The three-point contest was also fierce and exciting, with six players participating.
They were LeBron James Jones of the Heat, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen of the Celtics, Hakim Warrick of the Warriors, Ty Lawson of the Knicks, and Kevin Durant of the Thunder.
In the first round, Jones, Pierce, and Allen scored 16, 12, and 20 points respectively, advancing to the finals.
However, the favorite, Durant, only managed to score 6 points in the first round, a significant underperformance.
In the finals, LeBron James Jones performed excellently, scoring 20 points.
Pierce and Allen scored 18 and 15 points respectively, and the Celtics' dynamic duo couldn't stop Jones.
Ultimately, Jones won the three-point contest.
In the Skills Challenge, Curry finally made an appearance.
There were five participants in the Skills Challenge, all guards.
They were Curry of the Warriors, Russell Westbrook of the Thunder, Derrick Rose of the Bulls, John Wall of the Wizards, and Chris Paul of the Hornets (now Pelicans).
In the first round, Curry completed the challenge in 34.1 seconds, while Westbrook finished in 30 seconds. Thus, Curry and Westbrook advanced to the finals.
In the finals, Curry delivered a stellar performance, completing the skills tasks in just 28.2 seconds.
Westbrook, on the other hand, repeatedly missed his final shots, wasting a significant amount of time and finishing in 44.2 seconds.
Curry won the Skills Challenge.
This year's All-Star Game also featured a new event, the Shooting Stars competition.
The competition involved three-person teams, each composed of a current NBA player, a current WNBA player, and an NBA retiree.
There were four teams, meaning 12 players participated in the Shooting Stars.
They were: Team 1: Al Horford of the Hawks, Tanisha Wright of the WNBA’s New York Liberty, and Steve Smith, a retired Hawks player.
Team 2: Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks, Jia Perkins of the San Antonio Silver Stars, and Kenny Smith, a retired Rockets player.
Team 3: Pau Gasol of the Lakers, Tina Thompson, and Derek Fisher, a retired Lakers star.
Team 4: Taj Gibson of the Bulls, Candace Parker, and Scottie Pippen, a retired Bulls star.
Ultimately, Team 1 from Atlanta won the championship.
...
The All-Star Game finally arrived.
Li Feng made a stylish entrance.
Despite the star-studded lineup at the All-Star Game, Li Feng's appearance commanded the grandest fanfare, and the audience's cheers were the loudest.
Li Feng even overshadowed Los Angeles' hero, Kobe Bryant!
The All-Star Game followed the established "unspoken rule": the first three quarters were for show.
There were various dunks, dazzling assists, and incredibly long three-pointers.
After three quarters, the score was 102-101, with the West leading by one point.
In the fourth quarter, both sides began to play with serious intent.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the coaches fielded their reserve lineups.
Coach Spoelstra brought in Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh, Ty Lawson, and Dwyane Wade.
Coach Popovich countered with Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Manu Ginobili, Russell Westbrook, and Blake Griffin.
On the Western Stars' first possession, Westbrook drove to the paint and dished a beautiful pass to Griffin, who finished with a powerful dunk.
104-101.
The Eastern Stars responded, with Wade driving to the baseline and finding Garnett for an alley-oop opportunity.
Still strong in his veteran years, Garnett didn't miss the chance and threw down a thunderous alley-oop dunk, retaliating with 2 points.
The two teams exchanged blows, playing an exciting back-and-forth game.
While not a full-out brawl, the intensity matched that of a regular season game, with both sides playing very seriously.
With over five minutes played in the fourth quarter, the score was 119-117, with the West leading by 2 points.
The coaches on both sides, with great synchronicity, decided to substitute their starting lineups at this point.
The final showdown began.
The Staples Center crowd was ecstatic, eager to see the highest level of play from the star-studded starting lineups.
Their wait was finally over!
Before taking the court, Li Feng gathered his teammates, placing his hand on theirs.
"Brothers, let's win this game!"
"Win this game!"
...
Even in an All-Star Game, player pride was on the line.
Regardless of the outcome, they had to perform at their best, lest they be ridiculed.
The Eastern starting five consisted of Li Feng, Derrick Rose, LeBron James, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Dwight Howard.
The Western starting five featured Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, and Carmelo Anthony.
Upon entering the court, Li Feng didn't attempt a solo play but passed the ball to Rose.
Rose had been explosive this season, his drives to the basket unstoppable.
Rose drove into the paint, facing the defense of Duncan and Durant, and executed a spectacular layup, dropping the ball into the basket.
The score was tied!
The East displayed a strong and assertive stance.
The West refused to be outdone. Paul and Kobe executed a play, with Kobe receiving a pass from Paul and sinking a long two-pointer!
This demonstrated the effectiveness of Paul and Kobe playing together.
There was a time when Paul and Kobe had an opportunity to team up, but the league intervened.
At that time, there was no precedent for active superstars forming superteams, so Kobe and Paul couldn't become teammates.
However, on the All-Star stage, they showed their chemistry and executed several excellent plays.
In the next possession, Li Feng responded powerfully with a logo three-pointer!
This shot was made under tight defense from Kobe Bryant.
Kobe, though frustrated, smiled and playfully patted Li Feng's backside after the shot, acknowledging his skill.
In the following few possessions, both teams showcased high-level play with impressive shooting percentages.
However, the West had a greater number of strong shooters, such as Kobe, Paul, Durant, and Anthony, all considered sharpshooters.
As a result, with 1 minute and 34 seconds remaining in the game, the West held a 7-point lead over the East.
138-131.
The East seemed to be out of the game.
At this moment, Coach Spoelstra called a timely timeout.
While a timeout was called, it was largely symbolic in an All-Star Game.
Mounting a comeback at this point seemed incredibly difficult.
Spoelstra glanced at Li Feng and then at LeBron James.
These were the two biggest stars on the East's All-Star roster.
In such a crucial moment, the ball had to be entrusted to one player to handle.
Although he was LeBron's coach, he couldn't let personal bias dictate his decisions; after all, this was an exhibition, and everyone was watching.
LeBron hesitated for a moment before saying directly, "Coach, give the ball to Li Feng!"
Clearly, LeBron understood the coach's predicament and voluntarily relinquished possession.
In reality, possession of the ball was no longer that crucial.
The West had gained momentum, with Durant and Kobe hitting consecutive shots, making them unstoppable.
For the East to make a comeback, a miracle would be required.
Seeing LeBron's decision, Li Feng nodded and said, "Okay, then give me the ball. Everyone, help me with spacing and making good cuts!"
"Alright!"
The stars once again clasped their hands together, shouting in unison.
The timeout ended, and the game resumed.
Li Feng had made up his mind; he was determined to lead the East to a comeback victory. After all, he represented the East, the reigning champions.
Therefore, defeating the West would boost the morale of the Knicks.
On the East's offensive possession, Li Feng brought the ball past half-court. Paul and Kobe immediately came to double-team him.
It was evident that the West was also determined to win this game, as Kobe and Paul, disregarding their pride, relentlessly double-teamed Li Feng, denying him opportunities to shine.
Li Feng calmly assessed the situation, observing his teammates' movements.
He noticed Amar'e Stoudemire positioned near the paint and made a hand signal to him.
Since they were teammates, only Stoudemire would understand his gesture.
Stoudemire blinked his eyes, signaling his understanding.
Li Feng then threaded the ball between Kobe and Paul, passing it to Stoudemire.
Stoudemire feigned a drive against Griffin, but Li Feng suddenly broke free from Paul and sprinted to the left.
Sensing the danger, Kobe quickly pursued, but Li Feng and Stoudemire had excellent chemistry, and the ball was immediately passed back to Li Feng.
The pass was precise, landing slightly ahead of Li Feng.
Given Li Feng's speed, he could just manage to catch the ball, while Kobe couldn't intercept it.
Upon receiving the pass, Li Feng didn't hesitate and drove towards the basket.
Tim Duncan, who had been anticipating the play, immediately rotated to defend.
As the cornerstone of the Spurs, Duncan's defense was always tenacious.
Although Duncan had been a background player in countless highlight-reel dunks by other stars, he remained the Spurs' last line of defense!
In the crucial moments of the All-Star Game, Duncan was once again in the right position.
Li Feng, unfazed by who he was facing, faked a move, throwing Duncan off balance, and then executed a quick spin, leaving Duncan behind.
He was incredibly fast; Duncan, with wide eyes, was stunned.
Li Feng drove to the basket and, before Durant could close out, he soared through the air for a powerful dunk.
All the players were dumbfounded. Li Feng's offensive strategy, employed by the Knicks, was so intricate that it completely broke through the Western defense.
138-133, the deficit was now 5 points.
The game clock read 1 minute and 18 seconds.
The Western team's possession. Paul brought the ball up past half-court.
Li Feng whispered a few words to Rose, and then Rose quickly closed out on Paul, guarding him closely.
However, Li Feng did not aggressively defend Kobe.
Paul naturally passed the ball to Kobe.
The moment Kobe caught the ball, Li Feng suddenly burst forward and stole the ball from him!
It was so sudden; neither Paul nor Kobe had anticipated it.
After the steal, Rose had already crossed half-court. Li Feng, not seeking personal glory, passed the ball to Rose as Kobe attempted to recover.
Rose accelerated to top speed, and Paul couldn't keep up.
Bang!
Rose delivered a powerful two-handed dunk, scoring 2 more points.
In the past, Rose would have likely hung on the rim and descended vertically.
However, after his conversation with Li Feng, Rose had become mindful of protecting himself.
So, after the dunk, he grabbed the rim with his right hand, swung for a moment, and then slowly landed on the ground.
Li Feng noticed Rose's change and was deeply gratified. He rushed over, chest-bumped Rose in celebration, and let out a few loud shouts.
138-135, the deficit was only 3 points!
In just over 30 seconds, through a drive, a steal, and an assist, Li Feng had narrowed the gap to 3 points.
The suspense was back, and the crowd erupted in fervent cheers; it was exhilarating!
The Western coach, Gregg Popovich, quickly called a timeout.
Even in an All-Star Game, being on the verge of a comeback loss after holding a significant lead would be embarrassing.
The Eastern All-Stars were even more impressed with Li Feng. Each player high-fived him, chest-bumped him, and patted his shoulder in admiration.
LeBron also came over to high-five Li Feng, but Li Feng saw a sense of helplessness in LeBron's eyes.
During the timeout, Spoelstra became more vocal, recognizing Li Feng's overwhelming dominance on both offense and defense.
"Li Feng, great job! The next possession is crucial. You must stop them defensively first, and then execute on offense!"
Li Feng nodded and exchanged a few more words with his teammates.
At this moment, Li Feng exuded the aura of a true superstar. Even amidst a galaxy of stars at the All-Star Game, he remained exceptionally outstanding!
The timeout ended, and the game resumed.
On the Western team's possession, Paul this time passed the ball to Duncan instead of Kobe.
Besides being the defensive anchor for the Spurs, Duncan also possessed strong playmaking abilities, comparable to Pau Gasol.
So, after receiving the ball, he looked around, searching for an opportunity.
The Western stars were exceptionally strong shooters. Kobe, Durant, and Anthony could all end possessions with a shot.
Duncan saw that Stoudemire was defending Durant and immediately passed the ball to him.
Stoudemire's defense was a bit weaker, and Durant's long arms made this a favorable matchup.
Just as Durant was about to pull up for a shot, Li Feng suddenly appeared behind him and leaped high.
Durant had not expected Li Feng to position himself behind him at all.
Smack!
Li Feng once again knocked the ball away!
Durant was astonished. He turned around to see Li Feng already more than two meters away.
Li Feng sprinted past half-court and, with Kobe in pursuit, soared for a thunderous dunk, scoring 2 more points!
The Staples Center crowd was in awe.
"My God, is Li Feng possessed? He's like Jordan in '98!"
"Absolutely! It's a bit like that steal against Malone; it's incredible!"
"Both teams are playing seriously; this isn't a casual game!"
...
After scoring, Li Feng let out another primal roar towards the heavens. The deficit was now just 1 point!
137-138!
And there were still 38 seconds left on the clock!
The outcome was uncertain!
Both teams had one more offensive opportunity; it all depended on who could seize it.
Coach Popovich did not call a timeout, instead gesturing from the sidelines for his team to continue their offense.
Kobe personally brought the ball up past half-court, and Li Feng aggressively defended him.
Given Li Feng's recent consecutive steals, Kobe was cautious, bending low and observing Li Feng's body movements.
Suddenly, Kobe drove to the basket from the left.
Li Feng stuck with him, simultaneously extending his right hand in front of Kobe's face, blocking his vision.
This was Shane Battier's defensive specialty. Although its effectiveness against Kobe was generally limited, in the final moments, it was worth a try.
With his vision obscured, Kobe found it difficult to operate. He spun around, attempting to shake Li Feng.
Unexpectedly, as Li Feng applied tight defense, he had already signaled to Rose, who was trailing closely behind.
This meant Kobe was being double-teamed, front and back.
Thus, his spin move with the ball happened to bring the ball right in front of Rose.
Rose's hands were also quick; he stepped forward and snatched the ball away!
Kobe was truly desperate. He lunged fiercely for the ball but committed a foul, pushing Rose to the ground.
Beep!
The referee's whistle blew, calling a foul on Kobe.
Rose stepped up to the free-throw line.