Chapter 286 All-Star Weekend

The next morning at 10 a.m., the Amway Center in Orlando was already packed.

"The Beast" Dwight Howard was still dominant. The arena's usual attendance wasn't low, and with the All-Star festivities, the arena was already filled to capacity.

Moreover, unlike usual, almost everyone's face was beaming with smiles. All-Star Weekend was all about fun and enjoyment!

The main event that morning was the Rookie Game (the Celebrity Game was held at the Slam Dunk Contest training ground), and fans were naturally eagerly awaiting it.

There was a 20-minute warm-up before the game, and the players from both teams were warming up while chatting.

Whether it was the All-Star Game or the Rookie Game, the players came from different teams, which meant that most of them were playing together for the first time.

This kind of interaction was very necessary. Although it was an entertainment event, no one wanted to see a series of passing errors after stepping onto the court.

On Team O'Neal's side, besides Walker, Jeremy Lin and Tang Tian could be considered acquaintances.

"Linsanity" had swept across the United States in February, and since they were both of Asian descent, they had a lot to talk about.

After the warm-up, the starting players from both sides took to the court one after another.

On Team Barkley's side, Kyrie Irving, Paul George, Evan Turner, Derrick Williams, and DeMarcus Cousins started.

On Team O'Neal's side, Ricky Rubio, Brandon Knight, Tang Tian, Blake Griffin, and Greg Monroe started.

After the game started, Cousins quickly became the most dazzling person on the court.

He completely dominated Monroe and Griffin in the paint, scoring 10 points in the first four minutes.

While demonstrating his outstanding strength, he also helped Team Barkley take a large lead of 18-7.

Miller and Breene on the sidelines were already praising Cousins to the heavens.

Tang Tian didn't get many opportunities. Team O'Neal was basically relying on Griffin and Knight to shoot inside and outside, and neither of them was very efficient.

Team O'Neal's coach, Steve Kerr, saw that there was no advantage in the matchups, so he replaced Knight and Griffin with Walker and Tristan Thompson.

On Team Barkley's side, George and Derrick Williams were also replaced by Klay Thompson and Gordon Hayward to rest.

Team O'Neal had possession. Rubio dribbled the ball to the frontcourt. Walker came around to receive the ball but didn't shoot. He waved to Tang Tian.

Tang Tian understood and set a pick at the high post.

The pick forced a switch, and Walker was now guarded by Turner. With a sudden burst of speed, he drove past Turner and scored a layup.

A collaboration from the UConn Huskies duo.

For some fans who also watched NCAA, this scene was all too familiar.

On Team O'Neal's offense, Irving dribbled for a breakthrough, but Walker defended seriously. Irving's layup after a change of direction failed to go in.

The crowd cheered again. They suddenly realized that they still preferred to watch this kind of real game.

Rubio's pass to Monroe's shot missed, but Thompson grabbed the offensive rebound and passed it to Walker on the outside. Walker continued to look for Tang Tian for a pick and roll.

The opponent switched again, and Walker faced Turner again.

Turner was obviously putting more effort into his defense this time, but Walker's speed was much faster than he had imagined. He was squeezed past once again, and Walker scored another layup.

Another collaboration from the UConn Huskies duo!

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Tang Tian and Walker were treating the All-Star Rookie Game like they were still at UConn!

Tang Tian and Walker high-fived. He had encouraged Walker yesterday, partly because it was just the Rookie Game, and also because Walker needed this kind of opportunity.

For established stars, ball possession is a very crucial aspect in the NBA. Even a strong player like Durant relied on taking shots during his rookie season to develop.

The Bobcats' terrible record also meant that Walker would have plenty of ball possession.

With ball possession, you have the opportunity to discover problems on the court, and you also have room to adjust, which allows you to improve.

Walker had faced second-year player Turner in these two possessions.

From their exchanges, it was clear that his speed, explosiveness, and even his decision-making had improved compared to the offseason, and the improvement was very significant.

Cousins drew a foul on Monroe in the paint, making one of two free throws to continue to maintain an 8-point lead for Team Barkley.

There was a substitution on the sidelines at this time, with Jeremy Lin replacing Rubio.

Lin dribbled the ball and ran a pick and roll with Monroe. After the screen, he passed the ball to Tang Tian, who had run out to an open spot.

Tang Tian caught the ball and shot a three-pointer.

"Swish!"

The three-pointer went in cleanly.

His three-point shooting was incredibly accurate in the regular season, and in this Rookie Game with low defensive intensity, he was hitting every shot.

The crowd whistled continuously. Walker and Tang Tian, the UConn Huskies duo, had launched a 7-1 run, narrowing the gap to 5 points.

On Team Barkley's offense, Thompson ran a pick and roll, and Irving passed the ball, mirroring Tang Tian and Walker's offense.

"Bang!"

However, Tang Tian was too familiar with them, and he anticipated the play and intercepted Irving's pass!

After the steal, he didn't stop and flicked the ball forward. Walker had already understood and launched a fast break, catching the ball and scoring another 2 points with a one-man fast break.

The gap was further narrowed to 3 points.

Walker's defense and Tang Tian's steal immediately raised the intensity of the game, and both sides began to get physical.

The crowd was also constantly cheering.

The All-Star Game was an entertainment-oriented exhibition game, but for fans, they still preferred to watch a real game.

And if it was just an exhibition game, they could watch the main game in two days. The increased intensity on the court made them excited.

Irving demonstrated his clutch ability, hitting a three-pointer over Walker's defense to help Team Barkley temporarily stabilize the situation.

Walker's improvement on the Bobcats was obvious, and Irving's improvement on the Cavaliers was also visible.

Walker had possession in the frontcourt. He called for Tang Tian to set a pick and roll and continued to drive to the basket. Turner failed to defend him again, and Irving chose to help defend on this play.

He made a no-look pass in motion, sending the ball to the outside!

Tang Tian appeared at the end of the passing lane, caught the ball, and raised his hand to shoot.

"Swish!"

He made another one!

Tang Tian hit two consecutive three-pointers!

Because of his height, Walker's passing vision was not good, which limited his passing ability.

But in reality, he didn't even look back when he passed the ball. This pass was completely based on tacit understanding!

A tacit understanding between the UConn Huskies duo!

Thompson's three-pointer from the frontcourt missed, and Walker launched a one-man fast break to the basket and scored another difficult layup.

Irving's step-back three-pointer after a pick and roll missed. Walker and Tang Tian then played a collaboration. Tang Tian's off-ball movement allowed him to receive a pass from Walker in the corner and hit another three-pointer!

The two of them worked together to create a super 17-4 scoring run, helping the team take a 24-22 lead!

Team O'Neal had Griffin and Monroe, and also had Rubio and Jeremy Lin on the outside, all of whom were quite famous.

But they were all pushed to the side at this moment, making way for the performance of the duo!