After all the individual awards were presented, the All-Star Weekend finally entered its final stage, the grand finale: the All-Star Game!
The injuries and withdrawals of O'Neal and Carter this year left many fans disappointed.
However, Jordan's return to the court filled the game with anticipation.
With "Help Master" Jordan and Iverson on the Eastern Conference starting lineup, featuring two superstar scorers, fans wondered who would become the East's leading scorer.
But the final outcome of the game surprised all the fans!
"Help Master" Jordan wasn't the protagonist of this All-Star Game, nor was Iverson. Neither of them was even the protagonist for the Eastern Conference.
Before the game, Kobe and He Xi Meng, those good buddies, huddled together, pointing and talking at Scott, the Eastern Conference coach, on the sidelines.
"What do you say? Win by 20 points? Wanna bet?" Kobe asked He Xi Meng.
He Xi Meng glanced at "Help Master" Jordan beside Scott and looked a bit hesitant, "Is that... really appropriate?"
"What's not appropriate about it! I just can't stand Scott's grumpy face anyway! If you don't join, I'll do it alone!"
"Okay, okay!" He Xi Meng gritted his teeth and stamped his foot, deciding to go a little crazy with Kobe. "But we've got a deal: when you're matched up against Old Joe, take it easy on him!"
"Hehehe!" Kobe flashed a mischievous smile. "Did you forget how Old Joe educated us when we first entered the league? I won't go too far, but what needs to be repaid, must be repaid! If not on the All-Star court, then when else?"
Hearing Kobe's tone, He Xi Meng knew that "Help Master" Jordan would likely be in trouble today! He covered his face with his hand, reluctantly offering another suggestion, "How about you shift your focus to me instead?"
"Hoho! Going by what you're saying, you're finally willing to go head-to-head with me?"
"As long as you don't bother Old Joe, I'll go head-to-head with you in scoring!"
"Excellent! Let's see who scores 21 points first in this game!"
"Deal!"
"Interesting, interesting! I suddenly find that the All-Star Game can also be very interesting..."
Kobe stretched his muscles and methodically began warming up, preparing for the upcoming battle.
As long as there was a game, Kobe took it seriously. As long as there was a winner and a loser, Kobe wanted to win. Especially against an opponent like He Xi Meng, whom Kobe had always wanted to beat but rarely had the chance.
This time, He Xi Meng had finally chosen to confront him directly.
"Very well, let's have a wild scoring spree!"
Kobe was already eager to hit the court and start the fight. As for what the head coach, the "Zen Master," had said before the game, Kobe couldn't hear it anymore.
"All-Star Game, what tactics are needed? Just play!"
Western Conference Starters: Yao Ming, Duncan, Garnett, Kobe, He Xi Meng.
Eastern Conference Starters: Mutombo, Antoine Walker, "Help Master" Jordan, Iverson, Kidd.
As the game started, Mutombo won the tip-off against Yao Ming, giving the Eastern Conference the first possession.
Kidd dribbled the ball past half-court and passed it to Iverson. Iverson took a few symbolic dribbles before handing it off to "Help Master" Jordan on the wing!
As "Help Master" Jordan received the ball, the crowd roared.
But on the Western Conference side, the matchup against "Help Master" Jordan was Garnett, who had excellent defensive abilities and was taller and faster than "Help Master" Jordan.
Kidd saw "Help Master" Jordan's difficulty and proactively brought He Xi Meng over for a switch, drawing Garnett away and replacing him with He Xi Meng, the "weakest" defender among the Western Conference starters.
Yes, let's not even mention Yao Ming.
The other three: Duncan, Garnett, and Kobe, were all frequent participants in the league's All-Defensive First Team. He Xi Meng was considered on the fringe of the Second Team, seemingly the easiest to pick on.
He Xi Meng faced "Help Master" Jordan with a wry smile, "Old Joe, should I go easy on this shot, or not?"
"If you dare go easy, I'll target you all game!" "Help Master" Jordan threatened He Xi Meng with a charming smile.
No choice. Since Old Joe was so insistent, He Xi Meng reluctantly played some serious defense.
He Xi Meng didn't attempt to steal from Old Joe or block his shot. He simply tried to contest him, stay close to him, and add just a little bit of difficulty to his turnaround jumper, nothing more.
Old Joe's movements were all there, and the rhythm wasn't bad, but there was just something slightly off about the final shot.
The entire crowd had their hands ready, anticipating "Help Master" Jordan's first points to cheer him on. However, the ball bounced off the rim and missed.
Old Joe shook his head in frustration and turned back to defense.
Duncan grabbed the rebound and passed it to He Xi Meng. He Xi Meng, not wanting to be unsportsmanlike, pushed the ball up at a normal pace. On his left and right flanks, Kobe and Garnett had already accelerated in a flurry.
After analyzing the Eastern Conference's defensive setup, He Xi Meng decisively passed the ball to Kobe on the left!
Because the Eastern Conference's defense was focused on the right, they anticipated He Xi Meng would prioritize passing to Garnett driving on the right, rather than Kobe driving on the left. So, He Xi Meng went against their expectation. After driving into the Eastern Conference's paint, he faked a pass to Garnett on the right, but actually threw the ball towards the left side of the basket...
Even though Kobe was his "rival" today, this rivalry was limited to internal competition. He Xi Meng would never let it affect the overall flow of the game.
Kobe followed up, jumped high, caught the ball with one hand, and completed a powerful tomahawk dunk!
The crowd immediately erupted in cheers, celebrating the默契 (mòqì - tacit understanding/chemistry) between the former Lakers duo.
Kobe turned and acknowledged He Xi Meng with a nod. As he passed He Xi Meng and high-fived him in celebration, he quietly reminded him, "2-0!"
The 2-0 here clearly wasn't the score between the Western and Eastern Conferences, but the individual scoring tally between Kobe and He Xi Meng.
He Xi Meng tilted his head and smiled, "This is just the beginning. There's an old saying in China: 'The first win isn't the real win.' And another one: 'Don't celebrate too early...'"
"You Chinese people have so many sayings!"
"That's right! After all, it's five thousand years of cultural heritage..."
The game continued. Kidd still passed the ball to "Help Master" Jordan, but after a few dribbles, Jordan passed it back to Iverson.
Iverson went one-on-one against Kobe and was met with strong defense.
Even on the All-Star court, Kobe refused to lower his defensive standards, a trait that people both loved and hated.
As a result, Iverson opted for a high lob pass, intending to complete an alley-oop dunk with Antoine Walker!
However, partly due to a lack of chemistry between the two, the pass wasn't perfect. On the other hand, Duncan, who was chasing Antoine Walker, was unsympathetic and actually reached out and intercepted the alley-oop dunk...