A group of all-star players, who enjoyed stirring up trouble, crowded around, initiating their mischief.
Veterans like Malone, Payton, and Mutombo seemed to be supporting Jordan!
"Go, Michael! Block this kid's shot!"
The rookies, led by Duncan, Garnett, and Antoine Walker, appeared to be supporting He Ximeng!
"Go, Ximeng, show off your isolation skills!"
"Isolation skills? What isolation skills do I have?" He Ximeng shot a roll of his eyes at the seemingly honest Duncan, "You know better than anyone how good my isolation skills are."
But O'Neal, hearing Duncan's words, took him seriously and, clapping his large hands, encouraged He Ximeng, "Go, Ximeng, beat Michael and help us save face..."
What was originally a small-scale friendly practice match had unintentionally started to take on a different flavor.
The rookies wanted He Ximeng to defeat Jordan and bring glory to the rookies.
O'Neal wanted He Ximeng to defeat Jordan and bring face to the Lakers.
Honestly, He Ximeng had initially intended to surrender and didn't want to have a one-on-one with Jordan. Their team roles were different, making them largely incomparable.
But Old Joe refused He Ximeng's surrender, and more importantly, hadn't made his fadeaway jumper. Was he doing it on purpose?
Now it was awkward. The ball possession changed, and it was He Ximeng's turn to attack.
He Ximeng moved to the three-point line and passed the ball to Jordan. Jordan passed it back, crouched down, and said excitedly, "Come on, little Ximeng, let me see your isolation skills..."
"Uh... do you really want to see?" He Ximeng asked Old Joe back, a bit embarrassed.
Jordan paused, then affirmed, "Of course!"
Before he finished speaking, He Ximeng suddenly shot from two steps beyond the three-point line... fast, fierce, and accurate...
Caught off guard, Jordan didn't close in on He Ximeng immediately, and by the time he jumped, he couldn't block the shot.
Not only couldn't he block it, but he couldn't even interfere effectively. He could only watch as the basketball arced through the air and headed straight for the basket, sinking precisely...
Silence fell over the arena!
"Is that it?" Jordan's face darkened.
"It's done! Did you really think I had any special skills?"
Jordan spread his hands helplessly and said, "Can I say I wasn't ready yet?"
The "god's" intention was to subtly ask, "Can we have a do-over?"
Did He Ximeng know? Of course, he did, but he didn't want to give Old Joe another chance to crush him...
"Of course! I played exactly when you weren't ready..." He Ximeng replied with a feigned innocent and pure expression.
Jordan was utterly speechless. He pointed at He Ximeng's nose and said, "You wait, see if I don't blow you out in the game later..."
He Ximeng didn't get angry. He gently moved Jordan's finger away from his nose and then turned to Kobe, "That guy should be your opponent next..."
"No, no, no!" Jordan shook his finger. "In the Eastern Conference starting lineup, Penny and I are both shooting guards. Our positions can be swapped at any time..."
"Damn it! How could I forget about that?"
He Ximeng's face-palm and look of dejection made all the all-star players present burst into laughter.
"Hey, Ximeng! I didn't expect you to have such a sense of humor, with a bit of my flair..." O'Neal said, laughing, and patted He Ximeng's shoulder with his palm, which was as large as a fan, making He Ximeng's shoulder ache...
Playing one-on-one with the Lakers' "F4" was just a small, friendly gesture by Jordan as part of his pre-game warm-up. The "god" was already considering retirement, and before retiring, he wanted to maintain good personal relationships with the league's rising stars.
Jordan thought highly of these four all-star players from the Lakers! Especially He Ximeng. He heard that this kid, like him, had chosen Nike's stock options over cash, showing long-term vision and confidence...
Jordan's original plan was to challenge the Lakers' "F4" one by one and leave a deep impression on them. However, his unassailable turnaround jumper encountered a slight problem, and after the possession changed, he was inadvertently defeated by He Ximeng's surprise three-pointer, making this friendly event not quite perfect...
Next, during the All-Star players' introduction, Jordan played another prank on Anfernee Hardaway, pulling down his warm-up shorts.
Anfernee Hardaway was wearing snap-button warm-up pants that day, the kind that could be easily undone.
Jordan's prank immediately sent the entire stadium into roars of laughter.
Although Anfernee Hardaway wasn't exposed, he was still left speechless by Jordan's playfulness.
What was supposed to be a proper introduction ceremony turned into a large-scale comedy show.
O'Neal, however, thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere, occasionally providing Jordan with some "divine assists" or performing his "O'Neal-style hot dance"...
Kobe put his hand on his forehead. The All-Star Game he had imagined didn't seem to be like this...
After the pre-game festivities concluded, the All-Star Game officially tipped off amidst the cheers of tens of thousands of fans.
Western Conference All-Stars: Center O'Neal, Power Forward Malone, Small Forward Garnett, Shooting Guard Kobe, Point Guard He Ximeng.
Eastern Conference All-Stars: Center Mutombo, Power Forward Kemp, Small Forward Hill, Shooting Guard Anfernee Hardaway, Point Guard Jordan.
As expected, Jordan indeed appeared at the point guard position for the Eastern Conference. This was truly troublesome...
The game began. Mutombo won the tip-off against O'Neal, giving the Eastern Conference All-Stars the first offensive opportunity.
Jordan himself brought the ball up past half-court. Facing a helpless He Ximeng, he faked a drive, went to the low post, and hit a turnaround jumper!
Jordan easily scored the first two points for the Eastern Conference All-Stars.
He Ximeng brought the ball up for a counter-attack. As Jordan retreated on defense, he verbally taunted He Ximeng, wanting him to engage in a one-on-one. He Ximeng completely ignored him.
As they moved past half-court, He Ximeng saw Garnett accelerate towards the three-point line, using a screen from O'Neal. He Ximeng immediately understood, lobbed a high pass, and precisely directed the ball above the rim!
Garnett took off, slamming down a spectacular two-handed dunk, opening the scoring for the Western Conference.
Kobe also wanted to take flight, but Garnett beat him to it. He could only watch as He Ximeng assisted Garnett, while his own attempt went unrewarded.
On the Eastern Conference All-Stars' next possession, Jordan deliberately passed the ball to Hill, letting Hill, who had just been dunked on by Garnett, respond in kind!
Hill, a player whom Jordan had always favored and believed could be his successor, didn't disappoint Jordan's pass. After a series of crossovers against Garnett, he hit a turnaround jumper!
On the Western Conference All-Stars' next possession, the Eastern Conference All-Stars didn't give them a chance to drive directly to the basket. He Ximeng calmly set up in the half-court offense and lobbed the ball inside to O'Neal. O'Neal caught, backed down, turned, and threw up a shot...
Despite facing Mutombo, the league's Defensive Player of the Year, O'Neal smoothly made the shot!