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65.63% NBA: Starting with the Strongest Talent / Chapter 361: Chapter 361: The 2014 All-Star Game Begins

Chapter 361: Chapter 361: The 2014 All-Star Game Begins

If the camera had frozen the moment of Wade Dong's dunk, only three people would have been in the frame. 

George and Durant had moved away, but Griffin and James had just rushed to the basket, so they were also in the shot.

"So envious..."

Griffin looked on with envy. He was a dunk king too, and in theory, he could also perform such a rim-rattling dunk, but it wouldn't have the same aesthetic appeal as Wade Dong's.

After Wade Dong won the dunk contest last year, James publicly stated that he would participate in the following year's dunk contest. However, Griffin, the 2011 dunk contest champion, didn't express any interest.

Wade Dong landed lightly and patted Griffin on the shoulder, "If I had known you were rushing to the basket, I would have let you take the dunk."

"Haha..."

Griffin laughed, "My dunks aren't as explosive as yours."

"You shouldn't say that about yourself."

Wade Dong said seriously, "It's just that your arms are a little shorter, but you jump high."

Griffin: |??ω?` )

Griffin was confused. He couldn't tell if Wade Dong was consoling him, and he also knew that fans often teased him about his short arms, even creating funny pictures. But Griffin felt misunderstood by the fans. He believed his shoulders were broad, and his arms weren't short.

The score was 16-7!!!

After Wade Dong's dunk, the West trailed the East by 9 points.

The East team attacked.

Irving dribbled to the frontcourt and, facing Harden, took a three-point shot.

"Swish!!!"

The ball swished through the net.

The score was 19-7!!!

Seeing the widening gap, Wade Dong and Durant exchanged glances, knowing they had to play more seriously.

However, with Harden on the court, Wade Dong didn't play the point guard position. He let Harden stay back to receive the inbound pass and then dribble to the frontcourt.

Wade defended Harden.

Harden waved his hand, signaling Howard to come up for a pick-and-roll. Howard understood and blocked Wade, allowing Harden to drive to the basket. After the drive, Howard retreated to the three-point line.

"Whoosh~~~"

Harden flicked his wrist, passing the ball to Howard at the three-point line.

Howard caught the ball and hesitated for a moment. All the other players stopped and looked at Howard, and the arena fell silent for a second.

Wade Dong shouted, "Howard, shoot!"

"Hmm..."

Howard hesitated for a moment and, amidst the attention of the entire arena, attempted a three-pointer!

"Whoosh~~~"

Howard's three-point shooting form was somewhat stiff, and he ended up with an air ball.

"Haha..."

The players sitting on the sidelines were about to burst into laughter when they suddenly saw Wade Dong rush to the basket and use a 'fishing the moon' move to grab the ball before it hit the ground, then slam it with one arm!

"Bang!!!"

Wade Dong slammed the wild three-point attempt into the basket.

After the dunk, Wade Dong pounded his chest and pointed at Howard, "Good pass!"

This assist was credited to Howard, so Howard immediately put his hands on his hips and smiled, "Yes, only Dong understands me!"

Everyone also understood Wade Dong's joke, and Howard took the opportunity to defuse the awkwardness of his air ball.

The score was 19-9!!!

For the next three minutes, the West began to close the gap under the leadership of Wade Dong and Durant.

With eight minutes left in the first quarter.

The score was 29-24!!!

The West trailed the East by 5 points. Both teams substituted their reserves, and the new lineups were:

West: Curry, Lillard, Davis, Howard, and Aldridge.

...

East: Paul, DeRozan, Johnson, Bosh, and Millsap.

Although these were the reserve lineups, any team with players of this caliber could directly book their championship rings. Even the Suns would struggle to beat such a team.

The West attacked.

Curry was also participating in his first All-Star Game and was eager to perform. He dribbled to the midcourt area.

At this moment, the other players hadn't yet positioned themselves, so Curry took a half-court three-pointer!

"Swish!!!"

The ball swished through the net!

"Holy shit~"

Several players were still running to the frontcourt when they saw the ball slide through the basket. Turning around, they saw Curry swaggering with his shoulders swaying.

The score was 29-27!!!

When Curry made the half-court three-pointer, the West attacked again, and Lillard also took a three-pointer from the half-court line!

"Swish!!!"

The ball also swished through the net.

It seemed that although Lillard lost the three-point contest to Curry yesterday, his three-point shooting was still impressive.

Lillard was substituted out three minutes after coming on, just like Davis, who played for only four or five minutes before being replaced by D'Antoni.

After all, it was the All-Star Game, and the coach needed to give playing time to every player, ensuring everyone had a chance to play. The more popular players would stay on the court a bit longer, while second-year rookies like Lillard and Davis would be lucky to play for seven or eight minutes in the entire game.

The score was 37-37!!!

At the end of the first quarter, the game was tied.

Wade Dong played for seven minutes in the first quarter, scoring 6 points with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and no blocks. The most eye-catching play was his rim-rattling dunk.

In the second quarter, D'Antoni wanted Wade Dong to continue playing, but Wade Dong pushed Curry forward, indicating that Curry should replace him. This made Lillard, who was standing nearby, envious.

This was the All-Star Weekend... It was rare for any player to have such influence over the coach's substitution decisions. Perhaps there were only a handful of players in the entire league who could do this.

Wade Dong wanted Curry to stay on the court, and D'Antoni didn't object, arranging for Curry, Durant, Griffin, Harden, and Love to play.

The second quarter began.

James held the ball under the basket and, without looking, bounced a pass to George.

Anthony slipped to the basket, received James' pass, and executed a reverse slam!

"This kind of cooperation..."

Wade Dong silently noted this play. It wasn't a brilliant move but rather a result of their growing chemistry.

It seemed that the Miami Heat's Big Five were becoming more cohesive, and if they faced the Heat in the Finals again this year, it might be a tough challenge.

The West attacked.

Durant also received a pass from Curry and made a mid-range jump shot.

Both teams were playing relaxed defense, so as long as they didn't throw up wild shots, they could generally score.

The second quarter continued for seven minutes.

D'Antoni was struggling to withstand the pressure from the audience, so he put Wade Dong back in the game.

If Wade Dong didn't play, the audience would blame the coach's decision, and D'Antoni didn't want to take the blame like Gentry.

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

As soon as Wade Dong appeared, the arena erupted with 'MVP' chants, a sound that hadn't been heard since Wade Dong left the court in the first quarter.

There were 4 minutes and 51 seconds left in the first half.

The score was 63-57!!!

The West still trailed the East by 6 points.


Chapter 362: Chapter 362: You've Won 300,000 in Prize Money

Wade Dong substituted out Curry, and Westbrook came on with him, replacing Griffin. 

It was unclear if it was D'Antoni's deliberate arrangement, but the Thunder's Big Three reunited once again during the All-Star Weekend.

Howard inbounded the ball.

Wade Dong received the inbound pass, dribbled to the frontcourt, and passed to Westbrook.

After receiving the pass, Westbrook saw Durant open for a mid-range shot, a position where Durant excelled. However, Westbrook didn't pass to Durant. Instead, he passed to Howard at the three-point line.

Howard received the pass and then passed to Harden!

Harden passed to Wade Dong... Wade Dong passed to Durant... Durant received the pass and passed it back to Howard... Howard passed to Westbrook... Westbrook passed it back to Wade Dong.

As the 24-second shot clock was about to expire, the West kept passing the ball around. Irving and James, who were on the court, were a bit dumbfounded. No matter how the ball was passed, Durant, Westbrook, and Harden refused to pass to each other.

The ball eventually found its way to Wade Dong.

After receiving the pass, Wade Dong took a step past Johnson, then, in mid-air, performed a windmill dunk, avoiding Noah's block and scoring at the buzzer!

This was Wade Dong's signature move, the windmill slam!

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

The arena erupted with 'MVP' chants.

"It's got to be my man, Dong!"

The celebrity spectators in the audience also took out their phones to capture the moment of Wade Dong's dunk.

In today's league, Wade Dong's popularity was undoubtedly the best. 

After the dunk, Wade Dong said to Durant, Westbrook, and Harden, "What's the big grudge? Why don't you pass the ball to each other? Shake hands, smile, and have a drink after the game. It'll ease the tension between you."

They had become enemies after the trade!

The Thunder's Big Three had failed to win the championship for three consecutive years, and both Durant and Harden had left the team after their contracts expired. The once inseparable 'Sweet and Sour Pork' had turned into the 'Cow Lady'.

Wade Dong's dunk narrowed the gap by two points.

However, it was the All-Star Game, and no one cared about the score in the early stages. They only cared about the number of exciting moments.

Subsequently, Noah scored a layup under the basket.

Wade Dong responded with a three-pointer!

...

At halftime, the score was 73-77!!!

Wade Dong played for over four minutes, and the West scored 20 points during that time, with Wade Dong contributing 16 points. Howard scored 4 points, twice dunking off assists from Wade Dong.

The state of Durant, Westbrook, and Harden on the court was as if they were saying, "We won't pass to each other, and we won't attack. We'll just give the ball to Wade Dong... Let's see how you feel about that!"

...

During last year's All-Star Game halftime, Wade Dong participated in a charity challenge initiated by Yao Ming.

There was no such segment this year...

Since there was a celebrity performance during halftime, the players didn't return to the locker room after the first half.

Last year, Yunqi's song "Red Spirit" had amazed the audience.

This year's performance guest was a well-known rock band from Huaxia: Falcon Band. 

The arena lights dimmed.

A small stage was quickly set up in the center of the court in less than a minute, complete with drums and other instruments.

"Thump thump thump! Ching ching ching!"

The heavy metal music reverberated... The audience couldn't help but sway to the rhythm.

Then, the stage lights illuminated the four middle-aged musicians standing in the center. The guitarist in the middle began to sing:

"This ain't a song for the brokeed

This song is not written for the heartbroken

No silehe faith-departed

God will not protect those who pray without faith

...

It's my life

This is my life

It's now or never

Seize the moment, or it will pass you by

..."

"It's My Life" was an excellent rock song, and although Wade Dong didn't recognize this Huaxia rock band, he couldn't deny the quality of the song. Even James, Wade, and others danced along with the rock musicians.

After the Falcon Band's performance, D'Antoni muttered, "Such an explosive rock song, and it was written by a Huaxia man."

"Hmm?"

Wade Dong looked at D'Antoni with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

After the Falcon Band's performance, there were only a few minutes left before the start of the second half. The host led a one-armed boy to the center of the court.

This boy from the U.S. had lost his left arm in an accident but hadn't given up on his basketball dreams. There were many videos online of this boy diligently practicing basketball, and he was invited to the All-Star Weekend to give him a chance to shine.

The one-armed boy would attempt a shot from two steps beyond the three-point line.

If he made the shot, he would receive a $300,000 prize.

After the host finished telling the boy's story, he squatted down, put his arm around the boy's shoulder, and asked, "Are you ready to take home the $300,000?"

"I'm ready!"

The boy nodded vigorously.

The boy's story was truly inspiring, but Wade Dong saw the boy's thin frame and single arm and thought it would be difficult for him to throw the ball into the basket from two steps beyond the three-point line, let alone make the shot.

"Go help him..."

Wade Dong nudged Curry, who was sitting next to him, and signaled to him.

"Hmm?"

Curry initially frowned but then smiled, "I understand."

The one-armed boy dribbled towards his shooting spot, and from his dribbling, it was evident that he had practiced hard, as he had excellent rhythm.

"Come on, buddy!"

Wade Dong shouted from the sidelines.

"Come on, buddy!"

"Come on, buddy!"

"Come on, buddy!"

The audience also joined Wade Dong in cheering for the one-armed boy.

The boy turned his head to gratefully look at Wade Dong, then turned back and stared intently at the basket.

"Whoosh~~~"

The boy prepared and pushed the ball towards the basket with one hand.

"Aigh..."

A collective sigh of disappointment arose from the audience.

Those who understood basketball could see that the boy's shooting arc was good, but the shot lacked power. The ball was likely to miss.

Just as the ball was about to fall short and brush past the net, a figure appeared.

Curry ran to the basket, jumped, caught the boy's shot, and performed a one-handed slam, dunking the ball into the basket.

"Oh yeah!!! Oh yeah!!! Oh yeah!!!"

The crowd went wild!

"You're amazing~~~"

After the dunk, Curry struck a low-flying pose and ran to the one-armed boy, hugging him, "Congratulations on winning the $300,000 prize!"

"Huh????"

The boy was a bit taken aback. Was that how it worked?

However, the host also said, "Congratulations, buddy! You've won a $300,000 prize!"


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