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"Hisss!"
The moment 'Facing the Wind Pee Ten Meters' uttered the name Carlos, countless fans gasped in shock, some even swallowed involuntarily.
It was an astonishment indeed.
Carlos, a rookie, stormed into the All-Star voting with an astounding 253,000 votes, outpacing superstars like Anthony, Paul, Gustavo Ayon, Duncan, and Nowitzki.
He was only behind the leader Kobe, and just a mere thousand votes short of Durant.
"Fake... This has got to be fake, right?"
"Carlos in third? With 253,000 votes? Could there be a mistake?"
"My god, how is this possible? Carlos, though talented, is still a rookie. His popularity shouldn't be this high to garner so many votes!"
"Is it all the Mexicans voting for him? No, wait, their vote counts have been restricted. So, what's going on? Could it possibly be..."
"Hey, I mean... is it that hard to admit Carlos has both the skills and the popularity?"
"Exactly, Carlos may be a rookie, but he's not just any rookie. He's the youngest player ever to score 60 points in a game, a man born for buzzer-beaters, unique with 13 three-pointers in a single game—a revolutionary center.
Plus...
He's led his team to a 21-game winning streak and has remained undefeated in his professional career.
He's indeed a rookie but the crème de la crème, an outstanding player to the core. Isn't it pretty normal for him to be just third in the Western Conference votes? Is it so hard to accept that Carlos embodies a super rookie with both talent and popularity?!"
"No, it's... uh... Carlos is strong!"
"Right, my brother Carlos is just that excellent. Moreover... everyone should know, centers are usually not that popular in All-Star votes.
Except for Gustavo Ayon and 'Superman.'
Even 'Shaq' Shaquille O'Neal, in his prime with three consecutive championships, was just average in All-Star popularity, never once being a vote king.
And Carlos...
As a rookie, he's already third in the Western Conference from the first round of voting and is the only rookie among the top twenty in both conferences. Carlos... truly a super rookie with both talent and popularity!"
"John Wall, the NBA Draft's first overall pick, is nowhere to be seen, while Carlos is the real super rookie, a genuine T0 class!"
"Carlos is too strong!"
"I'm sure, this year's vote king will definitely be Carlos!"
"Haha, the vote king might be up in the air. But, I reckon with Carlos' popularity and skills, making it into the Western All-Star starting lineup should be no issue."
"Wow—a rookie in the All-Star starting lineup, it's terrifying!"
"Uh..." A rookie named Carlos, with 253,000 votes, has trumped a host of Western Conference stars to break into the top three in the first round of All-Star voting.
It's a shock to the league!
Carlos, this rookie who seems to have descended out of nowhere, not only has extraordinary skills but also an unimaginable popularity that makes everyone exclaim in admiration!
Carlos: Dominating from day one!
...
About time.
In the Wizards' locker room.
John Wall, aware of Carlos's first-round vote count, is frowning in frustration. Because... he scrolled through the rankings for quite a while before spotting himself.
Barely 53,000 votes.
Substantially less than what Carlos garnered, Wall began to question his life choices, his self-worth, muttering: "As this year's NBA Draft's first overall pick, am I really that bad?!"
In fact...
It's not that he's bad, it's just... Carlos is that strong!
...
And as for Carlos...
Though he won the battle in Salt Lake City, playing with 'altitude sickness' was truly draining, and it wasn't until 3 PM that Carlos felt somewhat recovered.
Upon waking...
He browsed the news for a while, also learning about his own jump to third place in the Western votes.
"I've got 253,000 votes, but the highest, Kobe, is close to 400,000. As the active 'best player in the league,' 'the leading scoring guard,' Kobe's popularity is still soaring.
"However... my vote count is already not low, no, it can be said to be quite high."
Yes...
You have to understand, Carlos isn't like Gustavo Ayon of his time, who entered the NBA with the eyes of all Mexico, and even the whole world, watching him, not starting with the support and endorsement of all Mexican basketball fans from the get-go.
His popularity was earned through each and every game he played.
Even with the support of Mexico behind him, reaching the pinnacle of popularity isn't something that happens overnight.
In fact...
That's exactly the case. Despite Carlos playing 21 sensational games in the NBA, it's only been 21 games, in an era where the internet hasn't completely taken over.
Cross-border matters are even harder to navigate.
In Mexico, the true basketball fans who know Carlos, although numerous, are somewhat insignificant when considered within the large base population.
The key point is...
Even if many people like Carlos, not every one of them will vote, or even know the channels to vote through.
Fortunately...
In 2009, X book emerged and after two years, it has grown to over 100 million registered users, quickly becoming the go-to app for following real-time hot topics.
Significantly, this year's All-Star voting can also be done through X.
For Carlos and his fans, this is undoubtedly good news.
It's just that... X book, opening the All-Star voting channel for the first time, will need a bit more time to let more fans know about it.
"Pretty good!"
Carlos, who is not overly ambitious, is quite satisfied with the first round of voting results.
Moreover...
Compared to the All-Star voting, Carlos needs to consider another problem.
"Although we clinched a comeback victory against the Jazz last game... I didn't get a '30+ near quadruple-double' and didn't complete the random task set by the system, so I didn't gain the 'Jordan post-up' ability.
Uh... tough task, good rewards. Damn, isn't the system messing with my mindset?"
Muttering a complaint about the system, Carlos still etched the task in his mind, knowing it might come to fruition when the time, place, and context align.
'Jordan post-up ability'.
Still tantalizing!
After taking note of the task, Carlos shifted focus, temporarily settling on the upcoming clash with the Rockets. The 22-game winning streak, a record-breaking battle, was a must-win!
At 4 PM...
Carlos arrived at the training gym for his routine practice.
No sooner had he set foot in the gym than he saw Curry walking over with a smile, grabbing a basketball, and pointing at Carlos, bellowing, "Carlos, let's go one-on-one. I think... I only need 30% effort to beat you!"
Carlos: ??