Champion, please stay!

Chapter 242, Question 240: The only person willing to believe in at the crucial moment!

For the first quarter and a half, Yi Shui did not launch a continuous attack, but they took more shots than their teammates from the Eastern Conference.

D'Antoni continued to rotate the lineup, and by the time the official timeout was held in the second quarter, all 12 All-Star players in the East had played, each for 6-8 minutes... except for Yi Shui, who played for 13 minutes.

Apart from Horford, who deliberately gave up possession of the ball and didn't go one-on-one, everyone else had the opportunity to attack with the ball and showcase their scoring skills, including Rondo and Howard, who both drove into the paint a couple of times.

Rondo got blocked by Yao Ming, and Howard also got blocked by Yao Ming. This can be considered Yao Ming's highlight moment tonight.

The most explosive performance during this period was by James, who completed three fast break dunks covering three-quarters of the court in one and a half quarters. Yi Shui wanted to rush over and steal the spotlight, but he couldn't outrun him!
This is the first time Yi Shui has acquired the "Charge First" skill.

The situation was similar in the West, where Gentry also had each All-Star showcase their unique playing style to basketball fans worldwide.

After all, this is a performance show.

However, even though it was a performance show, the strength of both sides was still evident.

The Western Conference is indeed stronger overall than the Eastern Conference.

Paul, Kobe, and Duncan all withdrew from the game.

But if we only consider individual player ability, a lineup of Nash, Rose, Deron Williams, Roy, Anthony, Durant, Aldridge, Love, Nowitzki, Stoudemire, Gasol, and Yao Ming...

It's still a bit stronger than the lineup of Rondo, Curry, Wade, Pierce, Granger, James, Yi Shui, David Lee, Bosh, Horford, Randolph, and Howard.

The score also reflects the difference; the Western All-Stars had a significantly higher success rate in attacking with the ball. By the time the official timeout was held in the second quarter, the Western team led the Eastern team 58-50 by 8 points.

...

After the official timeout, D'Antoni brought in a lineup of Curry, Wade, Granger, Yi Jianlian, and Howard, ready to get serious.

Gentry, on the other hand, was also ready to take things seriously, bringing on a lineup of Deron Williams, Roy, Anthony, Durant, and Stoudemire.

The East team is on offense. Wade receives the ball from Curry and passes it to Yi Shui, who is leaning against the opponent at a 45-degree angle on the right.

Standing guard beside Yi Shui was... Anthony!

To be honest, at least in the last two years, when star players have faced off one-on-one, whether on offense or defense, Anthony has performed better than Durant.

In the first quarter, Durant briefly matched up against Yi Shui, Pierce, and Granger, but failed to defend them effectively, especially against Pierce, who completely fooled him with his fakes.

Anthony defended Pierce, James, and Bosh quite well. James and Bosh were forced to pass the ball when they had the ball in half-court situations.

Pierce's fakes were ineffective against Anthony's defense, so he could only force his way into the paint, but his shot missed when Gasol contested it.

Yi Shui received the ball, stepped back half a step despite the resistance, straightened his body, and began to dribble and attack.

Anthony pushed forward, wanting to maintain the contact.

Yi Shui raised his right hand and bent his knee.

Anthony quickly jumped... Yi Shui caught the ball with his right hand but didn't jump. He held the ball firmly, extended it to his right side to avoid Anthony, crouched down to dodge him, took a step forward to the right, and jumped with both feet together to release the three-pointer...

hit!

With a score of 53 to 58, the Eastern Army sounded the horn of counterattack!

The crowd erupted in cheers. The shot was clean and decisive, without any hesitation, and the movement was fluid and graceful.

Durant on the other side watched with immense envy; that was exactly the style of play he wanted!

He's trying to develop in that direction, but for some reason, when he watches his own videos, even if his movements are exactly the same as Yi Shui's, they still look very...simple, and he's often teased by fans for playing too unsophisticated.

The offensive and defensive phase transitioned, and Anthony launched the first attack of the Western forces in the "getting serious" phase.

Yi Shui didn't guard Anthony on defense; instead, he guarded Durant. Granger was the one guarding Anthony.

Anthony initiated a three-threat shot, faked a drive, stepped back, and attempted a three-pointer... but Granger disrupted his shot!
Anthony's step-back three-pointer with a forced fadeaway attempt missed!
The TV commentators were all saying that Granger defended that ball very well.

The fans at the stadium might not have noticed what was so good about that play; they might have felt that Granger was just mindlessly blocking shots.

However, commentators watching the live broadcast and fans watching on TV could see that Wade, in the mid-range on the left, and Curry, in the corner on the right, both tended to collapse into the paint. With Howard under the basket, Granger's decision to ignore Anthony's fakes and focus on defending long-range shots was a very good defensive choice.

Curry, who was collapsing to the wing, grabbed the defensive rebound by using Howard's positioning and passed the ball to Wade without stopping.

Wade initiates a fast break!
The western troops had excellent mobility and retreated as a whole, while the eastern troops, lacking coordination, failed to launch a fast attack despite their efforts.

However, Wade did not slow down. He went to the three-point line and faced Deron Williams, who was blocking him. He drove straight past Williams and entered the paint.

After drawing Roy and Stoudemire to help defend, Wade passed the ball to the sideline, Curry received the ball and passed it again, lobbing it towards the left side of the three-second zone.

That was a bold pass, but it was perfect!
Yi Shui received the ball, and Durant and Anthony both rushed in to block him. The little bit of defensive discipline they had was torn apart by Curry's lob pass.

Yi Shui lobbed the ball down the middle... Howard caught it with both hands and slammed it home for two points!

Howard excitedly high-fived Yi Shui in celebration; that dunk was just too good!
Yi Shui has the 'Transfer Station' skill bonus for supporting passes, and the passing angle and force are just right.

Howard jumped with all his might and just managed to touch the ball! When he landed, he didn't need to do anything else; he just slammed the ball into the basket.

He hadn't had such a satisfying patty in a long time; the last time was during last season's playoffs when he received a pass from Turkoglu!
He finally understood why Birdman, Swift, Gibson, and Ben Wallace, that bunch of offensive 'meatballs', could achieve such high offensive efficiency!
With the score at 55-58, the East team narrowed the gap to 3 points, bringing them back to the same starting line as the West team!
When the Western troops attacked, Anthony continued to take on Granger one-on-one.

Melo was really determined; he wouldn't break through and was determined to shoot the ball over Granger!
He kept tapping away to find his rhythm, and once he got it, Anthony stepped back, faced Granger's defense, and launched a fadeaway three-pointer from a step beyond the three-point line... and it went in!
CCTV commentator Zhang Weiping uttered that phrase again—"Melo dared to throw that, wow, it went in! It's all thanks to his individual ability!"

As the All-Star break approached, Sports Illustrated created a special feature – Long-Range One-on-One Killers.

Four players were selected: Yi Shui, Durant, Kobe, and one more: Carmelo Anthony!
Eligibility criteria: The player who makes the most difficult shots while holding the ball, outside the mid-range area, and without getting rid of the defender.

Under these conditions, Anthony has scored more goals than Kobe and Durant! He ranks second!
Kobe and Durant mostly took shots from the mid-range and close range.

Kobe had a significant strength advantage on the perimeter and preferred to back down his opponent in the high and low post, allowing him to get closer to the basket for his shots. His long-range mid-range shots accounted for less than 25% of his total shots, and he also averaged only 4 three-point attempts per game, which was less than 20%.

Durant can get a breakthrough opportunity as soon as he raises his hand. Of course, it is best to shoot close to the basket. This season, his long-range shot percentage is only 18%, and his three-point shot attempts per game are exactly 4, which is also below 20%.

Both of these shots, whether from the high post or off the sideline, were essentially forced shots, which can be considered 'passive'.

Anthony is different. He actively plays in that area, especially likes to take long two-pointers, averaging 7.9 attempts per game, accounting for more than 35% of his shots. He also takes more three-pointers than the other two, reaching 4.6 per game. That is, more than 55% of his 22 shots per game are from long range or beyond. If you take away his 1.8 second-chance opportunities per game, his percentage of long-range shots is even better.

With that kind of overall shooting percentage of 46%, it's no wonder the media criticizes Anthony for every few days he takes a shot. If he had chosen his shots better, he could have been a contender for the scoring title.

As for Yi Shui, his long two-point shot attempts actually don't account for a high percentage, averaging 5.2 attempts per game, or 22%, and 6.1 three-point attempts per game, or 26%. Overall, his shot attempts percentage is higher than Kobe and Durant, but lower than Anthony.

However! Most of the time, his long-range and three-point shots rely on 'tower sniping' against opponents shorter than himself... This results in him having a significant lead over everyone else in the number of high-difficulty shots made while holding the ball, from long range, and when unable to shake off the defense.

That is, his hit rate was higher than those three guys and his record was better, which is why Yi Shui didn't get criticized for playing like that.

Led by Yi Shui and Anthony, the two teams began a tug-of-war.

The two sides have very different playing styles.

The Western Conference team, after Anthony played, Durant played, then Stoudemire, Deron Williams, Roy... took turns, constantly playing isolation plays and passing the ball.

Gentry also tried to figure out team coordination during the afternoon's preparations. It's rare for him to coach an All-Star team, and it's hard to say if there will be a next time. He also wanted to have some fun.

Nash and Stoudemire's pick-and-roll, Durant and Nowitzki's assist, Anthony's drive—just thinking about it is exhilarating.

But with Kobe and Duncan gone, there was no one in the West who could hold their own.

Nash is undoubtedly the biggest superstar on this Western Conference team, but he doesn't have the championship achievements of Kobe and Duncan, and he can't keep up with the younger players. Guards like Deron Williams, Derrick Rose, and Roy, as well as forwards like Anthony, Durant, and even Stoudemire, all want to compete for the MVP.

Gentry had no choice but to abandon team offense, referencing the Mavericks' past strategy of endless isolation plays.

This brings us to the advantage of having James in the Eastern Army. He single-handedly unified the Eastern Army's direction and gave them a clear objective.

However, after Gentry opted for an endless one-on-one style, the offensive dominance became immediately clear.

In one-on-one situations, Carmelo Anthony is undoubtedly the leader of this Western Conference team! Top one-on-one players like Roy, Nowitzki, and Durant have all been dominated by Anthony in practice.

Moreover, even without Kobe, Duncan, and Paul, the Western Conference team's roster is stronger than the Eastern Conference team's, especially in terms of one-on-one play. Apart from Gasol and Love being slightly weaker in one-on-one, the other 10 All-Stars are top-tier one-on-one players in their respective positions.

Gentry made good arrangements for the one-on-one support lineup, and after entering a seesaw battle, he unleashed a super strong offensive firepower!
Fortunately, the Eastern Army's team offensive was quite effective.

Wade and Randolph, who came off the bench, initiated the offense with one-on-one plays. Yi Shui received the pass and passed the ball to the basket. Curry and Granger, who came off the bench, and Bosh and David Lee, who came off the bench, received the pass and shot on the wing. Howard and James, who came off the bench, cut in and received the pass for easy baskets... going head-to-head with the Western Conference's endless one-on-one style.

The first half ended with Nowitzki's buzzer-beating three-pointer sliding off the rim after he came off the bench.

The score was 76-80, with the East team trailing the West team by 4 points.

半节比分26比22，东部队缩小了4分分差，不过实际上他们打团队进攻的阶段，以21比22落后西部队的无限单打流1分。

The only truly effective time to close the gap was during the two possessions after the official timeout when Yi Shui scored one-on-one and the combination of Wade, Curry, and Yi Shui launched a counterattack, feeding Howard the basket.

Nowitzki's halftime three-pointer startled the Eastern Conference team; it was shot too straight, his shooting fundamentals were too good, reminding them of the game-winning shot from the center circle last night that secured him the Shooting Stars title.

After halftime, D'Antoni fielded a lineup of Rondo, Curry, Pierce, Bosh, and Randolph.

The Celtics roster they referenced had a much weaker defense, but their offensive combinations were basically the same. They also had a strong inside scoring ability that the Celtics lacked, and their rebounding ability was far superior to the Celtics' starting lineup.

Gentry brought on a lineup of Nash, Rose, Durant, Nowitzki, and Gasol.

At the start of the third quarter, the Western Conference team attacked first. Nash isolated against Rondo, displaying a beautiful rhythmic isolation play, tricking Rondo into rushing up to steal the ball. Nash quickly dribbled the ball to the side, then stepped back and launched a long-range three-pointer... and it went in!
The West team's lead has reached 7 points!
Fortunately, Rondo immediately responded with a beautiful pass, and Bosh received the pass and attacked the basket, slamming the ball into the hoop over Gasol who was hastily retreating to defend, completing a 2+1 play and keeping the score close.

In the third quarter, the East team continued to rely on team offense to counter the West team's endless individual play.

In terms of the situation, the Eastern Army is at a disadvantage.

Fortunately, Rondo's half-court offense was well organized, Wade and Randolph took turns leading the attack, their individual abilities were outstanding, Curry and Granger's long-range shooting was accurate, Yi Shui and Pierce took turns playing and did a good job in receiving and distributing the ball, and James, Bosh and Howard took turns playing and were fierce enough to score on easy baskets... only then was the point difference barely maintained.

However, the more this is the case, the more the East Team players feel that playing team offense is the right choice!

The sustainability of the endless one-on-one style in the West is just too ridiculous!
If the East team were to engage in one-on-one combat with the West team, they would naturally be fine in the short term. Players like Yi Shui, Wade, Randolph, and Pierce are capable of going toe-to-toe with the strongest players on the other side in one-on-one situations.

However, the continuity will inevitably be inferior to the opponent's 10 top singles players taking turns on the court. In the end, the result will most likely be the same as last season, where the opponent will wear them down with their superstar depth and beat them by 20 or 30 points.

It wasn't just last year. Since Jordan's retirement and the resumption of the All-Star Game in 2000, the Western Conference teams have won by 10, 20, or even 30 points most of the time when they beat the Eastern Conference teams; while the Eastern Conference teams have almost always won by single digits when they beat the Western Conference teams, and sometimes they even have to rely on a game-winning shot to win.

This trend is becoming increasingly apparent, with the gap in quality between the Eastern and Western All-Star teams widening.

With Randolph grabbing offensive rebounds in the final moments and getting blocked repeatedly, he made a tough shot over Yao Ming to complete a 2+1 play. After three quarters, the East team narrowed the score to 114-117, reducing the gap to 3 points!
The Western Conference stars wielded the ball and swung it around, and even with particularly poor shooting conditions, they had a high probability of making the shot through their individual skills, which indeed gave them a significant advantage on the court.

However, the teamwork advantage of the Eastern Army is gradually becoming apparent.

Apart from Anthony having slightly more opportunities to handle the ball, the rest of the Western Conference team had relatively even ball-handling opportunities, which made good use of the Western Conference's star depth advantage.

However, some players were not in good form when they were on the offensive. This was clearly evident in the third quarter, where the West team's offensive firepower fluctuated significantly.

The Eastern Force, which focuses on team-based attacks, doesn't have the same ferocity in terms of extreme firepower as the Western Force, but it excels in stability!
Whoever had the best touch and the most opportunities were given more chances to make plays. In addition, some star players with outstanding advantages solved problems with their individual abilities, which actually led to a narrow 1-point victory over the Western Conference team in the third quarter.

In the final quarter, the Eastern team continued their momentum. With 5 minutes and 47 seconds left, Yi Shui launched a counterattack. After receiving a pass from Rondo and drawing a double team, he passed the ball to James who was following up.

James scored two points with a gliding tomahawk dunk, and the East team scored 19-16 in the first half of the quarter, tying the West team at 133-133!
However, after Deron Williams used Aldridge's screen, he hit a three-pointer over Randolph's defense, prompting the Eastern Conference to call a timeout.

With the score at 133-136, the East team trailed the West team by 3 points going into the final official timeout.

...

Deron Williams' tough three-pointer infuriated the Eastern Conference players, but seeing the score close and close, everyone felt exhilarated.

The Western Conference's outside shooting is too fierce. There are several players like Deron Williams who can force their way in and still score when there's a problem. Nash, Anthony, Durant, and Nowitzki are all excellent examples. On the Eastern Conference side, they only have Yi Shui... Curry could play like that against Nash, but the opposing team usually uses Deron Williams or Rose to defend Curry, so Curry doesn't have the opportunity to play like that.

But the team was able to tie the score at one point under these circumstances thanks to their team offense!

Even Curry and David Lee, who played under D'Antoni, never had this much fun.

James, Howard, and Bosh could feast on easy baskets; Randolph could relentlessly attack Stoudemire, Aldridge, and Nowitzki, but against larger players like Love, taller players like Gasol, and larger and taller players like Yao Ming, he would spread out to the baseline to receive passes, avoiding difficult offensive options; Rondo had never been so comfortable orchestrating the offense, as long as the pass reached the right teammate, they had a high probability of making the shot, racking up 7 assists in 12 minutes; Curry and Granger only needed to do simple catch-and-shoot and sideline passing...

The one who had the most fun was Wade!
Originally, Yi Shui had taken over the main offensive role during training and preparation. Even though Wade didn't actively ask for the AMVP award, he was still dissatisfied with Yi Shui. Who would be happy if their pride was humiliated?

But after the game started, he found that Yi Shui did not fight for the ball just because he got the main offensive possession. Yi Shui let him do what he was better at, and let him do what he was better at, such as running and receiving the ball, passing the ball in the middle, and launching counterattacks. He didn't even try to compete with James and Howard for the basket.

He played better than Yi Shui at times, scoring more points and assists, but Yi Shui didn't show any displeasure or slack off. Instead, he often gave him a thumbs up, applauded, and hugged him.

When it came to difficult balls, Yi Shui stepped up without hesitation to take the blame.

Yi Shui played 28 minutes and scored a team-high 26 points, along with 5 assists. In Wade's opinion, he truly earned his score through sheer skill, without any exaggeration.

In previous years, if he had played 25 minutes in three and a half quarters, scored 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists, and had a chance to win, Wade would definitely have actively competed for the All-Star MVP.

But tonight, he just couldn't bring himself to have those thoughts; he just wanted to lead the team to victory...

Since being selected as an All-Star in his second year, this is Wade's sixth time participating in the All-Star Game, and this is the first time he has experienced such an atmosphere.

He finally understood why the Knicks were able to rise to prominence immediately after drafting Yi Shui!

This is a true natural leader who can be compared to Duncan, Magic Johnson, Bird, and others!

The Eastern Conference players returned to the bench, and D'Antoni breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the score remain within 5 points.

It's a bit of a shame that we couldn't defend Deron's three-pointer. Randolph was practically diving in on him, it's just a shame the referee didn't call it, otherwise it would have been a 3+1... Fortunately, the point difference was close enough to be covered with just one basket!

It's quite remarkable to see such teamwork in an All-Star game.

Last year, the Western Conference team appeared to be playing as a team, but it was entirely based on Kobe's ability to feed the ball to O'Neal, Yao Ming, and Duncan, and it didn't really qualify as 'team play'.

During team play, D'Antoni used up a lot of his brain cells, as lineup combinations and tactical choices required his attention.

At this moment, he relaxed. He had relied on teamwork to create enough rest time for several players with strong singles skills, allowing them to have the same continuity as the 10 singles superstars on the other side. Now, it was up to the players!
...

Pause back.

The Western Conference team fielded a lineup of Deron Williams, Roy, Durant, Anthony, and Nowitzki.

Yao Ming said he wouldn't play after the third quarter, and Gentry respected the little giant's choice.

Nash and Stoudemire's stats are mediocre, so even if they win, they won't be eligible for an award. Gentry also stopped playing his two own players to avoid risk.

On the Eastern Conference side, D'Antoni fielded a lineup of Curry, Wade, Granger, Yi Shuichi, and Howard, which was their best lineup in terms of one-on-one ability, receiving ability, and offensive spacing.

The East team attacks, serving from the center line.

Curry passes the ball to Wade, and Wade and Howard set a pick-and-roll to initiate the attack!
Howard's pick-and-roll did nothing to help Wade's drive, but at least it got Nowitzki out of the paint.

Wade drove to close range and passed the ball...

Yi Shui, using Granger's screen, shook off Anthony's physical entanglement, entered the paint over Durant who switched onto him, received a pass from Wade, and went one-on-one in the paint... 'Interior Overlord' activated!
Yi Shui suddenly sprang up and slammed the ball into the basket over Durant, drawing a foul on Durant and earning a free throw!

The fans at the stadium went wild!

When Wade and Yi Shui high-fived, Wade shook his head and made "whoosh whoosh" noises. It was as if he had fed the ball to James, who had Howard's ability to get strong under the basket!
Even Stoudemire on the opposing bench wasn't necessarily this wild before his major injury!

Yi Shui's penalty kick went in, making it 136-136, and the East team tied the score!

When the Western Conference team attacked, Durant went one-on-one against Granger, and despite the interference, he made a mid-range shot.

Turning back, Yi Shui leaned against Anthony at the high post. After Curry advanced to the top arc, he suddenly turned and cut in. Curry passed the ball to Yi Shui, who came to the elbow area and met Nowitzki who came out to help. He pulled up and made a jump shot!

The score remained tied. Meanwhile, after scoring 5 consecutive points, Yi Shui's score reached 31 points, catching up with Anthony, the opponent's highest scorer!

The two teams continued their exchange of blows.

The Western Conference team's frontcourt trio of Anthony, Durant, and Nowitzki can fire from every position, and their backcourt duo of Deron Williams and Roy are also very strong in combining drives and shots, making their offense unstoppable.

Even though they launched a burst of offensive after the official timeout, they were unable to convert it into a lead as they had in the previous two and a half quarters.

There's only one change—Yi Shui has actually started swinging the ball!
He rarely handled the ball during the latter half of the second quarter and the first half of the fourth quarter, partly because the team's offense was going well and he wanted to implement D'Antoni's 'energy conservation strategy'.

Another reason is that his 'fake snake heart' really kicked in during the second half of the second quarter; when he received the ball, he genuinely wanted to keep swinging.

In other words, by actively reducing the amount of ball possession and having teammates who can receive the ball, they were able to suppress the seemingly instinctive urge to shoot.

Now he no longer holds back, focuses on scoring, and displays a more powerful offensive firepower than anyone on the opposing team!
Yi Shui's performance made fans at the stadium and watching on TV, who had been marveling at the scoring ability of the Western Conference stars, suddenly realize that when it comes to scoring explosiveness, who among the other 23 All-Stars on the court could compare to Yi Shui, who scored 40+ points 14 times in 54 games in the first half of the season?
There was supposedly a stronger player in the West, but that guy is currently in a small bar in Europe, listening to chords from Eastern Europe while watching the All-Star game live...

When the Western team was forced to increase their double-teaming efforts against Yi Shui, Wade, who was assisting in the point guard position, took over the ball in time and fed the ball to Granger on the wing, Curry who was running, and Howard who was cutting in. They made good use of Yi Shui's threat and their offensive firepower was even stronger than that of the Western team!
With 10 minutes and 25 seconds left in the game, Yi Shui missed a shot. Howard grabbed the offensive rebound and shook off Yi Shui, who was cutting to the baseline. Yi Shui received the ball, raised his hand to shake off Durant who was rushing out, took a step to the side, returned to the spot where he had just missed the shot, and took a mid-range shot from the right 30-degree angle... and it went in!
比赛还剩1分半钟，比分来到155比150，东部队取得5分领先优势，自易水官方暂停回来打成2+1追平比分后，4分半钟时间里轰出了19比14的比分！
The West All-Stars, who had been dominating the game for two consecutive quarters, found it unacceptable to be suddenly outplayed!

When the Western Conference team attacked, Anthony received the ball, stepped back, and launched a three-pointer despite Yi Shui's interference... and it went in!
This was the most difficult time for the Eastern team during those two quarters; they tried their best to score through teamwork, but the opposing team just slapped the ball in.

With the opponent playing like this, they can't even manage to double-team them.

But now... looking back, Yi Shui strolled to the top arc, suddenly accelerated to the right 45-degree angle, stopped abruptly, received a pass from Wade, turned, and jumped to meet Anthony who hadn't had time to close in, a towering sniper...

Three point hit!

易水得分破40了！来到42分！比分158比153，东部队继续领先5分！
When the Western Conference team attacked, Anthony dribbled the ball, lowered his center of gravity, and under pressure from Yi Shui, completed a crossover dribble, pulled back to the side, and unleashed a three-pointer... another success!
In crucial moments, Carmelo Anthony demonstrated his formidable individual ability as the NBA's all-time leader in single-quarter scoring and single-season game-winning shots!

25投15中，其中三分球11中5，加上6中5的罚球，安东尼得分也来到40分了！

In the transition between offense and defense, Yi Shui tried to launch another surprise attack, but failed. Anthony was very close this time. He was stuck to the ball as soon as he received it. When he straightened his body and dribbled back half a step, Anthony also pressed up.

Yi Shui made a fast break and drove forward, but Anthony defended him more tightly than ever before. Yi Shui was double-teamed by Anthony and Nowitzki in the elbow area!

Durant made an excellent defensive choice this time, jumping and waving his arms on the right sideline of the three-second zone, cutting off the passing lane between Yi Shui and Granger who was spread out on the left!

Roy also joined the double-team against Yi Shui. Wade was open at the high post, but that position... Yi Shui decided to take it on himself, going one-on-three to create an open shot...

Suddenly, a player cut straight to the basket from the middle, then slid around the baseline and came out!

This person has been passed down through the Yi River!

Curry sprinted to the right baseline, received the ball in the mid-range, and ran out to the corner with the momentum of his sprint. Roy, who was double-teaming Yi Shui, quickly came to cover.

Curry turned at the corner, facing Roy's close-range defense, and launched a fadeaway three-pointer...

hit!

Western troops ordered a halt!

161-156, the East team's lead has been extended to 5 points, leaving the West team with only 19 seconds!
Curry assumed a half-horse stance, clenched his fists, and roared to the sky!
When celebrating with Yi Shui, Curry shouted, "I'm here! I've always been here!"

Yi Shui replied, "Of course, passing the ball to you is my only option!"

This play caused significant psychological fluctuations for two players.

One is Carmelo Anthony. Normally, if he kept hitting three-pointers like that, even the Lakers in the playoffs would have been defeated by him. But this time, he was held back by Yi Jianlian and Curry, the second-year duo!

There's another person—Wade.

He had a wide-open two-pointer, but Yi Shui didn't pass it to him. Instead, he passed it to Curry, who hadn't really gotten rid of the defense. He was furious at that moment.

But seeing Curry turn and shoot a three-pointer right in front of Roy without hesitation... he dared to shoot, and he made it!
His anger subsided instantly, and he felt that Yi Shui's choice was perfectly correct. His open two-point shot was probably not as accurate as Curry's three-point shot under pressure.

This inside-outside duo is terrifying!

...

Both teams made personnel changes.

On the East side, Yi Shui was substituted... As for defense, D'Antoni simply handed over the tactics board.

Yi Shui brought in Wade, Granger, James, and Howard, along with his own defensive lineup. To be honest, in terms of defensive lineup alone, they are much stronger than the Western Conference team.

It's a pity that this was a game where David Lee's strength was guaranteed; even with his superb defense, he might not have been able to stop it.

Moreover, defense requires long-term teamwork and coordination; it's not something you can do well just by putting a bunch of people together.

On the Western Conference side, Gentry replaced Nash, Durant, Anthony, Nowitzki, and Gasol with a lineup of players.

After the timeout, the West team took the ball in the attacking third.

Gasol received the ball from the referee outside the bounds, and the other four players from the Western Conference ran to get the ball with their hands outstretched.

This scene made Wade, who was chasing Nash, very uncomfortable. He remembered that year, month, and day, at the World Championships in Japan, when he inbounded the ball on a crucial possession, only Dong Ge wanted to catch the ball and shoot...

Facing the Eastern team's defensive players, the Western team's shooters, who relied on movement, didn't get any opportunities. In the end, it was their solid build that allowed them to block Yi Shui's Anthony and receive a pass from Gasol.

Anthony received the ball and rushed to shoot... "Smack!"

Yi Shui's sudden shot was anticipated, and he delivered a powerful block to Anthony's turnaround fadeaway jumper!
Howard, having just finished defending the inbound pass, ran back and stole the ball, passing it to James, who then sprinted down the court...

Yi Shui didn't follow up, and Anthony and Nowitzki gave up after a couple of steps. Apart from Wade and Yi Shui, no one could keep up with James' fast break.

James rushed to the frontcourt, leaped high amidst cheers from the fans, and powerfully slammed home a dunk for two points.

The point difference has reached 7 points with 11 seconds left!
After receiving the inbound pass, Nash advanced the ball past half-court and didn't play any more... A 19-second, 5-point deficit is manageable, but an 11-second, 7-point deficit is better left unresolved.

At 10:08 p.m., the final whistle blew.

28投15中，其中三分球9中4，加上8中8的罚球，易水出战33分钟，狂轰42分，外加8板6助攻2抢断2盖帽！

He outscored Anthony, who scored 40 points, and Durant, who scored 27 points!
加上韦德的20分7板11助攻、库里的16分、詹姆斯的17分、兰多夫的15分、格兰杰的11分、霍华德的12分、隆多的4分9板8助攻……

Seven players from the East team scored in double figures, defeating the West team 163-156!
...

After the game, the East Team All-Stars put aside their past grievances and celebrated together amidst the cheers of more than 100,000 fans in the arena.

Such a victory is truly special on the All-Star stage!
Wade, in particular, gained a new understanding of 'superstar basketball' this time, realizing that it can be played in this way.

He felt that even the Dream Team, who regained the world championship two years ago, were not as strong as the team they played tonight in terms of teamwork...

After celebrating for a while, Stern, accompanied by a hostess, went onto the court.

The cheers from the fans had just begun to subside when they immediately started booing Stern in a show of respect.

As Wade looked at the AMVP trophy held by the hostess, his heart began to stir. He also had 20+5+10, so there was still hope, or perhaps he could share it with Yi Shui like the OK duo last year.

Big jaw doesn't really understand the NBA or Jewish people.

If a guest had presented the award, Wade's wish might have come true, but Stern himself came to present the award...

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the 2010 Dallas All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award is... Yi Shui!"

There was no other name; Yi Shui won his first AMVP trophy!

(End of this chapter)