Simply put, if He Xi Meng helped the East defeat the West, according to the rules of the All-Star Game, Kobe would be elected AMVP.
After contributing a few spectacular dunks, Carter became somewhat disheartened, no longer wanting to compete with his brother McGrady for this year's AMVP trophy.
"Vince, you better compete with McGrady to the end, not just for yourself, but for Tracy too!"
Seeing Carter's inclination, He Xi Meng quickly advised him not to give up the ball.
"The West team already has an overwhelming lead. Is there anyone who can possibly reverse this situation?" Carter was indifferent.
He Xi Meng advised meaningfully again, "Every player on this stage is a top-tier player in the league! As long as the ball is in their hands, anything is possible! A mere 21 points cannot stop a miracle from happening..."
Carter knew He Xi Meng meant well for him and McGrady, but he still felt He Xi Meng was worrying too much.
In terms of overall strength, the West team was not inferior to the East team. With players like Kobe, Duncan, McGrady, Garnett, Nash, and Ray Allen, Carter genuinely did not believe the West team would hand over such a significant lead. Therefore, as the second half of the game began, the offensive initiative of the East team gradually shifted from Carter to James!
Seizing the opportunity, James saw that He Xi Meng had no intention of stopping him. With the assistance of Wade and Bosh, he went all out for a comeback!
To the astonishment of the Houston fans, James led the East team to overcome a 21-point deficit!
With only a few seconds left in the game, McGrady had a chance for a three-point dagger, but unfortunately, McGrady's pull-up three-pointer bounced off the rim. The West team lost its great advantage, and the East team defeated them 122:120, with a two-point difference.
McGrady's hard-earned AMVP trophy was snatched away by James...
He Xi Meng did not participate in their competition. He neither hindered James nor assisted him.
Not causing trouble for McGrady was already the limit of what He Xi Meng could do, after all, in name, He Xi Meng was the leader of this Eastern All-Star team!
He Xi Meng could forgo the AMVP trophy himself, but he could not prevent his teammates from striving for this AMVP trophy.
In the end, McGrady was resentful as the third-year James snatched away the MVP trophy closest to him...
With the older generation of players still competitive, the young James managed to break through and be elected the MVP of this year's All-Star Game, which indeed surprised many fans.
In fact, even His Airness, who was among the All-Stars, did not expect the final trophy to go to James!
To his surprise, His Airness inwardly felt fortunate. He was wise this time for not making a bet with He Xi Meng. Otherwise, the outcome would have been dire...
The All-Star Game ended amidst friendly banter, and the 2005-2006 season officially entered the second half of the competition.
As the new All-Star MVP, the young James led the young Cavaliers all the way to fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
To help Carter accumulate statistics, He Xi Meng reduced his shot attempts to a new low in recent seasons... Of course, a part of this was He Xi Meng's own desire to slack off.
However, despite slacking off, He Xi Meng did not neglect the management of the team's record.
As the defending champions, the Celtics' record consistently remained in first or second place in the Eastern Conference. They were neither too far ahead of other teams nor had they dropped out of the top two positions.
This was He Xi Meng's way of balancing training rookies and maintaining home-court advantage.
During this period, Carter was sidelined for two weeks due to playing too aggressively. Fortunately, the injury was not severe, and he quickly returned, driven by the pursuit of his first regular-season MVP award.
While Carter was injured, He Xi Meng promoted Yao Ming to the position of the Celtics' leading scorer, giving Yao Ming a chance to shine as well.
Ultimately, by the end of the regular season, the Celtics, with a record of 65 wins and 17 losses, successfully clinched the regular-season championship title, adding a crucial condition to Carter's path to MVP!
The teams entering this year's playoffs, the Eastern Conference top eight, were the Celtics, Pistons, Heat, Cavaliers, Wizards, Bulls, Pacers, and Nets!
Pierce and Kidd's chemistry grew increasingly默契 (mòqì - tacit understanding/harmony), but the problem was that both players suffered injuries this season, resulting in the Nets' final record being less than ideal. They barely made it into the playoffs, and in the first round, they had to face the Celtics!
Pierce would have to face his former team, while Kidd would have to confront his old rival He Xi Meng; it was a daunting prospect for both.
Last year's playoffs, the Nets had tried to avoid the Celtics, but they weren't careful enough.
This year's playoffs, the Nets had also attempted to evade them, but injuries had thwarted their efforts, and they inevitably fell into the hands of the Celtics.
This was all fate...