Even though the game had ended quite a while ago, the roaring atmosphere inside the arena showed no signs of fading. If anything, it was getting even more intense.
On the court.
Reporter Kristen Ledlow approached Blake Su. Known as TNT's most stunning reporter, she walked over with a slight blush on her cheeks.
Clearly,
Blake Su's dazzling performance had left her excited.
She stopped in front of him and smiled.
"Mr. Blake Su, could you spare a little time for an interview?"
"Sure."
Blake Su was in a great mood and agreed without hesitation.
"Hehe."
Kristen was clearly in high spirits as well. Smiling, she said,
"You put on another perfect performance tonight. Especially in the final moments, when everyone believed the Suns were going to lose while trailing by three points.
You intentionally missed a free throw and ended up scoring four straight points, not even giving the Spurs a chance to reach overtime before sealing the game with a buzzer-beater.
It was both magical and incredible. Truly remarkable.
So I want to ask you something.
Why didn't you choose the safer option of making all three free throws to force overtime, and instead took the risk of going for a four-point game-winner?"
Hearing this, Blake Su was stunned.
He genuinely had not expected people to interpret his final play that way.
But in reality,
he hadn't missed on purpose at all. He really did miss. He had simply anticipated the rebound ahead of time, rushed into the paint, grabbed it, and barely managed to convert the putback for the game-winner.
Intentionally missing a free throw so the ball bounced outward was already extremely difficult.
Even if it worked, whether you could grab the rebound was uncertain.
And even if you got the rebound, whether you could score was another question entirely.
Winning the game that way was incredibly difficult.
If he had the choice, Blake Su would absolutely have preferred the safer route of making all three free throws, sending the game to overtime, and then finding a way to win.
"Uh…"
Blake Su thought for a moment and said seriously,
"What if I told you… I really did miss that free throw. Would you believe me?"
"Oh, come on."
Kristen waved her hand and laughed.
"Anyone watching could tell you intentionally missed it so you could grab the rebound and hit the game-winner.
I've heard you're very humble.
Now that I've seen it for myself, it's absolutely true.
You're talented, young, handsome, incredibly popular, and also very humble.
Blake Su, I bet you're very popular with girls."
In response,
Blake Su gave a polite, professional smile. There really wasn't much else he could say.
Kristen was articulate, witty, and charming, and with her great looks and figure, being interviewed by her was honestly quite enjoyable.
It had to be said.
Kristen was an excellent reporter.
Blake Su had already been in a good mood, and after the interview, he felt even better.
Not long after Kristen wrapped up the interview, Tim Duncan, who had been waiting nearby, walked over and greeted him with a smile.
"Hello, Blake Su."
"Hello, Tim."
Blake Su smiled in return.
Even though he had dunked on him during the game, Blake Su still held Duncan in high regard off the court. After all, this man with the somewhat goofy expression was known to be a genuinely good person.
"Congratulations. Another spectacular win tonight.
As a rookie, you nearly carried the team by yourself in a desperate situation and then finished it with a game-winner.
You defeated our 'GDP' head-on.
Blake Su, you're truly strong. Among all the rookies I've seen so far, you're the strongest. Without question."
"No, no."
Blake Su shook his head with a faint smile.
"Tonight was just a lucky win. The Spurs' 'GDP' trio is still incredibly strong. No matter when we face you, we have to take it seriously."
"Hehe."
Duncan gave his trademark goofy smile, then patted Blake Su on the shoulder and said seriously,
"Blake Su, you're really strong. I truly believe the future of this league belongs to you."
Hearing that, Blake Su froze for a moment.
That line might arrive late, but it never fails to appear.
A few years ago, Duncan had said the same thing to LeBron, the "Chosen One."
And now he was saying it to him.
Does he say this to every talented young player?
Blake Su chuckled and blurted out instinctively,
"Tim… you're such a player."
"Huh? A player?"
Duncan blinked in confusion.
Blake Su just smiled and shook his head.
The two chatted for a while longer before Duncan finally left. It was clear that, after being completely convinced by Blake Su's performance, he had grown quite fond of this incredibly talented young player.
After Duncan left,
Blake Su was about to head back to the locker room when he saw two petite figures walking toward him.
At first glance, he assumed they were ordinary female fans.
But when he looked closer, he was genuinely surprised.
They were Yoona and Jessica, members of the massively popular Korean girl group Girls' Generation.
"Hello, Blake Su. I'm Yoona!"
Outgoing and cheerful, Yoona waved and greeted him first.
Meanwhile, the "Ice Princess" Jessica was a bit reserved around strangers. She gave a small nod and spoke softly.
"Hello, I'm Jessica."
"Hello."
Blake Su smiled back. Seeing two beautiful idols he had previously only seen on television standing right in front of him felt both surprising and a little surreal.
Blake Su took the initiative to start the conversation.
"Yoona the maknae, Jessica the main vocalist. I'm actually a fan of yours."
Girls' Generation was one of the top girl groups of Korea's second generation.
Their breakout hit "Gee" had propelled them to global fame.
Although at this point they might not yet have reached their absolute peak,
Blake Su was already familiar with them.
"Really?!"
Yoona looked surprised.
She had come tonight as Blake Su's fan, so hearing that Blake Su was a fan of theirs made her extremely happy.
"We're your fans too.
Can we take a photo with you?"
"Of course."
Blake Su nodded with a smile.
When two hugely popular female idols asked for a photo, how could anyone possibly refuse?
"Stephen!"
Blake Su called out.
He waved over Curry, who had been waiting by the bench to head back to the locker room with him.
"Come take a few pictures for us."
"?"
"Alright."
Curry had thought something important was happening, only to discover he had been summoned to become an emotionless camera operator.
Yoona and Jessica stood on either side of Blake Su.
Jessica, a bit shy, simply stood close beside him.
Yoona, cheerful as always, smiled as she hooked one arm around Blake Su's arm and made a cute peace sign near her eye with the other.
Click.
Click.
Click click click.
...
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