Arenas poured in 32 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists but was utterly outmatched by He Xi Meng!
The Celtics had an impressive eight players scoring in double digits!
Aside from core players He Xi Meng, Carter, and Yao Ming, Josh Smith, Ariza, Tony Allen, Kevin Martin, and Hu Wei Dong also all scored in double figures!
He Xi Meng had his lowest scoring game of the new season with just 16 points! However, his assist total set a new season high and the highest single-game assist record in the league so far: 22!
16 points and 22 assists, this double-double performance truly captivated the Celtics fans in attendance!
After a dominant win against the Wizards, the Celtics continued their home stand, defeating the visiting Warriors and Nuggets!
Following a three-game home winning streak, He Xi Meng led the young squad on the road, extending their winning streak to an impressive seven games!
It wasn't until they faced the Mavericks that the Celtics' winning streak was temporarily halted.
Despite the streak being broken, the Celtics' winning momentum did not end.
The "Monta-Yao" combination, leading a group of young Celtics players, became the most dynamic force in the league this season. They not only swept through the Eastern Conference teams but also put up a strong fight against top Western Conference powerhouses!
Before the All-Star Game, the Celtics' record successfully surpassed the Pistons and Heat, securing the top position in the Eastern Conference!
The rookie coach, dubbed "Silent Kerr," earned the honor of coaching the Eastern Conference All-Star team this year through his quiet leadership.
Three Celtics players, He Xi Meng, Carter, and Yao Ming, were successfully selected for this year's All-Star roster!
However, due to voting restrictions, Yao Ming once again narrowly missed out on starting center for the East, falling behind O'Neal.
Michael Jordan was quite pleased with the outcome of having three All-Stars from the same team.
After all, this was one of only two such honors in the league!
Another team in the league held the distinction of having three All-Stars from the same team: the defending champion Spurs!
After He Xi Meng and Yao Ming's departure, Parker and Ginobili stepped up as the pillars, forming the "GDP" trio and continuing to dominate the league, leading the entire league!
However, the Spurs' three All-Stars included two reserves!
If Pierce had not left the Celtics, they too would have had one starter and two reserves.
As it stands now, the Celtics have two starters and one reserve!
"Trading one reserve for one starter! Even better than the defending champion Spurs! This trade was definitely worth it…" Michael Jordan secretly rejoiced.
The other three starting players in the East were Iverson of the 76ers, O'Neal of the Heat, and James of the Cavaliers!
The Eastern Conference All-Star reserves were: Yao Ming, Wade, Ben Wallace, Jermaine O'Neal, Pierce, Arenas, and Anthony.
Western Conference All-Star Starters: Duncan, Garnett, Kobe, McGrady, Nowitzki!
Due to O'Neal, Yao Ming, and Ben Wallace, the three strongest centers in the league this season, all being in the East, the West lacked a starting center. The organizing committee therefore moved Nowitzki, who ranked third in the power forward voting, to the center position!
The West fielded a lineup of three forwards in Nowitzki, Duncan, and Garnett, which was quite unconventional!
Western Conference All-Star Reserves: Ray Allen, Marion, Amar'e Stoudemire, Ginobili, Nash, Rashard Lewis, Parker!
However, before the main game, there were the usual Rookie Challenge and individual competitions!
This year's Rookie Challenge featured the "Platinum Generation" of 2003 against the first-year players of 2004!
The sophomore team included James, Anthony, Wade, Bosh, Haslem, Korver, Deron Williams, Hinrich, and Josh Howard.
Among them, James, Wade, Anthony, and Bosh had already shown exceptional performances last season, and this season, James and Wade were directly selected for the All-Star lineup, their strength far exceeding that of ordinary rookies.
Everyone believed that this year's Rookie Challenge was a sure thing, with no hope for the first-year team.
Anthony even boldly declared before the game: "If we don't win this game by 20 points, then even if we lose…"
He Xi Meng was initially not interested in the rookie matchups. However, since "Melo" was so high-profile before the game, He Xi Meng didn't mind offering some off-court guidance to the first-year rookies!
This was because the core members of the first-year team were primarily from the Celtics!
Josh Smith, Tony Allen, Ariza, Kevin Martin, and the top pick Howard formed the starting lineup for this year's first-year rookie team!
Why were the Celtics' rookies given such prominent roles?
Because the head coach of the first-year rookie team was Mike Brown, an assistant coach from the Celtics!
According to league custom, the head coaches for the Rookie Challenge were assistant coaches of the All-Star Game head coaches.
After Kerr became the new head coach of the Celtics, his first action was to pledge his loyalty to Michael Jordan and He Xi Meng in front of the entire team. His second action was to invite Mike Brown, Gregg Popovich's head coach, to Boston to become his chief assistant coach!
Mike Brown had a good relationship with He Xi Meng when he was with the Spurs. Now that He Xi Meng wanted to provide some off-court guidance to his young players, Mike Brown naturally had no objections!
Thus, Devin Harris, Luol Deng, Andre Iguodala, and J.R. Smith were all relegated to the reserve lineup.
It wasn't that they lacked skill, but even if they played, they couldn't contend with the powerful Platinum Generation. It was better to let the "Celtics Four" have a try!
At least, He Xi Meng believed that with his guidance, it was uncertain whether the first-year team could defeat the sophomore team, but "Melo" might have to eat his words!
As expected, under He Xi Meng's behind-the-scenes maneuvering, the four Celtics rookies played with remarkable chemistry!
If four heads are better than one, then four skilled players working together would be even more formidable.
The four players ignored Howard at the center position and quickly moved the ball between the point guard and the power forward positions.
Beyond individual offense, if the ball stopped moving, the players from positions 1 to 4 on the sophomore team were Wade, Anthony, James, and Bosh respectively…
One-on-one, every position was a mismatch!
Only by employing a pack-wolf strategy and leveraging the team's strength could they contend with the powerful sophomore team!
With their chemistry developed over the first half of the season, coupled with He Xi Meng and Mike Brown's constant adjustments, the first-year team, led by the four Celtics rookies, actually managed to withstand the sophomore team's offense!
The first half was a closely contested battle, with the first-year team not at a disadvantage.
In the third quarter, James and Anthony began to exert pressure simultaneously, and the first-year team started to falter.
He Xi Meng decisively adjusted, making a desperate move by having Josh Smith step out and shoot three-pointers, catching the sophomore team completely off guard…