basketball never sleeps

Chapter 338 Human Blood Buns

The long-awaited All-Star Game finally kicked off on February 17th.

Compared to the quietness of the previous two days, the stands on the sidelines finally started to look decent today. The camera panned across the front row and it was full of celebrities and famous people who came to show their faces. It was still not as good as in previous years, but considering the current difficult situation in New Orleans, it was still quite remarkable.

This year's All-Star Game featured a lot of hype, including a reunion between Mo Wen and LeBron James, and a debate over whether Yao Ming or Dwight Howard is the best center in the league. However, the league's focus was on the clash between the Lakers and Celtics, not only between Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul and Paul Pierce and Vince Carter, but also between Phil Jackson and Doc Rivers as coaches.

Because Mo Wen has no shortage of exposure and traffic, the league has invested a lot of media resources in Kobe this time. It's not that Stern doesn't want to continue promoting LeBron James; to some extent, he still loves LeBron James very much. It's just that, based on past experience, promoting LeBron James when Mo Wen is around will only allow Mo Wen to step on LeBron James' head and fly higher.

However, when the players entered the field, Mo Wen still received the loudest cheers.

Although there are still many fans online who are stubbornly pessimistic about Mo Wen's abilities, most fans who actually watch the games have already acknowledged Mo Wen's status as the best player currently playing.

Kobe stood silently to the side, a slight bitterness welling up inside him, but he quickly suppressed it.

The strong deserve the loudest cheers. The opening cheers belonged to Mo Wen because of his outstanding achievements in previous years, which he cannot change, but he can strive for the cheers after the competition.

Overall, Kobe was in a pretty good mood today, even though Shaq didn't come, and it wasn't due to an injury or other objective reason. What do you call that?

This is the ultimate experience!

In the shadows where the light didn't reach, Ah Pao gazed enviously at Mo Wen. How did he become a star? How many beatings did he have to endure? When will I ever become a star?

LeBron James of the Eastern Conference was also excited; he saw an opportunity to defeat Mo Wen.

In the previous two years, Mo Wen had at least two All-Star teammates on the same team, which is why he was able to perform so well in the All-Star game and even win three consecutive All-Star MVP awards.

But this year is different. Milicic came to the East, and Mo Wen only has Ray Allen by his side. Although he still has Yao Ming, a teammate on the national team, there are only a few games on the national team. Can the tacit understanding developed then compare to that of NBA teammates who play seventy or eighty games a year?

To counter Mo Wen, the Eastern Conference teams were unusually united this year. The formidable opponent made several people who originally disliked each other put aside their personal prejudices. They played with extraordinary seriousness during what should have been a showy public training session, and even gathered two or three times in private to discuss tactics and ball distribution.

"Relax, you can tell from Mo's expression that he's just here to have fun. If we play seriously, we can definitely win." Wade followed LeBron's gaze and glanced at Mo, who was interacting with the stars on the sidelines, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

Two years ago, he could put his arm around Mo Wen on the team bus, but now, although they are both All-Stars, there seems to be a thick barrier between them in terms of status.

Milicic, who came in as a substitute for James Harden in the Eastern Conference starting lineup, just grimaced to himself. He felt that if James was injured and didn't play, the Eastern Conference team could still put up a fight, but James had to face Moge head-on, and he was pessimistic about today's game result.

He believed Mo Wen's suppression of A Zhan was greater than his belief in God, because God would not appear in the world to manifest, but Mo Wen's dark hand was something that could not be avoided once it was seen.

"Even if he plays seriously, we'll still win because we're clearly more united." LeBron patted Wade on the shoulder, then looked around at his teammates in a friendly manner, almost as if they were about to hug each other and shout the classic "Hey family!"

LeBron James made a huge sacrifice for this year's All-Star Game. In order to unite his teammates, he repeatedly promised beforehand that he would focus on passing the ball and help everyone get better stats.

As the top vote-getter in the East, LeBron James also wants the All-Star MVP award, but he knows he needs a victory against Mo Wen, even if it's just for fun.

Wade nodded. Compared to their Eastern Conference team, the Western Conference was indeed rife with factions. If Phil Jackson were the head coach, he would definitely promote Kobe and Chris Paul. Nash and Stoudemire were paired together and had their former teammate Nowitzki to help them. Mo Wen led Ray Allen and Yao Ming. Carmelo Anthony seemed to be in his own camp, but given his relationship with Mo Wen, they definitely wouldn't get along...

Just as I was about to look over again, Wade's eyes widened in surprise.

What he saw was that Melo was chatting and laughing with Mo Wen, who had his arm around Mo Wen's shoulder, Kobe was exchanging punches with Mo Wen, and Duncan and Yao Ming were standing behind Mo Wen like bodyguards, listening to their conversation with smiles on their faces.

It's one thing for everyone else, but Melon, do you even know what you're doing?

Didn't you say last week that you were mortal enemies with Mo Wen? Are you backing down now or are you recognizing a thief as your father?

Melo noticed Wade, LeBron, and Bosh staring at him, and without any hesitation, he quietly looked away.

Can you call it cowardice when it comes to top strikers? That's called turning enemies into friends!

To be honest, having finally become an All-Star starter, he didn't want to just make an appearance and then slink back to his hopeless Nuggets team.

He wants to win the AMVP award and is confident in his abilities, but to translate those abilities into scoring, he has to face the problem of ball possession.

Of the five starters, neither Kobe nor Yao Ming were good at passing the ball, and Duncan was a slacker, so what else could he do?

Even if he didn't stick his butt out and say, "I'm counting on you to pass the ball," it shows that he has high moral character and integrity.

What Melo didn't know was that Mo Wen, who was in the All-Star game this year, had already decided to learn from Deng and just coast along.

His consecutive AMVP awards for three years have already reached the point of being exaggerated and excessive. If he wants to monopolize honors in entertainment matches, then he is somewhat irresponsible.

As the match time approached, the players from both sides took their positions. A-Zhan saw the relaxation and casualness in Mo Wen's eyes, but he dared not relax at all.

Yao Ming won the jump ball. Mo Wen dribbled the ball across half-court and then passed it to Kobe Bryant. Kobe didn't choose to go one-on-one right away, but instead passed it to Carmelo Anthony, who was starting for the first time.

Melo didn't hold back any longer and skillfully used the triple threat against LeBron James.

LeBron James was very lenient and didn't defend seriously, allowing Carmelo Anthony to break through with a jab step and score a layup.

In return, Mo Wen failed to properly defend against Wade's crossover dribble, allowing the Eastern team to score as well.

Going back, LeBron James instinctively ran to the strong side to match up against Kobe Bryant, trying to avoid Mo Wen. However, Mo Wen's pass arrived as expected, and Kobe didn't miss the opportunity. He made a crossover dribble past LeBron James and then turned to back down. LeBron James, who wasn't putting in much effort, quickly caught up, but Kobe had already run into the paint.

The ensuing offensive and defensive developments were as smooth as an execution move in a game, leading to a fixed cutscene called "A Beautiful Backward Lean."

After being hit with two baskets, LeBron James wanted to score, but Milicic, who was supposed to be the passing hub, got the ball and took a shot from the outside when he saw that James hadn't come out to defend.

Deng stared blankly at the basketball that streaked across the sky and swept through the net, making a stiff expression of surprise, which looked quite entertaining.

Beneath his innocent expression, Duncan secretly let out a sigh.

In the early years, Webber and Rasheed at least followed objective laws and basic principles when shooting three-pointers. But when it came to Milicic and Nowitzki's generation, they really treated themselves as outside shooters.

Moreover, young players these days are all trending in this direction, and then I think about my own shooting, which is so inconsistent even at the free-throw line...

I really don't know how much longer I can stay in this league.

While he was still feeling down, he looked up and saw a face full of "vitality" appear in front of him.

LeBron smiled shyly. Since he was always getting targeted on the perimeter, he made a point of getting back on defense faster this time, running to the corner.

Anyway, Milicic isn't one of his men, so what's wrong with making him suffer a little?

Mo Wen was about to respond by shooting a basket when he saw Milicic, but Milicic, who had a wicked idea, guessed what Mo Wen was thinking and pounced on him as soon as Mo Wen made his shooting motion.

Fortunately, Mo Wen's reaction was top-notch. With his superb waist strength, he changed his shot into a pass, sending the ball to the bottom corner. Dai Dai was originally planning to slack off, but with Mo Wen's pass being so good, it would have seemed a bit too lazy for him to pass it out himself.

So, I'm sorry, little brother.

Before A-Zhan could react, he blankly did a crossover dribble and charged towards him.

No way, not again?

Once, twice, and not wanting to repeat the same mistake, LeBron James was determined to keep Adams out of the paint and put all his strength into defending him. However, Adams is ultimately recognized as the greatest power forward of all time.

After a couple of exchanges, he not only stepped on the penalty area line, but also moved from the original baseline to a more free 45-degree angle.

Bang—swish.

The basketball swished smoothly off the backboard and into the hoop.

Turning around, Howard had a sudden inspiration and tried to pass the ball using the same technique he used to perform a meteor dunk in the dunk contest. He did it, but he didn't know who to pass it to.

Wade tried to steal the ball but failed. Instead, Mo Wen didn't try to control the ball and slapped Yao Ming's hand as Yao Ming ran back to the three-point line.

LeBron James, who stayed inside the three-point line to receive a pass from Howard: How can you be so selfish!

That's why LeBron is still so inexperienced. In the future, regardless of whether he will actively come up to defend, his current position should be the Western Conference's half of the court, or even under the basket.

The 226mm anti-aircraft gun was quickly loaded, and then, witnessed by the young emperor, it swished into the basket once again.

The superstars present were all quite observant, and soon they all turned their attention to Mo Wen.

As we all know, the greatest pressure in the Coincidence Challenge is being the last person standing.

Eager to see some fun, Kidd decisively gave possession to the East team with a wild three-pointer. Then, the other teammates on the East team tacitly found their matchups.

Howard was the only one who seemed confused, but Milicic anticipated his bewilderment and pushed him directly in front of Yao Ming.

A-Zhan scanned the seven serious, combative faces and the beast staring intently at Yao Ming, and felt a tightness in his chest.

Alright, alright, so you're all determined to profit from my misfortune, aren't you?

A-Zhan's eyes narrowed, and the inside player began his monologue: I forgot the beginning, I forgot the middle, in short, I originally wanted to face everyone with a Bodhisattva's heart, but some people insisted that I unseal the demon in my heart. Then I want to ask you, when you face a real demon appearing in the world, can you still keep it in check?

Without the ability to read minds, Mo Wen naturally didn't know what A Zhan was thinking, but seeing A Zhan's "deathly gaze" and his hunting posture with his body lowered, he knew that A Zhan was really going to get serious.

But what's the point of taking it seriously?

Mo Wen offered an apologetic smile beforehand, then pushed the ball forward and pulled it in and out to change direction.

A-Zhan quickly adjusted his center of gravity and anticipated Mo Wen's feint. He successfully responded by showing no reaction and only closed in when Mo Wen pulled the ball forward and changed direction again.

He saw Mo Wen's weakness, and now was the time.

A large hand reached out to the basketball, and the basketball seemed to be heading towards the dark hand as well. However, just before they made contact, the basketball was suddenly pushed inward by the hand behind it, changing its trajectory.

Hands flashed and shadows danced, but only the shadows reached the basketball, and the basketball hit LeBron's shadow.

With a crisp sound, figures darted through the air, the basketball passing between A-Zhan's legs and returning to Mo Wen's control.

One step, two steps, Mo Wen caught the ball, spun it around in the air, and finally calmly pressed the ball into the net.

"10 points! If this dunk were in a dunk contest, I would definitely give it a perfect 10!" Barkley exclaimed in the TNT studio. "Of course, we have to mention our poor LeBron. Mo once again cruelly toyed with him, but it doesn't seem like a big deal. Everyone seems to have gotten used to it."

“This time it’s not just Mo Yi, the entire Western Conference team did it. Every point the Western Conference team has scored so far is related to LeBron. Isn’t that a kind of greatness?” Kenny Smith also started to stir things up, which was rare for him.

"Hey, you two, watch yourselves, the Cleveland fans are going to complain about you again," Ernie Johnson said helplessly.

Pierce, sitting on the sidelines, was starting to lose his composure. LeBron had confidently told the Eastern Conference team that he would do his best to help them defeat the Western Conference, but it seemed like he was actually helping the West defeat the East.

……

In the third quarter, Kobe and Anthony launched a cross-fire attack, leading the Western Conference team on an 11-2 run. Combined with the 14-point lead in the first half, the Western Conference team's lead reached 23 points. Mo Wen, who was worried that the team might lose points when he was off the court and then he would come back to save the day, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"If we shoot more threes, we can catch up quickly. We can't give up. There's still a whole quarter left, even if it's just for the fans in New Orleans." During the break, LeBron James wanted to encourage his teammates.

"Save it. Before we moved to Oklahoma City, the Hornets were part of the West." Carter patted LeBron on the shoulder. "It's just an All-Star game."

LeBron opened his mouth, but he couldn't find a suitable excuse. He couldn't even say that the East hadn't won an All-Star game in a long time, because Moritz won his first two All-Star MVPs as an Eastern Conference player.

"Damn it, I just want to win this one game!"

The match ended with the West team losing to the East team 129-111.

Mo Wen performed well in his "slacking off" task this year, scoring only 14 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Carmelo Anthony got his wish, scoring 21 points and grabbing 6 rebounds.

Kobe had the best stats, scoring 25 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, and dishing out 4 assists, finally winning his second All-Star MVP award.

Stern appeared particularly happy during the award presentation.

How long has it been since he presented the MVP trophy to a true American with the American flag?

Mo Wen didn't feel any regret at all. He wished his opponents had more honors, so that his victories against them would be more meaningful.

Unfortunately, the MVP award cannot be given up, nor should it be.

The consequences of letting LeBron James steal the MVP award were quite severe. It's not that Mo Wen's historical status was affected, but mainly that the value of the MVP award was impacted...

I should have racked up more stats during that regular season. (End of Chapter)