"Wow! Wow! Wow! Important things deserve three wows!"
"The 'Blake Su Generation 1' signature shoes I've been looking forward to, dreaming about day and night, and losing sleep over... are they finally coming out?!"
"Yes."
"Hey, hey, can someone break down what the 'Blake Su Generation 1' concept art means?"
"You idiot, does that even need analysis? Didn't the designer already explain it? The 'Blake Su Generation 1' is a black-themed performance shoe.
"Overall, it looks great.
"The outsole has segmented grooves in yellow, gray, and black. The tread looks deep, so the grip should be excellent. As for cushioning and bounce, it's hard to tell from just a concept image.
"But Adidas is a major company, so the quality has always been reliable. They also specifically emphasized that it was made according to Blake Su's center-sized build.
"But it will also fit guards and forwards.
"In other words, even though it's a center-style performance shoe, it's also suitable for shorter players and basketball fans. If even centers can wear it, then for lighter people like us, the cushioning and bounce definitely won't be a problem.
"The key is... Blake Su is only a center in height. His skill set is completely guard-level, and the designers will definitely account for that perfectly.
"The quality is beyond question.
"And the most eye-catching part of these shoes is undoubtedly the white logo on the black upper. It's a clean white circle, with a vertical stroke rising from the top and a short horizontal line inside.
"It's simple, sharp, and instantly ties back to Blake Su's name and identity. The white logo on the black shoe gives it a strong visual contrast and fits him perfectly.
"I have to say, this logo design is really clever."
"Wow! Even though it's only a concept image, I already can't wait to buy a pair of 'Blake Su Generation 1' shoes."
"I love it, I love it!"
"Hehe, as long as they're Blake Su's shoes, I'll support them no matter what!"
"Exactly!"
"Count me in!"
"I'm buying three pairs. One to wear, one to collect, and one as a backup pair!"
"Then I'm buying eight pairs. One for my collection, and seven more, one pair for each day of the week, so I can wear a different pair of Blake Su shoes every day!"
"Rich... truly rich and reckless!"
"..."
Almost the instant the concept art for the "Blake Su Generation 1" shoes came out, it shot to the top of Twitter's trending list. And not just in the United States, but in China as well.
Chinese fans were all shouting that they wanted to support Blake Su and buy the "Blake Su Generation 1" shoes.
The buzz had taken off in just half a day.
...
Adidas headquarters.
Manager's office.
Wagner scrolled through post after post of fans heatedly discussing the "Blake Su Generation 1" shoes and saying they wanted to buy them. He was grinning from ear to ear.
"Nice! Nice! Nice!"
"This is exactly the effect we wanted. Just one concept image made so many fans this eager to buy them. This is fantastic!"
Wagner kept sighing in amazement. "For a rookie to have such terrifying popularity, Blake Su is definitely the first after Jordan.
"Even 'King James' LeBron and 'The Answer' Iverson can't compare.
"I believe... when the 'Blake Su Generation 1' shoes go up for presale, the sales will be huge. No, they'll explode!"
With that thought, Wagner immediately called the production department and gave instructions for them to work overtime producing the "Blake Su Generation 1" shoes.
And he emphasized one thing.
They needed quantity, but they absolutely had to guarantee quality.
He knew very well that no matter how popular Blake Su was, if there were quality problems, the sales this time might still be good.
But in the end, that would only be wasting Blake Su's popularity. More accurately, it would be slowly destroying himself and destroying Adidas.
...
5:00 p.m.
US Airways Center.
Inside the Suns' locker room.
Some of the players were organizing their gear and getting ready to head out to the court for warmups. Tonight, the Suns would first face the Timberwolves, followed by the main event, the Bucks versus the Heat.
"Boss, say no more. I want to reserve a pair of the 'Blake Su Generation 1' signature shoes in advance. No, two pairs. I want two pairs."
George rushed up to Blake Su with a serious look on his face.
Clearly, he had also heard the news about the "Blake Su Generation 1" concept art Adidas released today.
"Heh."
Blake Su smiled and said to George, "I've told you so many times. Don't call me boss this season. At least... at least wait until after we win the championship."
"Ah, it slipped out. Got it."
George scratched his head and gave a sheepish smile.
"What about me? I want to reserve a pair too."
Curry jogged over as well, speaking excitedly.
"Um... count me in too!"
Nearby, Nash gently raised his hand. "They're Blake Su's shoes, so I have to support them."
"Me too!"
"Count me in. I've got to help boost Blake Su's popularity too!"
For a moment, everyone joined in, saying they wanted to buy a pair.
Blake Su smiled brightly and said happily, "Thanks for the support, everyone. Don't worry, I'll definitely save some for you. Just make sure you have your money ready."
"Haha!"
"No problem, no problem."
Amid the laughter, the players headed out to the court for warmups.
Since this was the Suns' final regular-season game, and their opponent was the weak Timberwolves, the game did not draw much attention.
On top of that, for safety reasons, Coach Gentry rested Blake Su and Nash tonight. At the same time... Curry and George's minutes were also reduced.
So, the Timberwolves, who had been beaten by the Suns three times this season, battled them all the way into the final quarter tonight. Relying on a key rebound and mid-range jumper from the "new Wolf King" Love, they sealed the win.
They won the game!
In the previous three matchups, Love had basically put up gorgeous 20-plus-20 stat lines every time. Unfortunately, the team had been blown out badly in all of them.
That left Love, who had clearly earned those numbers, carrying the suspicion of padding stats.
Tonight, the Timberwolves finally beat the Suns. Everyone thought Love would use this win to clear his name. Who would have expected... aside from his performance in those key final moments, Love was ordinary for most of the game.
In the end, Love finished with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. For the "new Wolf King," that performance was decent.
But it was not enough to clear his name.
On top of that, because the Timberwolves won when his numbers were merely decent, while his stats had exploded in the three losses, the comparison only made fans even more convinced that Love might be padding his numbers.
Even though many people knew it was just a joke, plenty of fans still could not help teasing him, saying that even though the Timberwolves won tonight, Love was probably going to cry himself unconscious in the locker room again.
And with the Suns, who rested Blake Su and Nash, losing to the Timberwolves, their record was fixed at 66 wins and 16 losses, bringing their 82-game regular season to an end.
After the game, fans kept sighing in amazement.
Before Blake Su arrived, the Suns were 2-8.
After Blake Su arrived, the Suns went 64-8, a winning percentage as high as 87.5%.
For a rookie to lead a team to an 87.5% winning percentage, the strength of "Monster Rookie" Blake Su was truly astonishing.
At almost the same time.
At the Bucks' arena.
The matchup between the Bucks and the Heat also began!