to chase a championship and formed the Heat's Big Three. While that won him plenty of Heat fans, it also cost him support from Cavaliers fans.
That's probably one reason why he's now second instead of first.
Even so, 311,000 votes and second place in the East show that LeBron is still one of the league's most popular players.
Right now, what he needs is a championship ring to silence the critics.
Third place is 'Flash' Wade with 297,000 votes. The league's second-best shooting guard just won Eastern Conference Player of the Week. His popularity and ability speak for themselves.
Fourth is 'Windy City Rose' Derrick Rose with 264,000 votes. In just his third season, he's already cracked the top four in a conference full of superstars.
That says everything about his talent and popularity. This has been the best season of his career so far.
Fifth is 'STAT' Amar'e Stoudemire with 227,000 votes. Even after leaving the Suns, his popularity hasn't dropped.
Sixth through tenth are Rondo, Garnett, O'Neal, Allen, and Pierce. And the scary part is...
All five are from the same Celtics team."
After listing the Eastern rankings, the fan paused for a moment, while others immediately jumped in.
"Howard is still that guy!"
"LeBron and Wade both starting? I want to see that connection in the All-Star Game."
"LeBron still got second? Are fans blind?"
"You're the blind one!"
"Rose is amazing. Third year and already close to a starting spot. That's impressive."
"Stoudemire deserves respect too!"
"The Celtics are ridiculous. All five starters in the top ten?"
"Haha, they were all stars in their own right. Makes sense. Hey, [Peeing Ten Meters Against the Wind], hurry up and give us the West. I want to see Kobe!"
"Coming up!"
After letting the discussion run for a bit, the fan continued.
"In the West, first place is Kobe Bryant with 394,000 votes. Two-time champion, back-to-back Finals MVP. With his skill and popularity, that number is expected.
Second is Kevin Durant with 254,000 votes. Even in a small market, his unstoppable scoring ability has pushed him into second place.
It just shows that if you're good enough, the popularity will follow.
Third place... third place... Su... Blake Su?!"
The fan read the name with hesitation, rubbed his eyes, checked again, then continued in disbelief.
"Blake Su, the Suns' center, as a rookie, has taken third place in the Western Conference with 253,000 votes.
Behind him, from fourth to tenth, are Anthony, Paul, Yao Ming, Gasol, Bynum, Duncan, and Nowitzki."