No.1 in basketball scoring-Chapter 199 - 112. The Overshadowed All-Star MVP_3

Ultimately, thanks to O’Neal’s dominance in the paint and the fast breaks led by James and Wade, the Eastern team narrowly defeated the Western team 125 to 119.

The commentators were all marveling at O’Neal’s impact. From the revival of the All-Star Game in 2000 to 2004, during five All-Star games, the West won four times. The only time the East won was in the 2001 All-Star game when Duncan’s last-second mid-range shot missed, and the East won by one point.

Back then, the disparity in strength between the Eastern and Western All-Star lineups was huge. The West could afford to take it easy at the start and still catch up or even surpass the score in half a quarter or a quarter. The West lost in 2001 purely because they played around too much.

Webber, Garnett, Rasheed Wallace, and Antonio McDyess, these four top power forwards took turns challenging Mutombo’s defense in the low post. They shockingly kept the defensive specialist center Mutombo on the court for 28 minutes. Usually, Mutombo’s role in the All-Star Game, like Yao Ming and Zhang Yang’s tonight, was as a mascot, barely playing more than ten minutes.

Under Mutombo’s defense, Antonio McDyess shot 1 for 7, Webber 6 for 14, Rasheed Wallace 4 for 9, and Garnett, not showing any sportsmanship, did slightly better shooting 7 for 12 with turnaround jumpers. Their challenges inadvertently helped the Western team lose the game.

Of course, watching those players take turns going one-on-one against Mutombo in the low post was thrilling for the fans. It’s not something you get to see often, making it a classic moment of the All-Star Game.

By 2005, when O’Neal had joined the Eastern team, the dynamic of the All-Star Games immediately changed, and the East became the dominant force, winning two years in a row!

James, with his 30 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals, edged out McGrady who had 36 points, 0 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block, and as he had hoped, took home the MVP of this All-Star Game.

ESPN led the highlighting of the youngest ever All-Star MVP, as the All-Star Game helped showcase the kingly demeanor of the fan-favorite James, and his Eastern team teammates all supported KING James’ quest for MVP... Relying on the allure of the All-Star weekend, it had a certain impact, but it was far less than what he had envisioned previously.

The opening minutes of the game featuring the showdown between Zhang Yang and Kobe had a greater impact!

Although it was only a short six-round face-off, it left a deep impression on fans watching the game. After the game ended, the video clips of those rounds spread rapidly online, garnering a very high number of views.

And it was precisely because it was just those six rounds that left the fans itching for more!

Of those six rounds, the first one had the highest views, where Zhang Yang first successfully sneaked up on Kobe and then blocked Kobe’s counter-steal attempt, quite ’spectacular’.

Especially the moment when Zhang Yang looked for Yao Ming, the opposing center, for a pick-and-roll, and Kobe actually turned back to see if someone was coming, only to abruptly realize Yao Ming was his teammate... fans burst into laughter each time they watched it.

...

The day after the All-Star Game, Zhang Yang bid farewell to family and friends and returned to Charlotte.

Initially, it was just a spontaneous one-on-one play with Kobe, but it unexpectedly drew so much attention.

So, he decided to head back and continue rigorous training. By the next All-Star Game, he vowed to properly compete with Kobe, aiming not to run out of steam after just six rounds.

Thankfully, the three-point sneak attack at the start went in, otherwise, they would have lost this time.

The lingering influence of the All-Star weekend continued, such as the Bobcats, who had two starting All-Stars, experiencing a short-term ticket sell-out. But Zhang Yang, on his end, had already put the All-Star weekend behind him and returned to the regular season mode.

This affected Gerald Wallace positively.

Initially, Gerald Wallace was still exhilarated from returning to Charlotte after the All-Star Game. He played 19 minutes in the game, scoring 8 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, giving 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block, performing well. He felt he had become part of the league’s elite, but seeing Zhang Yang’s even more rigorous training attitude, he calmed down.

Would he have been able to compete with Bosh and Pierce for a reserve spot if it wasn’t for Zhang Yang leading him into the All-Star starting lineup? He believed the answer was no.

Gerald Wallace took it to heart and continued to improve himself.

Felton, seeing how his younger brother and rival returned from the All-Star weekend and immediately began training, also became more motivated and hardworking. He hadn’t noticed before just how many skills his younger brother had!

On February 22, the Bobcats’ first game day following the All-Star weekend had arrived.

Just before the All-Star break, they had gone through a long stretch of away games. Now, a delightful stretch of six consecutive home games began, saving them from flying for half a month.

The first opponent during this home stretch—the Toronto Raptors!

Bosh played aggressively that night, shooting 10 for 18, scoring 24 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, giving 2 assists, and making 2 blocks.

The peak-season Mike James also played well, shooting 7 for 15, including 2 for 5 from three-point range, along with making all two of his free throws, scoring 18 points and dishing out 6 assists.

But apart from the two of them, everyone else played terribly. The Raptors scored only 88 points, and their defense was as bad as ever, allowing the Bobcats to score 103 points!

Gerald Wallace scored 18 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, gave 3 assists, made 2 steals, and 1 block, Zhang Yang had 14 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assists, and 2 steals, Felton scored 16 points and had 7 assists, Brezec scored 14 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, Matt Carroll scored 16 points, and the undrafted rookie Alan Anderson exploded with a team-high 19 points... 103 to 88, the Bobcats took their first victory after the All-Star weekend, improving their record to 24 wins and 29 losses!

The first game of the second half of the season started well, and the next day, the Bobcats had more good news.

With the team doctor’s approval, Okafor was allowed to participate in a team scrimmage! Whether he was given permission to play was to be decided by the team doctor and coaching staff after observation and assessment!

Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om