"Hmm~"
At the commentary booth.
Van Gundy frowned slightly and said,
"Whether it was the exciting back-and-forth between the Heat's 'Big Three' and Kobe and Pau Gasol in the first quarter,
or the '23' vs. '24' duel between LeBron and Kobe trading baskets in the second quarter,
or the Heat's Big Three unleashing that explosive scoring run in the third,
or 'Black Mamba' Kobe's relentless offensive push to close the gap in the fourth…
In short.
There were plenty of highlights in this game.
But… but why do I still feel like something's missing? Even though the matchup was clearly exciting, why does it somehow feel… not that enjoyable?!"
He looked puzzled.
Mike Breen rested his chin on his hand, equally confused. He felt the same lack of excitement—almost the same dullness some fans were feeling.
"Why?!"
The two exchanged glances, both deep in thought.
Just then, a fan walking out behind them muttered to himself:
"A one-sided game… what a boring Christmas matchup.
Forget it.
I'm going home to rewatch the Suns vs. Lakers game. That game was thrilling—that's the kind of matchup I actually want to see."
Buzz!
Those words were like a wake-up call.
Hearing this, Van Gundy suddenly understood and smiled.
"Mike, I've got it. I know why the Lakers vs. Heat Christmas game feels a bit dull."
"Why?!"
Mike Breen still looked confused.
Van Gundy smiled faintly and said,
"In fact, tonight's Heat vs. Lakers game was quite exciting—at least the best among the five Christmas Day games today.
The reason it feels a little dull
isn't because this game wasn't exciting.
It's because… the Suns vs. Lakers game before it was just too incredible.
Tonight,
even though the Heat's Big Three, Kobe, Pau Gasol, and the others all had impressive moments,
once the Heat's Big Three launched that run in the third quarter,
the game basically turned one-sided.
The Heat kept suppressing the Lakers and maintained the lead the whole time, which naturally reduced the suspense.
But the Suns vs. Lakers game was different.
Right from the start, it was Blake Su and Kobe trading explosions.
The score stayed close the entire time. Whenever the Suns fell behind by a large margin, Blake Su stepped up, draining a barrage of three-pointers to pull the score back and keep the suspense alive.
In the final stretch, the two teams even kept trading the lead.
That kind of game—full of twists and constant suspense—was naturally thrilling.
And at the very end, Blake Su turned the impossible into reality.
With 3.8 seconds left, he stole the ball, sprinted the length of the court, and finished with a game-winning layup!
13 three-pointers, 65 points, and a game-winning steal.
Rookie Blake Su overpowered 'the number one shooting guard' Kobe and blew the roof off the arena, pushing that back-and-forth thriller to its absolute peak.
Naturally, it stole the spotlight from every other game.
And because the games were scheduled so close together,
that's why tonight's Heat vs. Lakers matchup—and even all of this year's Christmas games—feel a bit underwhelming by comparison."
"Bingo!"
Mike Breen snapped his fingers and nodded repeatedly.
"That's it, exactly! It's because the Suns vs. Lakers game was so incredible that tonight's game feels a little bland."
Buzz!
Those words immediately made many nearby fans realize the same thing.
"Ah! So that's it!"
"Damn, I knew the game was good, but something just felt off. Turns out my brain kept comparing it to the Suns vs. Lakers game."
"Bingo!"
"Exactly. Even if the Heat and Lakers played well tonight, it still can't compare to Blake Su hitting 13 threes and dropping 65 against the Lakers."
"That explains it. Now it makes sense!"
"..."
For a moment, all the fans who had felt the Christmas game was dull suddenly understood.
The first thing many of them wanted to do now was go home and rewatch that incredible Suns vs. Lakers showdown.
...
Meanwhile, Blake Su and Mia Quinn.
As the player involved in that earlier game, Blake Su naturally didn't feel that way. And Mia Quinn hadn't watched the previous matchup, so she felt nothing either.
Besides, as a girl, she wasn't exactly crazy about basketball in the first place.
Tonight,
she had simply come along with Blake Su.
For Blake Su, this was the first time he had watched a game as a fan since becoming a player. And watching such an exciting Christmas matchup felt great—he thoroughly enjoyed it.
"Let's go, Blake!"
Mia Quinn tugged at Blake Su, who still seemed a little reluctant to leave.
But the moment they stepped outside the arena, they discovered the ground had already turned white.
At this moment… in Los Angeles approaching midnight, heavy snow was falling.
"Wow!"
"Little Blake, it's really snowing!"
Mia Quinn ran to the open plaza outside the arena, looked up at the sky, spread her arms wide with her Santa-claus mittens on, and spun happily in circles.
Last night she had wished it would snow.
And now it really was snowing—thick, heavy snow exactly like she wanted.
She hopped over to Blake Su with a big smile and said happily,
"Blake, should we walk back to the hotel?"
"Sure."
Blake Su agreed immediately, then took out his phone with a smile.
"Quinnie, spread your arms again like just now. I'll take a photo—you'll definitely look beautiful."
"I was thinking the same thing!"
Mia Quinn nodded repeatedly.
Using the falling snow as the backdrop, Blake Su took many photos of her. Both the person and the scenery were stunning—naturally the pictures looked even better than professional photos.
"Blake, stand by that rock and strike a pose. I'll take a few pictures of you."
"Hey, sir, could you take a picture of the two of us? Thank you~"
And so…
On the Christmas-filled streets of Los Angeles in the early morning, Blake Su and Mia Quinn slowly walked toward the hotel while taking photos and enjoying the scenery.
The brightly lit streets were covered in thick white snow.
The roads, grassy slopes, trees, sheds, and even the cars parked along the street were all blanketed in white. Even the sky seemed a little brighter.
They walked for a long, long time—until they were too tired to keep going.
But…
The hotel wasn't far anymore.
As the snow kept falling heavier and the night grew deeper, the air became colder. Blake Su picked up the hat and scarf Mia Quinn had taken off earlier while playing around and put them back on her.
"Here."
Mia Quinn removed one of the Christmas mittens connected by a long red string and put it on Blake Su's hand as they walked along the streets of Los Angeles.
"Quinnie, are you happy?"
"Very happy! Snowy Los Angeles is really beautiful. This Christmas is the happiest one I've had since I was little~"