[Melo drops 30 in a single quarter!]
[Melo scores 57 points!]
[Blake Su goes back-to-back Player of the Month + leads Rookie MVP rankings + tops MVP rankings!]
[Nuggets on an 8-game winning streak! Suns on an 8-game winning streak!]
[Suns vs. Nuggets!]
[...]
The next morning,
one explosive headline after another flooded the news, each more shocking than the last. The already highly anticipated Suns vs. Nuggets matchup kept heating up.
Fans were eagerly counting down to tonight's showdown.
The NBA never missed a chance to build hype. After announcing the Player of the Month, Rookie MVP rankings, MVP rankings, and Defensive Player honors last night,
they doubled down today, heavily promoting the Suns vs. Nuggets game.
At the same time,
they were also hyping the upcoming Lakers vs. Suns matchup, a revenge game for the defending champions.
In short,
with all the buzz from every direction, tonight's 9 p.m. game between the Suns and the Nuggets had become the center of attention across the entire league.
...
Meanwhile, on Blake Su's side.
February 3rd.
Around noon, he finally got off the plane and made it back to his villa. If he were not playing tonight, the matchup would lose much of its appeal.
Mia Quinn came along as well. It was her first time visiting the villa Blake Su rented.
"Blake, isn't it a bit over the top for you to live alone in such a big place?"
She said that, but her eyes were already roaming around, clearly impressed.
Blake Su grinned. "When you've got money, you can do whatever you want."
"Tch."
Mia Quinn pouted. "Still feels excessive."
"Quinnie, go check the freezer over there."
Blake Su pointed toward the storage room and turned the central air conditioning up to the max.
"Wow."
The moment she saw the freezer packed with all kinds of treats, especially her favorite chocolate ice cream, Mia Quinn lit up with excitement.
Soon after,
she was happily eating ice cream in the living room.
Blake Su, while organizing his jersey, teased her, "AC on full blast, eating ice cream. You're really living the good life."
"Hehe."
Mia Quinn smiled to herself and kept eating without pause.
About half an hour later,
Blake Su finished getting ready and said, "Quinnie, it's still early. I need to head to the arena for practice. I've got a game tonight.
You can stay here during the day.
I'll come pick you up later. Come to the arena tonight and cheer for me."
"Okay."
Mia Quinn agreed right away, then added, "But you don't have to pick me up. I can go on my own."
"You can drive?"
"No."
"Exactly. Just stay here and wait for me. There's a computer in the study if you want to go online. Snacks are in the storage room.
There's some spending money in my nightstand, and in the fridge..."
"I know already. Can you stop treating me like a kid and planning everything for me? It's embarrassing. Go on, just go."
Mia Quinn shot him an annoyed look and kept pushing him toward the door.
Blake Su laughed. Before leaving, he turned back and added, "Unemployed Mia Quinn, remember to take good care of the house.
I'll pay you tonight."
"Blake Su! You... you just wait!"
Before she could swing at him, Blake Su had already slipped out the door laughing.
...
Waiting always feels long.
After hours of anticipation, two hours before tip-off, fans had already started filing into the arena.
On the court,
players from both the Suns and the Nuggets had arrived early for warm-ups.
Tonight,
besides the scoring duel between Blake Su and Anthony, another major storyline was which team's eight-game winning streak would come to an end.
This was not just Blake Su vs. Anthony.
It was a full team battle.
Blake Su first went home to pick up Mia Quinn, seated her in the front row near the bench, and even bought her snacks.
Only then did he return to the court to continue warm-ups.
That scene caught the attention of quite a few fans. The female fans, in particular, were openly jealous, while many male fans were stunned by Mia Quinn's looks.
Naturally, people started wondering.
Who is she? And what's her relationship with Blake Su?
But that curiosity did not last long. As Blake Su continued warming up, the cheers in the arena grew louder, and the DJ kept the energy high.
Then, with the appearance of Jordan and Pippen causing a small stir,
everyone's focus quickly returned to the game.
"Michael, do you think Carmelo, after dropping 30 in a quarter last night, can beat Blake Su?"
Pippen asked with a smile.
"Hard to say."
Jordan leaned back, stroking his chin. "Don't forget, Blake Su has scored 29 in a quarter himself. And Carmelo once set the record with 33 in a quarter.
His scoring ability is beyond doubt.
That's exactly why I'm here."
Pippen chuckled. "Fair enough. I'm looking forward to seeing Blake Su and Carmelo go head-to-head."
Meanwhile,
in the broadcast studio.
Tonight's game was being called by Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy.
Mike Breen began, "No need to say much. I think everyone, like me, is here to watch the scoring duel between Blake Su and Anthony.
This season, the highest single-quarter scoring performances, 30 points and 29 points, belong to Anthony and Blake Su.
And after last night's 30-point quarter and 57-point game, Anthony seems to be in incredible form.
Of course, Blake Su, who just went back-to-back as Player of the Month while leading both the Rookie MVP and MVP rankings, is not someone anyone can underestimate."
Van Gundy continued, "That's right. Tonight, Blake Su and Anthony, two players who score as easily as breathing, going head-to-head is the main attraction.
But both teams are strong, so the role players will also be crucial. Their performance could very well decide the outcome."
"That's right, and..."
Before the game,
the commentators kept building anticipation.
On the court,
amid the roaring atmosphere, warm-ups finally ended.
The starting lineups stepped onto the floor.
The highly anticipated Suns vs. Nuggets showdown had officially begun.