It was no wonder LeBron James specifically asked for Kevin Love when he returned to the Cavaliers from the Heat; he was indeed a good tall shooting platform!
Peak Love was truly perfect for a one-star, four-shooter core.
Moreover, Love could also grab rebounds, defend well, and his low-post skills were top-notch.
The next segment of the All-Star Game was the Slam Dunk Contest.
Li Feng did not sign up for this dunk contest. The organizing committee had extended an invitation to him, but Li Feng declined.
He wasn't interested in such things and hoped more rookies would step up.
For Li Feng, there was only one goal in his heart: a glorious three-peat!
However, the organizing committee didn't let Li Feng off the hook; the All-Star Game needed Li Feng's star power.
So, the organizing committee actually invited Li Feng to be a judge for the Slam Dunk Contest!
This was the first time in an All-Star Game that a current player was invited to be a judge, and moreover, a third-year rookie.
Although Li Feng was already the face of the league and a top superstar, he felt it was somewhat inappropriate to be a judge.
But he couldn't resist the league's persistent pleading, so Li Feng had to put the greater good first and agreed.
The contestants for this year's Slam Dunk Contest were the Rockets' Chandler Parsons, the Pacers' Paul George, the Jazz's Gerald Green, and the Timberwolves' rookie Eric Williams.
After three rounds of competition, it was the Jazz's Gerald Green who ultimately won the Slam Dunk Contest championship.
...
On the third day, the All-Star Game's main event finally arrived.
The fans in the arena cheered loudly, and every superstar's entrance was met with screams.
Of course, the loudest cheers were reserved for Li Feng's appearance.
Li Feng clenched his right fist and raised it high above his head, waving to the audience in all directions.
Compared to Li Feng, the other NBA superstars paled in comparison.
The Eastern Conference All-Star starting lineup consisted of Li Feng, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard.
The Western Conference All-Star starting lineup featured Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, and Andrew Bynum.
In the first quarter, Li Feng did not take the lead on offense, instead giving opportunities to his teammates.
LeBron James, however, was not polite, unleashing his full power with continuous tank-like drives, scoring quite a few points.
The Western stars initially didn't play seriously, but seeing LeBron playing so fiercely, they started to engage to avoid falling too far behind.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 46:40, with the East leading by 6 points.
LeBron James alone scored 21 points, 8 more than Kobe Bryant, who was second.
In the second quarter, the starters rested on the sidelines while the bench players from both teams battled it out.
In fact, for an All-Star Game, the difference between starters and bench players isn't that significant, especially when it comes to voting; popularity doesn't necessarily equate to being the best.
After more than six minutes into the second quarter, the deficit was narrowed to 2 points, with the score at 57:55, the East still leading.
At this point, the fans became anxious and shouted in unison, "Put the starters in! Put the starters in!"
After all, this was an All-Star Game, and the fans wanted to see the popular stars play more.
The coaches from both sides felt it was about time and tacitly agreed to bring back their main players.
Before the players took the court, the Eastern Conference coach, Spoelstra, said meaningfully, "To defeat the Western Conference team, we need to perform comprehensively; relying on one person won't suffice."
LeBron James's expression turned sour after hearing this.
The game resumed, and Li Feng, seeing that both sides were playing with intensity, also began to exert himself. Why would he hold back?
Even for the fans, he couldn't be too low-key.
In reality, Li Feng wasn't trying to be low-key; it was his skill that wouldn't allow it!
The East All-Stars were on offense.
Derrick Rose dribbled the ball past half-court and reached for the ball, but Rose seemed not to see him and passed directly to Li Feng.
LeBron James stood with a stern face, walked to the side, hands on his knees, seemingly not intending to participate in the offense.
Facing Kobe Bryant's one-on-one defense, Li Feng didn't hesitate, executing a sharp crossover, followed by a step-back three-pointer!
If it were any other defender, Li Feng would have shot directly with a step-back, but Kobe's defensive pressure was too intense, forcing Li Feng to add an extra move.
Kobe tried his best, but Li Feng's shot was too quick. Swish!
Three-pointer made!
The crowd went wild. Some fans loved Steph Curry's three-pointers, but they always felt Li Feng's deep threes were more dominant!
Li Feng was truly unique in being able to make a three-pointer feel dominant!
LeBron James had been standing on the side, not moving at all, and didn't even bother to grab a rebound when Li Feng shot.
The East finally overtook the West by 1 point.
The West All-Stars were on offense.
Li Feng had just hit a three over Kobe, so as the top star for the West, Kobe had to respond with one, and it had to be against Li Feng.
Li Feng naturally wouldn't back down. Seeing Kobe with the ball, he immediately stepped up to meet him.
Kobe had a smile on his face, muttering, "Li Feng, not bad, your three-pointer is quite accurate, but can you defend me?"
Li Feng chuckled and replied, "Whether I can defend you or not, it depends on yourself!"
Kobe moved to around the 45-degree angle, didn't call for a screen, and directly accelerated, driving to the right.
Li Feng stuck close, arms outstretched, denying Kobe any space for a pull-up jumper.
As Kobe reached near the baseline, he suddenly turned, trying to shake off Li Feng, but Li Feng had already established his position, pinning Kobe's lower body, still giving Kobe no space to jump.
With no other option, Kobe resorted to his killer move, the fadeaway jump shot.
Both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant's fadeaway jumpers were incredible, and their stances looked very similar.
However, upon closer analysis, there were significant differences.
Some fans used drawings to illustrate the biggest differences between the two.
Jordan's fadeaway had a higher jump, offering more shooting space; he seemed to float in the air, and at the moment of release, he was almost free of any defender.
Kobe's fadeaway, on the other hand, appeared very extreme. His jump was similar to Jordan's, but his ability to shake off opponents was slightly less.
Therefore, his shooting space was very narrow, and he had to rely on an extreme fadeaway to get the shot off.
If such a shot went in, it looked spectacular, feeling like an ultimate maneuver, picture-perfect!
But Kobe's ability to execute such a move was precisely the result of pushing his limits.
Jordan's shooting, however, exuded a sense of ease and artistry, a different realm altogether.
If Kobe's fadeaway jump shot was a work of art, then Michael Jordan was the masterpiece itself.
Of course, Kobe's technique was also top-tier in history, with only a slight gap between him and Jordan. After all, Jordan's physical condition was significantly superior to Kobe's.
Clang!
Kobe's shot hit the front of the rim and bounced out. Dwight Howard roared and grabbed the rebound.
This offensive and defensive exchange was incredibly exciting.
Seeing his shot miss, Kobe shook his head in frustration, his smile disappearing from his face.
Kobe, who had an extremely strong competitive spirit, couldn't handle this.
Li Feng offered a comforting remark, "So close, I was just lucky!"
"Hmph, your luck won't be so good next time!" Kobe knew Li Feng was trying to comfort him and said it deliberately as a retort.
In the next few possessions, Li Feng dominated the offense, while LeBron James seemed to be invisible.
However, the East gradually took the lead.
The main reason was Li Feng's omnipresence on the defensive end, making it difficult for the West's offense.
At the end of the first half, the score was 78:71, with the East leading by 7 points.
Li Feng scored a scorching 24 points in the third quarter, while LeBron James scored zero points. This brought Li Feng's total to 26 points, including his 2 points from the first quarter, making him the highest scorer for both teams.
LeBron still had 21 points, and Kobe had 23 points.
During the halftime break, there was no communication between Li Feng and LeBron James, and other stars also sensed the tension.
But this was a matter between top stars, and others couldn't intervene.
Spoelstra also noticed this but didn't interfere. The facts proved that the team indeed had an advantage when Li Feng led the offense.
The second half began, and the game continued.
Li Feng held the ball at the top of the arc and saw LeBron James still maintaining his detached demeanor.
He felt this wasn't good, as everyone was a star, and outsiders might think Li Feng was a ball hog.
So, Li Feng made a gesture to LeBron, preparing to pass him the ball.
But LeBron turned his head away, ignoring Li Feng.
Since that was the case, don't blame me.
Li Feng dribbled to the left wing and drove to the baseline, feigning an aggressive attack.
At this moment, Dwight Howard made a backdoor cut to the basket.
Li Feng, with quick hands, tossed the ball above the rim. Howard leaped up and slammed the ball fiercely into the hoop!
Although Yao Ming's contribution to the Knicks was significant and his offensive ability far surpassed Howard's, in terms of finishing lobs, "The Beast" was still top-tier.
The Western team, led by Kobe and Paul, was also mounting a comeback.
However, Li Feng's ability to control the tempo was too strong; he either attacked himself or set up his teammates, organizing the team flawlessly.
The East maintained the lead throughout.
But Kobe was in good form, with a hot hand, so the gap couldn't be widened.
At the end of the third quarter, the East was only leading by 5 points.
The fans were thoroughly entertained today. The previous All-Star Games felt like a joke, leaving the fans disappointed.
But this game at least saw both sides playing with regular-season intensity, making the fans feel extremely satisfied.
Li Feng scored 35 points today, Kobe had 32, and LeBron James made a three-pointer and a powerful dunk in the third quarter, scoring 5 points, for a total of 26 points.
Regardless of which conference won, LeBron James wouldn't be able to win the All-Star Game MVP.
In the first half of the fourth quarter, the bench players from both sides went head-to-head, narrowing the deficit again, even tying the score!
The fans stood up and cheered, as the moment they had been waiting for was about to arrive.
Now, the ten most popular superstars were about to engage in a final decisive battle!
Li Feng originally had no interest in the All-Star Game's outcome, nor had he considered competing for the MVP, but with the atmosphere reaching this point, he had to showcase his skills.
The Western stars were no pushovers; they were all legendary superstars.
Both sides began to play seriously, escalating the intensity to playoff levels!
Bang!
Bang!
Thump!
Players from both sides were constantly falling to the ground.
The scores remained neck and neck, and Li Feng switched to scoring mode, unstoppable, killing anyone who stood in his way!
In the All-Star Game, the star among stars, Li Feng displayed his incredible individual abilities.
Not only the fans in attendance but even the legends were mesmerized!
It had been a long time since such a generational talent emerged after Jordan's era. As long as he was on the court, his presence was undeniable!
With 1 minute and 6 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the East led by 7 points!
The advantage was clearly with the East. Despite the West stars playing their hearts out, Li Feng's performance completely suppressed them.
Spoelstra felt the victory was secured and substituted Li Feng, allowing him to receive the thunderous applause from the crowd.
Li Feng walked to the sidelines, waving to the fans, and couldn't sit down for a long time.
The audience was simply too enthusiastic.
Unexpectedly, right after Li Feng left the court, Kobe suddenly accelerated, driving against Wade and LeBron, hitting three consecutive shots and scoring 8 points!
With only 6 seconds left in the game, the West stars had actually taken the lead!
137:136!
Spoelstra was stunned.
Kobe was too fierce!
With no other option, he looked towards Li Feng again.
Li Feng had already put on his jacket and was resting on the bench. Seeing the sudden turn of events on the court, he immediately took off his jacket and stood up.
"Coach, let me do it!"
"Yes, yes!" Spoelstra nodded repeatedly.
LeBron James stood with his hands on his hips, his face ashen.
He had originally planned to make a game-winning shot in these final seconds, but Spoelstra clearly trusted Li Feng more!
If this were the Miami Heat, no one would have snatched the game-winning shot from LeBron; it would have been his.
But in an All-Star Game, Li Feng's status was slightly higher than LeBron's.
After all, with two championships in hand, he had the confidence.
Li Feng's re-entry onto the court earned him another roar of cheers from the entire arena.
"Li Feng! Game-winner!"
"Li Feng is awesome!"
"I love you, Li Feng!"
...
Li Feng also felt immense pressure. With only 6 seconds left and trailing by 1 point, the opponent would undoubtedly focus their defense on him.
In this situation, should he attack himself or let a teammate attack?
Li Feng called his teammates over and shouted, "I'll inbound the ball from the sideline. Howard, you catch it and quickly pass it to me!"
Howard had the physical talent to catch the ball.
Li Feng didn't explain how he would get open, but based on his performance over the years, everyone believed he had the ability!
The timeout ended, and the players returned to the court. Li Feng went to the sideline to prepare to inbound the ball.
The Western players were surprised that Li Feng was inbounder, and they were all bewildered.
Li Feng inbounded the ball to Howard and then ran towards the top of the arc, with Kobe sticking to him tightly.
Howard held the ball, looking left and right.
Suddenly, Li Feng sprinted to the right. Just as Kobe pursued him, he made a sharp stop and cut back to the left.
This cutback was so fast that Kobe couldn't react. Li Feng's speed had been extremely rapid, and no one could stop and change direction so quickly.
Kobe could only try his best to stop and chase back, but he was already a step behind.
Howard immediately passed the ball to Li Feng.
There were still 3 seconds left.
As Li Feng was about to shoot, Chris Paul and Kevin Durant immediately closed in.
Paul was manageable; after all, he didn't have a height advantage. Durant, with his long arms, gave Li Feng absolutely no shooting space.
But with 2 seconds remaining, Li Feng executed a spin move!
He used Paul as a screen to block Durant and then suddenly jumped beside Paul!
Durant was frantic, almost knocking Paul over, but still couldn't touch the ball.
Swish!
A long two-pointer, shot!
As the basketball was still in the air, the red game clock lit up, signaling the end of the entire match!