With 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the score was 117:120!
The East led the West for the first time.
Popovich called a timeout!
Fans watching on TV got excited as the score was so close, indicating that both teams were going to play seriously.
In this timeout, Popovich began to seriously strategize.
After the timeout, the West made substitutions. Wade Dong, Kobe, Durant, Duncan, and Howard took the court, which could be considered the strongest lineup for the West in this All-Star Game.
The East also made substitutions. Rose, Wade, James, Anthony, and Bosh took the court, which was also the strongest lineup for the East in the All-Star Game.
Wade Dong dribbled the ball, and Rose began to defend seriously.
Other players also started running off-ball tactics, and everyone could see that they were going to play seriously.
Wade Dong made two consecutive crossovers, and Rose stuck closely to him, not giving him any space to shoot or pass.
"Hey!"
Duncan blocked Anthony and actively asked for the ball.
Wade Dong made another behind-the-back dribble, shaking off Rose's defense, and passed the ball to Duncan. Duncan received the ball and used his height advantage to turn and shoot.
"Swish!"
The ball hit the backboard and went in.
With all top-tier players on the court, Popovich didn't dare to let the East double-team Wade Dong, so Wade Dong also got a few shooting opportunities.
At this point, Wade Dong had put away his playful attitude.
Whenever he got a shooting opportunity, he would shoot decisively. In the next 5 minutes, Wade Dong made 5 out of 5 shots, scoring 10 points.
However, the score remained close, especially with James, who made several strong drives to the basket and scored each time.
With 1 minute and 36 seconds left in the game, the score was tied at 135:135!!!
The East's leading scorer was James, who had scored 37 points. The West's leading scorer was Durant with 39 points. Wade Dong had 21 points and 23 assists, a double-double.
The final 1 minute and 36 seconds would determine the All-Star MVP.
If the East won, the All-Star MVP would be James. If the West won, the All-Star MVP would be either Durant or Wade Dong.
The West had the ball. Durant drove to the basket but couldn't get past James's defense. With 3 seconds left on the shot clock, Durant hurriedly shot and missed, and Anthony grabbed the rebound.
Popovich looked grim. If this weren't an exhibition game, he might have yelled at Durant.
This time, Durant held the ball for over 15 seconds.
Being too ball-dominant was the main reason for this failed possession.
Anthony grabbed the rebound, and Wade drove for a Eurostep layup.
135:137!!!
The East led the West by 2 points.
In the final minutes, Wade was playing the hardest, as this concerned whether his brother James could win the All-Star MVP.
However, after Wade scored, Duncan quickly passed the ball to Wade Dong. Wade Dong dribbled past Rose's defense and drove into the paint, noticing that Kobe was open at the three-point line.
"Whoosh~~~"
Wade Dong made a behind-the-back pass.
Kobe comfortably received the ball and shot a three-pointer. "Swish!!!"
138:137!!!
Wade Dong's 24th assist. As he ran back on defense, he high-fived Kobe.
"Referee, I request a timeout!"
With 42 seconds left, Popovich called another timeout to strategize.
The final possession was crucial for the East. They needed to score to tie the game and also defend the West's final possession.
"We are only down by one point," Popovich said, holding the clipboard. "After the timeout, if Wade Dong is guarding Rose, Rose, you run to the baseline to draw Wade Dong away. The others follow the play to create a one-on-one situation for James against Kobe, and let James execute the final shot."
The court was filled with superstars!
Popovich believed that Popovich would also employ a man-to-man defense strategy because all the East players had the ability to end the game, and Popovich wouldn't dare to relax against any player.
After the timeout, the West indeed employed a man-to-man defense strategy. Howard guarded Bosh, Duncan guarded Anthony, Kobe guarded James, Durant guarded Wade, and Wade Dong guarded Rose.
James received the ball, and Rose and Wade started moving to draw Durant and Wade Dong away, preventing them from helping Kobe defend James.
"Slap!"
"Slap!"
"Slap!"
James dribbled the ball.
This was a one-on-one opportunity for James against Kobe, and the fans in the arena all stood up.
"7!"
"6!"
"5!"
...
With the shot clock winding down to less than 5 seconds, James stepped back and then retreated to the three-point line.
This move didn't shake off Kobe. James stepped back to the three-point line and immediately shot a fadeaway jumper, but Kobe jumped up to try and block the shot, and the ball grazed Kobe's fingertips.
At that moment, everyone held their breath.
If this shot didn't go in and the East couldn't secure the rebound, they would have to resort to fouling in the remaining 18 seconds, which would put them in a very passive position.
"Quick, grab the rebound!"
Wade Dong noticed the ball's trajectory was slightly off, indicating that Kobe's fingertips must have touched the ball.
"Clang!!!"
Sure enough, the three-pointer hit the rim and didn't go in.
Everyone rushed to the paint, including Wade Dong, but one person had a very accurate judgment of the ball's landing spot—James!
He started rushing to the paint the moment he shot, so when the ball hit the rim, James jumped up and grabbed the rebound.
"Boom!!!"
James slammed the ball into the basket!
138:139!!!
With 13 seconds left in the game, James's dunk put the East ahead by one point.
Popovich called a timeout.
"The last shot goes to Wade Dong," Popovich said, explaining, "Since entering the league, Wade Dong has taken a total of nine game-winning shots, and all nine attempts were successful!"
A 100% success rate on game-winning shots!
This was Wade Dong's most terrifying record, even more frightening than his quadruple-double, 37 points in a quarter, or 18 blocks in a game.
Kobe and Durant remained silent. If this were their team, they would definitely be the ones taking the game-winning shot.
Even the players on the bench, like Paul and Aldridge, were all team leaders.
However, with a 100% success rate on game-winning shots, they had to admit that giving the last shot to Wade Dong was the most reasonable choice.
...
In the Chinese broadcast booth:
Zhang, the commentator, said, "The West is down by one point, and 13 seconds is still a relatively long time for an attack."
Yu Jia, the co-commentator, asked, "Zhang, who do you think Popovich will assign to execute the final attack?"
Zhang replied, "Kobe and Durant are both clutch players, and since the West is only down by one point, the East won't dare to foul recklessly. So, having Duncan take the ball and go one-on-one is also a good option."
"So..." Yu Jia asked, "Zhang, do you think the final attack will be executed by one of these three players?"
"Of course not!" Zhang shook his head firmly, "If it's Wade Dong, choose Wade Dong!"
...
Spoelstra also set up the defensive strategy.
After the timeout, Duncan threw the inbound pass. The East continued with one-on-one defense, but this time, the player guarding Wade Dong was switched from Rose to James.
Before going on the court, Wade Dong walked over to Howard and reminded him, "Be careful, don't get fouled."
"Got it, I'll be careful," Howard nodded.
Basketball games can change in an instant, and with all superstars on the court, no one could predict who would end up with the final shot. But if Howard got the ball, the opposing team might choose to foul him.
After all, one could never rely on Howard's unreliable free throws.
Wade Dong, Kobe, and Durant all started moving. James stuck closely to Wade Dong on defense, and Duncan passed the ball to Durant.
Durant, after receiving the ball, made a large crossover move, which caught everyone off guard. Everyone thought Durant would shoot immediately, so he drew a lot of attention.
At this moment, Wade Dong also shook off James's defense and suddenly rushed to the paint. Durant passed the ball to Wade Dong.
"Wade Dong is open!" Spoelstra anxiously shouted, "Wade Dong is going to dunk! Quick, stop him!"
"Huh?" Wade Dong was momentarily stunned when he received the ball, realizing that Spoelstra had seen through his plan.
Because Kobe and Durant's presence was so strong, and the game was only down by one point, driving to the basket for a dunk was the best choice. In a one-on-one situation, if the defense didn't dare to foul, no one could stop Wade Dong.
Wade Dong didn't even use his 'lucky potion.'
James stuck close to Wade Dong, "Wade Dong, this time I will definitely stop you."
"Stopping me is really difficult," Wade Dong replied to James. With 5 seconds left in the game, Wade Dong pushed against James and drove to the basket for a dunk.
"Slam!" James and Wade Dong both jumped at the same time, and James also had his hand on the ball.
At this moment, all the players on the court widened their eyes. Wade Dong jumped with both hands on the ball, and James tried to swat it away with one hand, but it was impossible to knock the ball away. This was a pure contest of strength.
"Boom!!!" Clearly, in terms of strength, Wade Dong was not inferior to James. He dunked the ball into the basket, and James fell to the ground.
"Beep!!!" At this moment, the referee's whistle also sounded, indicating a defensive foul by James. This call was not controversial because James came in from the side and invaded Wade Dong's cylinder.
With 1.3 seconds left in the game, "Old James~"
Wade Dong extended his hand to help James up from the ground.
James patted Wade Dong's shoulder, "You don't look strong, but you're so powerful!"
Wade Dong smiled, "I eat well. During the off-season, I'll take you to China to try some Chinese food."
"Okay!" James agreed with a smile. He wasn't upset about being dunked on by Wade Dong in a direct confrontation, but he was a bit unhappy about the referee calling a foul on him, which cost the East the chance to win the game.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!" As Wade Dong stepped up to the free-throw line, the fans in the arena were already chanting "MVP!"
"Clang!!!" As expected, Wade Dong's free throw hit the rim and bounced high. By the time Bosh grabbed the rebound, the 1.3 seconds had already expired.
140:139!!! The West won the game with Wade Dong's dunk in the final 13 seconds.
All-Star Game stats:
Wade Dong: 23 points, 7 rebounds, 23 assists, 3 steals, 1 block.
Durant: 39 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks.
Kobe: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block.
James: 39 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, 0 blocks.
...
In the Chinese broadcast booth:
Zhang, the commentator, said, "This year's All-Star Game can be said to be the most exciting one in the past ten years."
Yu Jia, the co-commentator, said, "Wade Dong's dunk won the game! Although Wade Dong didn't shoot much, every shot he made was spectacular."
Zhang replied, "This year's All-Star MVP should go to Wade Dong."
Yu Jia said, "Let's wait for the result."
...
After the game, the fans did not leave the arena.
The officials were confirming the All-Star MVP. This year, three players stood out: James, who got a triple-double, Durant, who scored the most points for the West, and Wade Dong, who got a double-double.
According to tradition, the All-Star MVP goes to the player with the most points on the winning team.
However, Wade Dong's performance was too eye-catching. Although he only scored 23 points, he won the game with a dunk and broke the All-Star assist record.
Compared to the anxious fans, the players were quite relaxed.
Kobe and the others didn't care much about the All-Star MVP, and this year's MVP would be between Durant and Wade Dong. They were just waiting to congratulate the winner.
About ten minutes later, Stern walked to the center of the court.
Stern held a script in one hand and a microphone in the other, "You are the strongest players in the world. Thank you for giving the fans around the world a wonderful game..."
"Blah blah blah..."
After a speech, Stern finally announced, "The winner of this year's All-Star MVP is... Wade Dong from the Suns! Let's congratulate Wade Dong~"
"Wade Dong! Wade Dong! Wade Dong!" The fans in the arena immediately started cheering.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
Even more excited were the Chinese fans watching on TV. Wade Dong became the first Chinese player to win the NBA All-Star Game MVP.
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