Chapter 748: Special Guest
Stephen Curry watched the magnificent scene in front of him with disbelief.
Golden State Warriors' home games could also create a wave of excitement throughout the city, but professional sports were always so realistic. Only with good results could they attract enough fan support, and home games were no exception. No one wanted to see a long period of slump and a string of losses.
This was also the reason why the Green Bay Packers' home stadium was so rare and precious. Regardless of their performance, through highs and lows, the fans were always loyal, and the stadium was always full. This team had become an indispensable part of the city and its residents' lives.
The Golden State Warriors were going through a long and painful slump. Their last championship had to be traced back to the distant year of 1975, 37 years ago. In the 2006 season, they had a "We Believe" moment, defeating the Dallas Mavericks to make it to the second round of the playoffs, but after that, they failed to make it to the playoffs for five consecutive seasons.
After Curry entered the league, although the attendance at Oracle Arena was good, the enthusiasm and crowds at Candlestick Park truly opened his eyes, and he felt the profound shock firsthand.
In the surging crowd, Curry saw Candice.
Her jersey sleeves were rolled up, her ponytail was neatly tied, and there was a brilliant sparkle of sweat on her forehead. A bright, sunny smile hung on her lips as she happily jumped up and down. Her high ponytail bounced up and down, exuding a lively and cheerful youthful energy. Her unadorned face was radiant, making it impossible to look away.
She held up the bright yellow megaphone and shouted enthusiastically:
"We are the Niners!"
"We are warriors!"
Although they had never met, Curry knew that was Candice.
Before, Curry had heard Candice's name from Lu Ke many times. He and Watt had secretly Googled pictures of Candice, but today was the first time they were in the same space, face to face. Curry deeply felt that Lu Ke was deliberately not introducing them. There had to be something going on!
He looked left and right. The surging, boiling crowd was fully engaged, shouting wildly, and lost in the moment. No one seemed to notice Curry's presence. They were just cheering freely, igniting the frenzy and passion of Candlestick Park, and immersing themselves in this massive and crazy party.
At this moment, Curry was just an ordinary member of the Niners.
After a moment of hesitation, Curry also started shouting with everyone else. When the words broke free from the constraints of his chest, the passionate and emotional feelings began to surge out.
This was the right way to experience a live game!
It was completely different from watching a live broadcast on TV. Although watching a live broadcast could also make one feel excited, home and the stadium were, after all, completely different. That kind of excitement, that kind of frenzy, that kind of freedom made people completely forget their own existence and just become an insignificant part of this massive wave.
If Curry wanted to, he could have completely bypassed this surging crowd, taken the VIP entrance, and gone directly to the official San Francisco 49ers suite to watch the game. There was no need to squeeze through the crowd. With Lu Ke's current position in the team, he could easily enjoy the best VIP service.
But Curry chose to personally go to Candlestick Park and join the fans, enjoying the fulfilling sense of happiness from being at a live game in the most direct and simple way, just as Lu Ke had done when he went to Oakland to watch his home game.
At this moment, Curry was more grateful than ever for his decision. He also couldn't wait to raise his right hand high, jumping and roaring, "We are the Niners! We are warriors!"
The bustling crowd moved forward little by little. Curry also gave up resisting and just went with the flow. When he realized it, he was already next to Candice.
He looked up, and his eyes met Candice's.
Candice showed a bright smile. Her slightly surprised eyes revealed her thoughts: she recognized Curry.
Curry's eyes flashed, and he also gave her a big smile.
Without a word, with just a glance, the two of them shouted in unison, "We are warriors!"
This was the first time the two of them officially met. Strictly speaking, before this, they had never even talked on the phone or directly. All the bits and pieces of information came from Lu Ke. Through those occasional fragments of conversation, they had gotten to know each other early. As strangers who had never met, they knew a surprising amount about each other.
Now, that chemistry found the right frequency amidst the hustle and bustle of Candlestick Park. With Lu Ke as a bridge, they instantly went from strangers to friends.
"We are the Niners!"
"We are warriors!"
The roaring sounds poured down like an avalanche, spreading majestically inside and outside Candlestick Park, as if lighting up the "candles" of Candlestick Park once again, officially declaring the start of the 2012 season. The seemingly weak light illuminated the entire blue sky of the Bay Area, and even the sunlight became dull in comparison.
The roaring sound on their eardrums vibrated endlessly, so much so that their souls began to tremble slightly.
When the San Francisco 49ers team bus slowly arrived at the scene, the boiling sound reached an unimaginable climax.
The fans, like a huge red wave, slowly approached, but they did not push and shove in a disorderly manner. Amidst the chaos and noise, they maintained a rare order and discipline, expressing their support and welcome with enthusiastic shouts. But even that was enough to ignite the atmosphere of the entire stadium. The rising heat could be clearly felt on their skin.
In the sea of people, Curry and Candice stood on a small high ground. Their tall and slender figures stood out slightly in the crowd. Behind them were Lu Zhengze, Li Monian, Jiang Youning, Jeff, and others.
Looking past the bright red waves, they could see Lu Ke sitting by the window, his eyes closed in a daze.
To block out the noise and maintain a high level of concentration, Lu Ke wore a huge pair of noise-canceling headphones, completely covering his ears. He was immersed in his own world, as if he were a gladiator preparing to enter the arena, resting and waiting to deliver a fatal blow to his opponent on the battlefield.
Curry excitedly waved his arm, trying to get Lu Ke's attention. He had already planned to make a funny face if Lu Ke turned around.
Unfortunately, Lu Ke didn't open his eyes. Instead, Logan, who was sitting next to him, immediately caught sight of a large group of familiar faces. He stood up, knelt on the bus seat, and excitedly waved his arms through the window, making ugly faces as if he were saying something, but no one could understand him.
What a character.
The fans around them noticed Logan's gestures and Aldon and Marcus's playful antics. The fans immediately became even more excited. The shouts rose and fell, rising to another level. Then everyone started shouting the same name:
"Bambi."
No one knew who started it first, but it quickly spread, so fast that it was astonishing. This seemed to have become a tradition at the San Francisco 49ers' home games. Every fan didn't need to train or coordinate. The chemistry in their bones immediately responded to each other, and the shouts continued to rumble like thunder.
The large group of fans around Curry and Candice were all familiar faces with a lot of experience. They all had big smiles on their faces, clenched their right fists, and started shouting in unison.
The tsunami-like wave swept through the entire Candlestick Park like a storm, from outside to inside the stadium, from the stadium to the city, from the live audience to the people watching on TV. Every household could clearly feel the call of the boiling blood in their bodies.
Standing in the VIP suite, Leonardo DiCaprio watched the boiling scene in front of him with focused attention. He could feel the heat on his skin, even from a great distance.
All the fans were like pumpkin seeds, densely spread throughout the entire Candlestick Park, far exceeding the number of people that Candlestick Park could hold. Cheers, shouts, and screams blended into one, creating a powerful and earth-shattering momentum. He could clearly feel the surge and vibration on his eardrums.
"Bambi!"
Once upon a time, for Americans, Bambi was an indispensable part of their childhood memories, but with the passage of time and their growing age, all meaning was forever fixed on the yellowed memories of childhood. But now, this name had been given a new meaning, becoming the spiritual leader of this team and this city.
This was truly incredible.
Leonardo liked to watch the Los Angeles Lakers' games at the Staples Center, sitting in the VIP seats on the side of the court, watching the top superstars sweat and fight up close. His adrenaline couldn't help but surge. But it was only when he was actually at a football game that he could feel the absolute popularity of North America's number one sport.
"What do you think? Isn't the scene in front of you especially spectacular? If you're curious, you can go down and stand in the crowd. It's a very special experience." In the VIP suite, Leonardo was not the only one. A smiling voice came from beside him.
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