It must be said that Durant's scoring ability is indeed very strong, and Billups's court control ability is also top-notch.
After more than six minutes into the second quarter, the East was already trailing by 10 points.
Coach Van Gundy had no choice but to put in the main players again, with Li Feng, James, Wade, and Howard returning to the court.
After Li Feng entered the game, James and Wade once again engaged in their familiar pick-and-roll.
As a result, the point difference continued to widen.
The entire crowd became restless and once again chanted Li Feng's name.
Li Feng remained unhurried, squatting in the corner.
James, helpless, had to hand the ball to Li Feng.
Upon receiving the ball, Li Feng once again took control of the game.
However, Li Feng did not focus on scoring himself but opted for an assist mode, frequently passing the ball to his teammates.
He intended to use James's playing style to win the game.
James seemed to be touched by this and also began playing selflessly, sharing the offensive and defensive responsibilities for the Eastern team with Li Feng.
The East began to narrow the gap, and various connections started to form between James and Li Feng.
James drove to the basket with a tank-like drive, and as he reached the paint, Li Feng also cut to the baseline.
Swish!
James made a superb, no-look pass to Li Feng.
Li Feng faked, causing Stoudemire to jump, then drove to the basket and soared for a thunderous dunk!
After scoring, Li Feng actively reached out and high-fived James to celebrate!
Their connection ignited cheers from the crowd.
In the next possession, Li Feng returned the favor. He drove to the vicinity of the paint and tossed the ball high into the air.
James ascended like a king, soaring for a tomahawk dunk.
Bang!
After scoring, James grabbed the rim with one hand and pointed at Li Feng.
This move replicated the classic All-Star collaboration between Francis and Yao Ming from years ago.
Li Feng smiled and nodded at James, giving him a thumbs-up.
The Eastern players became increasingly unified, unleashing a torrent of fluid offense.
By the end of the first half, the score was 73-74, with the East leading by one point!
Li Feng and James exchanged excited high-fives, walking off the court laughing and chatting, dispelling rumors of their discord.
In the first half, James scored 17 points and dished out 5 assists, while Li Feng recorded 15 points and 6 assists.
The two were the engines of the Eastern team.
As the second half began, the West also increased their offensive intensity, and the score became tight.
Li Feng still wasn't playing at full strength; he was treating the All-Star game as a casual play.
There was a tacit understanding among both sides in the All-Star games of these past few years.
That is, the first three quarters were played at a relaxed pace.
Then, in the fourth quarter, they would go all out!
The game followed this script today.
After the third quarter, the score was 96-93, with the East leading by three points.
In the fourth quarter, both teams tacitly increased their intensity and began to play for real.
Kobe Bryant applied tight defense on Li Feng, almost preventing him from receiving the ball.
Li Feng didn't rush; he let James handle the ball while he made constant off-ball cuts.
James's passing ability was truly exceptional; as soon as Li Feng created a sliver of space, James's pass arrived.
After receiving the ball, Li Feng made a crossover, leaving Kobe half a step behind.
Then Li Feng drove to the paint and tossed the ball up.
"Superman" Howard soared into the air and caught the ball for a dunk!
Howard's leaping ability was unique in the West; it was absolutely explosive.
On the West's offense, Li Feng also tightly guarded Kobe.
Kobe showcased his powerful offensive ability, resolving the situation with mid-range jumpers.
Even after both sides displayed their true skills, the game remained undecided.
It wasn't until the final minute of the fourth quarter that the West held a two-point lead.
At this point, Eastern coach Van Gundy called another timeout.
Even though it was an All-Star game, the final push was a test of the coach's abilities.
At least a tactic had to be devised.
Whether they could make a comeback depended on the players' individual performance at the moment.
Coach Van Gundy pointed at Li Feng.
"On the next play, James will drive, Li Feng will roam the baseline, and the others will set screens for Li Feng!"
Li Feng and James had already proven their capabilities, so everyone else readily agreed without any objections.
The timeout ended, and the game resumed.
James brought the ball past half-court, and Li Feng moved to the high post, screening Stoudemire, who was guarding James.
Then James drove into the paint, and the Western inner defense immediately collapsed.
Li Feng cut to the corner, but Kidd followed him closely.
Wade immediately screened Kidd, and Li Feng took the opportunity to move to the other corner.
James, quick as lightning, passed the ball over.
Upon receiving the ball, Li Feng executed a pull-up three-pointer!
Given his speed, combined with the pull-up, Kidd couldn't catch up and could only watch Li Feng shoot the three-pointer!
Swish!
A clean swish!
134 all!
With 37 seconds left on the clock.
Both teams had one offensive possession left!
The fans in the stadium were ecstatic; they loved seeing the All-Stars engage in a hard-fought game!
Because on forums, fans always discussed hypothetical scenarios like "what if."
Only in the All-Star game could their favorite stars potentially play on the same team.
West's possession.
The ball was once again passed to Kobe.
Everyone knew Kobe would take the shot, so Li Feng stepped in front of Kobe again.
Kobe seemed a bit nervous. Although he had made a few shots earlier, Li Feng's defense put immense pressure on him.
Facing Li Feng's tight defense, Kobe made repeated fakes, driving left and right, searching for space to shoot.
But Li Feng was too familiar with him, his footwork incredibly quick, and Kobe couldn't shake him off.
Moreover, Li Feng refused any help defense from his teammates; he wanted to guard Kobe one-on-one!
With only 2 seconds left on the shot clock, Kobe, with no other option, resorted to a fadeaway jump shot.
Li Feng was prepared; he jumped simultaneously, raising his right hand high, almost touching the ball.
Swish!
Kobe still took the shot.
But under Li Feng's intense defense, the shot fell short, hitting the front rim and bouncing high.
Howard leaped high and secured the rebound.
With 15 seconds left, the East initiated a fast break.
Howard passed the ball to James, who then passed it to Wade.
Wade drove but was met by Kidd's tight defense, so he passed the ball back to Li Feng.
Li Feng was positioned near the 45-degree angle, with 3 seconds remaining.
Kobe panicked. He knew Li Feng was a precise shooter, so he lunged forward.
Li Feng feigned a shot, and seeing Kobe pounce, he executed a fake and quickly moved sideways.
Kobe was desperate. Li Feng truly had a clutch mentality; even at this moment, he could pull off a fake.
Swish!
With 0.4 seconds left on the clock, Li Feng unleashed a rapid shot!
The moment the ball left his hands, the game clock lit up!
The spectators stood up, their eyes wide, tracking the ball's trajectory.
Swish!
It's in!
A game-winner!
Li Feng had actually hit a buzzer-beater in the All-Star game!
Incredibly cool!
All the Eastern players rushed over and celebrated with chest bumps with Li Feng!
The Western players wore smiles of resignation, marveling at Li Feng's magic.
"Li Feng is awesome!"
"Li Feng, I love you!"
"Li Feng, you're the best!"
...
As Li Feng celebrated with his teammates, he suddenly noticed Jenna sitting courtside, next to Khloe Kardashian and Kim Kardashian.
Li Feng had been too focused to see them earlier.
Seeing Jenna cheering excitedly, Li Feng felt a surge of emotion again.
Although this family enjoyed publicity, Jenna's feelings for him were probably genuine to some extent.
After all, Jenna was only 17 this year, experiencing her first love, and not yet too corrupted by the world.
Li Feng walked to the sideline and high-fived Jenna!
Their smiling high-five was quickly captured by the reporters.
This moment became a memorable sideline photo opportunity of this All-Star game.
...
Li Feng played 27 minutes today, scoring 33 points, becoming the
His popularity was immense!
...
As Li Feng held up the All-Star MVP trophy, the entire audience rose to their feet and cheered.
Li Feng was the big winner of this All-Star game.
He not only won the Slam Dunk Contest and the Three-Point Contest championships but also the MVP of the All-Star Game!
Li Feng had once again made history!
...
When Li Feng returned to New York, Bill Duffy called him again.
His excited expression was clearly visible from his phone.
"Li Feng, Li Feng! You were amazing! I don't even know what to say..."
Listening to Bill's excited voice, Li Feng found it peculiar.
Bill Duffy was a very composed person, the type who remained unfazed even in the face of a collapsing mountain.
Yet today, Bill seemed somewhat incoherent.
"Bill, what's wrong? Speak clearly."
"Haha, it's like this!" Bill cleared his throat to steady his emotions. "Your performance in the All-Star game has greatly boosted the sales of Red Star Sports, especially the photo of you and Jenna high-fiving courtside, which went viral worldwide!"
Li Feng hadn't expected that such an unintentional action would become famous.
"Really? This can become famous?"
"Yes, if you and Jenna aren't together, many fans won't approve. You have such great chemistry."
Li Feng fell silent. He didn't have that kind of feeling for Jenna.
If he didn't have his memories from his previous life, Li Feng might have accepted her.
But the current Li Feng only saw her as an ordinary friend.
"Forget it, Bill. Let's stick to what we agreed before; we'll be good friends. Whatever the fans think, let them think!"
Bill sighed. With his current understanding, he couldn't comprehend why Li Feng wasn't interested in Jenna.
...
After the All-Star game, a shocking piece of news broke out in the league!
Yao Ming had officially submitted a trade request to the Rockets' management!
As soon as this news spread, most teams in the league began to stir.
The Heat, Knicks, Bulls, Raptors, Hornets, Pacers, Wizards, and 76ers in the East.
The Nuggets, Thunder, Clippers, Kings, Timberwolves, and Spurs in the West.
All extended olive branches to Yao Ming.
Where would Yao Ming go?
Became a hot topic of discussion among fans.
Some initiated polls with titles asking which team fans most wanted Yao Ming to join.
As a result, the Knicks ranked as the top choice.
...
After the All-Star game, the Knicks continued their regular season.
Their first game was at home against the Pacers.
The Pacers were a tough opponent in the Eastern Conference.
Although their record had been mediocre in the past two seasons, they always made it to the playoffs.
And they posed significant trouble for other teams in the playoffs.
Therefore, the Knicks took the game against the Pacers very seriously.
The Knicks struggled in this game, with their interior defense being dominated by Hibbert.
Although the Knicks' interior play had always been a weakness, their performance today was exceptionally poor.
Perhaps it was the extended rest from the All-Star break, but the Knicks players were not in good form.
Ultimately, the Knicks were defeated by the Pacers.
Losing the first game after the All-Star break left the Knicks fans highly dissatisfied.
The outcome of the loss made everyone in the Knicks organization even more eager for Yao Ming.
Li Feng was also speechless. He hadn't expected the Knicks' interior play to be so abysmal today.
The Knicks management held an impromptu meeting, which both D'Antoni and Li Feng attended.
Although Li Feng had stated that he would not participate in management affairs, the team manager still invited him to attend.
During the meeting, the management unanimously agreed that the Knicks, built around Li Feng as the core, could contend for a championship.
Therefore, they needed to strengthen the team, otherwise, with the current interior of the Knicks, they would surely be dominated in the playoffs.
Then the manager discussed the trade assets.
The Knicks offered a sincere package: David Lee, Gallinari, Baron Davis, and Jeffries, along with a first-round and a second-round draft pick.
While discussing, Li Feng still had feelings for these teammates.
However, for the sake of contending for a championship and acquiring Yao Ming, the team was willing to make a significant sacrifice.
When the manager asked for Li Feng's opinion, Li Feng suddenly offered his suggestion.
"If possible, I hope to acquire Lowry from the Rockets. He is a very good player."
At this time, Lowry was still playing as a backup to Brooks on the Rockets, and his value was not high.
However, with his knowledge from his previous life, Li Feng was well aware of Lowry's potential.
"Little Steel Cannon" Lowry's growth was rapid; he not only established himself on the Raptors but also won a championship in 2019.
It could be said that his growth rate far exceeded fans' expectations.
Therefore, acquiring Lowry now was like buying stocks at their lowest point.
The Knicks management found it strange. Several other players on the Rockets were useful.
For instance, Scola, Battier, and Ariza were all quite good.
However, as the core player, since Li Feng had made this request, the management would do their best to fulfill it.
"Okay, Li Feng, we will consider it. Getting Lowry will be easy; he will come as a supplementary piece to Yao Ming."
...
The next day, a major trade occurred in the league.
The Knicks and the Rockets completed a trade: the Rockets sent Yao Ming, Lowry, and Scola.
The Knicks sent David Lee, Jeffries, Baron Davis, Harrington, Chandler, a first-round draft pick, and a second-round draft pick.