David Stern was pleased for a simple reason.
Blake's acceptance speech had been more than just a championship speech. It had also served as excellent promotion for the NBA.
[If you're willing to work hard enough and stay disciplined, then no matter where you come from or what people expect from you, you can still accomplish something special on an NBA court.]
Those words carried far more weight coming from Blake, a rookie who had just carried his team to a championship and won Finals MVP.
For many people around the world, reaching the highest level of professional basketball still felt almost impossible.
Michael Jordan had inspired countless people to fall in love with the game, but loving basketball and believing you could actually reach the NBA were two very different things.
Once the conversation shifted to professional competition at the highest level, many people stopped believing it was realistic.
Physical talent seemed like an enormous barrier.
But Blake had just given aspiring players everywhere another example of what was possible.
Yao Ming had already shown that players from outside the traditional basketball pipeline could make a major impact in the NBA.
Now Blake had gone even further.
Talent mattered, of course.
But with enough work, there was still a path to the highest level.
That was why David Stern had been so pleased when the newly crowned Finals MVP delivered a message that naturally promoted the NBA to players and fans everywhere.
And if Stern had appreciated the message that much, fans back home were even more excited.
On social media, a quote from Blake's speech immediately shot to the top of the trending list.
#PlayersBackHomeCanDoItToo#
Fans celebrated wildly.
They had already been thrilled by the championship.
Now Blake had given basketball back home a moment of pride that felt entirely their own.
Even people who rarely followed basketball joined in, congratulating Blake after seeing what he had accomplished on the NBA's biggest stage.
...
Back at US Airways Center, David Stern had presented both trophies, and Blake had received the Finals MVP trophy from Bill Russell.
After Blake's speech, Game 7 of the 2011 NBA Finals was finally over.
And with it, the entire 2010-11 NBA season came to an end.
The final result was simple.
The Suns were champions.
Blake was Finals MVP.
"Come on, everyone! Group photo!"
Blake stood in the middle of the Suns roster with the championship trophy in his left hand and the Finals MVP trophy in his right.
Everyone crowded around him, smiling as the team took its championship photo.
Once that was done, the Suns headed toward the tunnel.
"The Suns are champions! The Suns are champions! The Suns are champions!"
The fans had been shouting for so long that many of them were already going hoarse.
But the chants followed the team all the way back to the locker room.
...
Inside the Suns locker room, chaos erupted.
"Hahahaha!"
"Champions! We're champions!"
"That comeback was insane!"
"Down 1-3? So what? We came back anyway! Phoenix still won!"
"Blake is unbelievable!"
"Boss, you're incredible!"
"Everybody stepped up!"
"Nobody's going home sober tonight!"
"Let's party!"
Champagne sprayed everywhere.
Led by Blake, Curry, and George, the Suns players drank, shouted, splashed one another, and celebrated without restraint.
After grinding through an entire season and finally winning the championship, every bit of tension disappeared.
Inside their own locker room, they could finally let everything out and enjoy what they had accomplished.
And it wasn't only the players.
The general manager, coaching staff, team employees, and even the owner joined the celebration.
This was their moment.
The Suns had earned the right to enjoy it.
[Ding!]
After celebrating with his teammates for a while, Blake heard the familiar System notification inside his head.
He quietly slipped away to somewhere more private.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You scored 60+ points in a single playoff game and won the series, completing a random quest.
Reward: [Shaq O'Neal's Strength].
Note: The strength corresponds to Shaq O'Neal during his rookie season.
Activation requirement: Host must gain 10 kilograms.
As the Host gains weight, the strength bonus will increase accordingly. Once the Host has gained 10 kilograms, the bonus will reach its full value, granting the Host the complete strength of rookie Shaq O'Neal.
Friendly Reminder: Any increase in body weight will improve the Host's strength.
However, while gaining excess body fat may increase strength more quickly, it may also reduce other physical attributes.
Improper weight gain carries risks. Please increase your weight carefully.]
After hearing the full explanation, Blake couldn't have been happier.
He had already won the championship.
Now, on the same night, he had received a reward that addressed one of the biggest weaknesses in his game.
Shaq O'Neal's strength.
Even if it was only Shaq's rookie-level strength, adding that kind of power to Blake's existing abilities would be more than enough to give LeBron serious trouble.
Bosh might struggle just to get a clean shot off against him.
Of course, that was something to worry about later.
For now, Blake had completed the random quest and obtained rookie Shaq O'Neal's strength.
His ceiling had just risen again.
He also understood the activation requirement and the System's warning.
"As I gain weight, my strength will keep increasing. Once I gain ten kilograms, I'll receive the full reward.
"And whatever strength I've already gained won't suddenly disappear. It'll only decline naturally over time through things like aging.
"So there's no reason to rush it."
The answer was obvious.
During the offseason, Blake needed to follow a proper strength and nutrition program and increase his weight gradually.
By the time next season arrived, he wanted to be even stronger.
"Boss!"
George suddenly came running over, snapping Blake out of his thoughts.
Blake looked at him and immediately shot him a glare.
"George, how many times have I told you?"
"Huh?"
George froze.
Then he scratched his head and gave Blake an embarrassed grin.
"Sorry, sorry. I forgot again. Blake, I'm just way too excited tonight!"
Blake shook his head, smiling.
"All right. What is it?"
"Huh?"
George blinked again, then held out Blake's phone.
"Here. Your mom just called."
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (40 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.