Five players from the Eastern Conference, three of them from the Celtics alone!
These included starting center Yao Ming, one of the starting forwards Carter, and one of the starting guards He Xi Meng!
The other starting forward position was filled by the Cavaliers' rising star James.
The remaining starting guard position went to the veteran Eastern Conference superstar Iverson.
Yao Ming, James, Carter, Iverson, and He Xi Meng – this was the starting lineup for the 2006 NBA All-Star Game Eastern Conference team.
The Eastern Conference All-Star reserves: O'Neal, Wade, Billups, Bosh, Pierce, Hamilton, Ben Wallace.
The Western Conference starting lineup: Duncan, McGrady, Kobe, Nash, Pau Gasol!
The Western Conference reserves: Marion, Nowitzki, Garnett, Ray Allen, Parker, Ginobili, and Elton Brand.
With stars like O'Neal, Yao Ming, and He Xi Meng making their way East, and the rise of new talents from the 2003 "platinum generation" such as James, Wade, and Bosh, the league's East-weak-West-strong dynamic had been significantly improved.
While on a team level, the Western Conference teams were still generally stronger than their Eastern counterparts, at the All-Star level, this gap had become negligible…
As per tradition, the first event of the All-Star Weekend was the Rookie Challenge.
This year's sophomore team was led by the 2004 first overall pick, Howard. Other selected players included Ben Gordon, Iguodala, Devin Harris, Luol Deng, Josh Smith, Kevin Martin, Ariza, and Tony Allen.
Okafor of the Bobcats and Nelson of the Magic, though selected, could not participate due to injuries.
Among the nine players available to play, two were current Celtics players, and two were former Celtics players.
This year's freshman team was led by the "twin stars" Paul and Deron. Other selected players included Bogut, Nate Robinson, Channing Frye, Danny Granger, Luther Head, David Lee, and Monta Ellis.
The Celtics had four rookies from the 2005 draft class, but only David Lee and Monta Ellis were selected for the Rookie Challenge.
Gerald Green, who had a better draft position, received limited playing time this season due to positional depth.
Gortat faced a similar situation. With Yao Ming healthy and Perkins not injured, Gortat found it difficult to get significant playing time.
Both players primarily served as depth for the Celtics, ready to fill in should injuries occur to the starting or second units.
In comparison, Monta Ellis was the luckiest, receiving the most playing time and opportunities.
Despite the veteran point guard Van Exel on the Celtics roster, the coaching staff firmly promoted Monta Ellis to be the second-string point guard, using actual game experience to foster his rapid development.
Had Paul and Deron not immediately entered their respective team's starting lineups and received substantial playing time and ball possession,
Monta Ellis could have been comparable to these two "twin stars" in his rookie season.
David Lee's abundance of opportunities was a result of the Celtics' backup center Perkins having a defensive-oriented playing style.
Therefore, in the frontcourt, David Lee was tasked with shouldering more offensive responsibility.
And compared to defense, David Lee was clearly more adept at offense.
As such, David Lee and Monta Ellis, the Celtics' backup inside-outside duo, became increasingly stable as the regular season progressed, emerging as quite brilliant players among the 2005 draft class.
Their simultaneous selection to the Rookie Challenge was thus well-deserved.
In the subsequent Rookie Challenge, due to Paul's injury and Deron's poor form, Monta Ellis instead shouldered the primary playmaking and organizing duties for the freshman team, leading the 2005 rookies against the challenge from the 2004 rookies.
However, in terms of overall strength, with Paul and Deron unable to play at full capacity, the gap in overall strength between the two teams was still quite noticeable.
Although Howard's base was unstable, he was still more than a level above Bogut.
After all, Devin Harris was no pushover.
While not a top-tier point guard, he was at least a prospect for one. With teammates like Howard, Luol Deng, Iguodala, and Ariza, it was not difficult for Devin Harris to put on an impressive performance.
Especially today, Iguodala was in excellent form! Not only were his dunks spectacular, but his three-point shooting was also accurate. He displayed a versatile skill set, racking up a game-high 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, even outshining his fellow top draft pick, Howard.
For the freshman team, Monta Ellis scored a team-high 26 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals. If the freshman team had defeated the sophomore team, Monta Ellis would have been named Rookie of the Year, but unfortunately, the sophomore team did not allow them the chance to win.
In the end, the sophomore team defeated the freshman team 106-96 to win the Rookie Challenge, and Iguodala rightfully claimed the MVP trophy.
Following the Rookie Challenge was the Shooting Stars competition.
This event was added by the league in 2004, making this its third iteration.
The champions of the previous two years were the Los Angeles team, led by Fisher, Leslie, and Magic Johnson, and the Phoenix team, led by Marion, Taures, and Majerle.
Due to its high entertainment value, it served as a good appetizer for the All-Star Weekend and was well-loved by fans.
Thus, the event was retained and continued, serving as a performance before the individual skills competitions.
This year, the four teams participating in the Shooting Stars competition were the defending champions from Phoenix, led by Marion; the host Houston team, led by McGrady; the Los Angeles team, led by Kobe; and the San Antonio team, led by Parker!
Judging by the lineup of the leading players, this year's event was undoubtedly the strongest since its inception.
Kobe, who usually maintained a high level of aloofness, agreed to participate in this event, which was more about performance than competition, as his championship aspirations were unlikely this season.
Of course, since it was a competition, Kobe naturally aimed to win. Regardless of whether it was a performance or not, Kobe wanted to win!
Before the competition began, a group of All-Stars on the sidelines started speculating and betting on who would win this year's mixed shooting competition.
Upon hearing about the betting, "Air Jordan" himself, who was sitting in the VIP section, could no longer sit still.
He completely disregarded league rules, mingled with the All-Star players, and set up his own betting pool.
"Come, come! Those betting on the Los Angeles team to win, odds are 1 to 1.2."
"Those betting on the Phoenix team to defend their title, odds are 1 to 1.5."
"Those betting on the host Houston team to win, odds are 1 to 1.8."
"Those betting on the San Antonio team to win, odds are 1 to 2."