"They really are!"
Mia Quinn glanced behind her and smiled. "They weren't dressed like that a moment ago. They must've just taken off their jackets."
She was right.
While Mia Quinn and Yoona were talking, more and more fans throughout the arena began removing their outer layers, revealing the T-shirts underneath.
The sight left both of them increasingly surprised.
Actually, it wasn't just Mia Quinn and Yoona.
What the fans were doing had caught the attention of the entire arena.
Everywhere you looked, people were taking off their jackets to reveal T-shirts covered with superhero designs.
Some particularly dedicated fans had even come dressed as superheroes themselves.
Not every costume was especially convincing, but it was obvious they had put real effort into them.
"Whoa, what's going on?!"
"Why is everyone dressed like superheroes? My God, there are so many of them. I don't even know where to look!"
"Let's see... Superman, Batman, Wolverine, Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor...
"Wow!
"They've even got Captain America, and that movie only came out recently!"
"Thor's got his hammer, Batman's got his mask, but Spider-Man, you just wrapped yourself in some rope and expect me to accept that you're Spider-Man? You're killing me!"
"Why are Wonder Woman and Wolverine a couple?!"
"Hahaha! Marvel and DC have officially joined forces tonight!"
"But seriously, why did so many superheroes suddenly show up? Why is everyone doing this?"
"Is this some kind of superhero show?!"
"Of course it is, but I think that's only part of it.
"All these fans went to so much trouble dressing up as superheroes because they have one bigger reason.
"They want Blake to become the 'superhero' one more time tonight and defeat the 'villains' led by LeBron, Wade, and Bosh.
"Save the Suns. Save the league!"
"Oh! Yeah, that actually makes sense!"
"'The Emperor' Blake has to become the 'Sun God' again tonight, play the 'superhero,' and defeat the 'villains'!
"Bring the championship to Phoenix!"
"Let's go, Blake!"
"Let's go, Suns!!!"
The sudden superhero spectacle made an already electric arena even louder.
An All-Star crowd.
A superhero show.
The debut of the Blake Su Generation.
And a winner-take-all Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
With all of that coming together, the game hadn't even started yet, and the fans were already beside themselves with excitement.
On the court, both teams continued warming up.
At the commentary table, Van Gundy smiled and said, "Tonight's game means an enormous amount to both teams.
"For Miami, it all started last summer when LeBron went to Miami and joined Wade and Bosh to form the Heat Big Three.
"Almost overnight, the Heat became the team everyone loved to hate.
"And as Miami's biggest star, LeBron naturally took the brunt of the criticism.
"Of course, Wade and Bosh took plenty of heat too.
"All three of them took pay cuts to come together, only to be criticized relentlessly and cast as the 'villains.'
"They've sacrificed a lot and endured a lot.
"So they need a championship to silence the criticism and make those sacrifices worthwhile.
"As for Phoenix, this franchise was founded in 1968. It has been around for 43 years and has reached the Finals twice before.
"But the Suns have never won a championship.
"This is the third Finals appearance in franchise history, and now they have a chance to win the first title the organization has ever had.
"If they do it, it'll be one of the greatest honors any player on this roster could achieve.
"So yes, this Game 7 means everything to both teams."
"Absolutely."
Mike Breen nodded.
"The series has come all the way down to Game 7. Both teams have what it takes to win.
"Now we get to find out who has the last laugh."
Meanwhile, at the broadcast studio...
One commentator declared, "Everything comes down to this game.
"'The Emperor' Blake has one final chance to win a championship and prove that he can reach the very top of the NBA.
"There are only 48 minutes left.
"I hope he can lead the Suns to victory, bring Phoenix its first championship, and complete this incredible run!"
"That's right!"
His partner nodded emphatically.
"Blake has already established himself as one of the brightest stars in basketball.
"Now there are only 48 minutes standing between him and the championship.
"Hopefully, he can lead the Suns to victory and bring this franchise its first title!"
Even commentators who had covered countless major games could barely contain their anticipation for tonight's Game 7.
Back on the court, there were fifteen minutes remaining before tip-off.
Renowned NBA reporter Woj first approached "Flash" Wade.
"Dwyane, how confident are you about tonight's Game 7?
"You've lost two straight after being in control of the series, and now you have to play the deciding game on the road.
"Winning the championship from here doesn't look easy."
"No, no, no."
"Flash" Wade immediately shook his head.
"Once a series reaches Game 7, we're never going to see ourselves as the underdogs.
"And besides, LeBron, Bosh, and I have endured a lot this season. We've sacrificed a lot too.
"Now we need a championship to make all of that worthwhile.
"It would be the reward for everything we've sacrificed.
"And we're going to get it.
"This year's championship belongs to the Heat."
"That confident?"
Woj looked slightly surprised.
"Absolutely."
Wade nodded without hesitation.
"This is the last game of the season. There's no reason to give you some polite answer.
"Everyone here wants the championship.
"But we're the ones who are going to win it."
"Well said."
Woj smiled and nodded.
"With Dwyane this confident, I imagine the entire Heat team feels the same way.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys do tonight."
Wade nodded, then returned to his warmup.
Woj immediately moved on and found Blake.
"Blake, you heard what Dwyane just said, right?"
"Yeah."
Blake nodded.
"So do you have anything you want to say in response?
"What do you have to say about tonight's game?"
Woj asked.
"Hmm..."
Blake thought for a moment.
Then he smiled faintly.
"I'll just say it straight.
"I'm here to lead this team to a championship."
...
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