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The two victories over the Heat didn't make the Cavaliers' players complacent because their biggest opponent in the East at this point is no longer the Miami Heat's Big Three, but Wang Chong's former team, the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls' record in the new season truly surprised many people. Who would have thought that after Wang Chong left, Curry became the core of the team, and even Butler, a blue-collar player who could only be responsible for defense when Wang Chong was there, could average 20+5 All-Star level stats per game?
This makes the Bulls' record in the new season very impressive, closely following the Cavaliers, with the difference between the two teams being less than 3 games.
At this rate, it's likely there will be two teams in the East with 65+ wins during the regular season, further confirming the claim that the East is strong and the West is weak.
On February 15, the All-Star Weekend took place at Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Knicks.
Skipping over the previous rookie challenge, three-point contest, dunk contest, and other games for now, the highlight of this All-Star Game was the captain's battle after the restructuring.
Wang Chong's team vs. Davis' team, which is different from the previous East vs. West matchups, had many fans eagerly anticipating it.
After a series of performances and appearances, the All-Star Game officially began.
Wang Chong's starting lineup: Curry, Irving, Wang Chong, Griffin, and Duncan.
Thick Brows' starting lineup: Westbrook, Harden, James, Durant, and Davis.
Judging by the quality of the starting lineup, it should be Thick Brows' team that is superior. It's hard to determine which of the other positions is stronger or weaker, but the interior combination of Greenfin and Duncan is definitely the weakest on the court at the moment.
At the beginning of the game, Thick Brows and Duncan easily jumped for the ball. The veteran Duncan only jumped symbolically and had no intention of seriously contesting the ball with Thick Brows at all.
There's no way around it, the years are like a knife that kills pigs. Duncan, when he was young, could definitely crush Thick Brows, but now he can only sigh, "The young ones enjoy good health."
Thick Brows' team had possession of the ball, with Westbrook dribbling past half court, and James, on the side, routinely raised his hand wanting to bring the ball up to control the game.
But as soon as he raised his hand, he saw that Westbrook had already charged into the restricted area with a basketball like a bomb.
The All-Star Game is all about performance, and seeing Westbrook charge into the restricted area so violently, nobody really defended hard. He ran to the basket and dunked a tomahawk dunk, successfully drawing cheers from the audience.
At this moment, James didn't realize the seriousness of the situation. He just thought that Westbrook was being more expressive and didn't pay attention to his teammates' positions, going for it on his own first.
But when Wang Chong's team attacked, Wang Chong received a pass from Curry in the low post, and after making a consecutive shot to tie the game, Westbrook again charged with the ball.
At this point, James couldn't help but feel a little speechless.
"That kid... he's a bit too solo!"
It's not James' fault; this is his first time playing with Westbrook, and he's a little uncomfortable with the opponent's almost identical style of play.
Durant also thought that Westbrook was a little too solo because, on the previous offensive round, Durant had rushed into the restricted area with a beautiful reverse cut. If Westbrook had thrown the ball into the air, Durant could have easily finished the dunk.
But Westbrook didn't even look at Durant and played on his own.
This made Durant feel a bit unhappy in his heart.
But if Wang Chong knew what Durant was thinking at this moment, he couldn't help but say: "Buddy, you're happy, huh? You know, there's a saying that circulates in another time and space: 'Only the powerful can prevent you from doing what you want.'"
Not to mention that in the All-Star Game, nobody passes you the ball. Even if you're the big brother of the team, people can completely ignore you, and you're left wondering if you've got any temperament.
Wang Chong feels like Durant is used to Rondo, who used to let Durant in this time and space play with Rondo, a pass-first guard whose assists are greater than his points. Since entering the league, Rondo would pass to anyone with an open shot.
After a few rounds of play, it became obvious to everyone that Westbrook was unusually motivated. It was clear that he had a plan for the All-Star Game, as if he wanted to claim the AMVP All-Star award.
No wonder Westbrook, as the leader of the Thunder, hadn't won any major awards up until now.
In fact, the winner of the 2015 All-Star AMVP was none other than Westbrook, who came off the bench but monopolized nearly all the ball handling while on the court, playing 25 minutes and taking 28 shots—at least one shot per minute.
In an All-Star Game with almost no defense, Westbrook, who took 28 shots, made 16 of them, scoring 41 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist, and successfully lifted the All-Star AMVP trophy.
As a point guard, only 1 assist in a game is a bit ugly to watch, but who cares about the world's opinion? If he really did care, he wouldn't have turned his average triple-double season into a controversial stat-padding exercise in the future.
However, this time it was a bit harder for Westbrook to win the All-Star AMVP, because unfortunately, Wang Chong wanted the All-Star AMVP for himself after such a long time.
The biggest difference between Wang Chong's team and Thick Brows' team is that Wang Chong's team is full of sophistication.
Irving and Curry, two seasoned players, were tricked by Wang Chong into playing together. Whenever Wang Chong wanted to attack, they would pass the ball to him as quickly as possible.
Duncan himself is a role player and was substituted after a few minutes of play, with Pau Gasol Jr. taking his place.
As for Griffin... He's one of the lower-ranked positions in the All-Star starters and has no real impact on the game. He's not expected to have any standout performances or compete with Wang Chong.
In short, one phrase sums it up: "All the ball handlers, circumstantial evidence, sponsors, and co-organizers are all on my team. How can you fight me?"
The entire first quarter of the All-Star Game became a solo battle between Wang Chong and Westbrook, with James, Durant, and even the captain of Thick Brows' team becoming mere onlookers, silently watching where Westbrook and Wang Chong were playing.
But how can Westbrook's offensive firepower compare to Wang Chong's?
Wang Chong made 7 of 9 shots in the first quarter, 2 of 3 from three-point range, and scored 16 points in a single quarter.
Westbrook, on the other hand, scored 11 points with 5 of 11 field goals and 1 of 2 from the free-throw line.
As a result, Wang Chong's team led by 8 points, 42-34, in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Wang Chong continued playing, but Westbrook was pressured to the bench.
In the All-Star Game, Wang Chong can play however he wants, as the current No. 1 in the league, and his historical status can already rival Jordan's. He's completely qualified.
But Westbrook is different. There are a bunch of big names around him, including James, Durant, and Captain Thick Brows. As a result, he's happy to dominate the ball himself. Who can stop him?
Thick Brows was replaced by Paul, hoping to use this opportunity to catch up with the deficit.
But Wang Chong's team still had Wang Chong on the court to control the game's pace. How could they fulfill their wish? In an All-Star Game that's nearly devoid of defense, Wang Chong's offensive firepower is comparable to only one other person in the league: Curry, who was in his usual "Day Mode."
I almost forgot there's another player who could do it: Klay. After Thompson flicked on his Buddha Light, it also felt exaggerated to see that energy, especially since the league's future single-quarter scoring record is 37 points in a single quarter.
However, Klay's Buddha Light is activated less often than Curry's "Day Mode," so it's almost insignificant.
Also, now that both Curry and Thompson are on Wang Chong's team, in comparison, Thick Brows' team doesn't stand a chance offensively. Even if James and Durant join forces, they can't catch up with the score.
Gradually, as the game progressed, the desire to win made both teams step up the intensity, and Thick Brows' team began to increase their defensive efforts. James gradually got more physical with Wang Chong and was no longer the kind of All-Star who pretended to move his waist and legs.
"Eh? Why are you still rushing? Why can't we go serious with you?"
At the start of the third quarter, the intensity of the confrontation between the two teams significantly increased, and the game became much more exciting and intense. The fans in the stands were ecstatic.
Of course, when players who don't want to risk their lives on the court saw the situation wasn't right, they were substituted.
Wang Chong's lineup became Curry, Irving, Butler, Wang Chong, and Pau Gasol.
The Thick Brows' team lineup became Paul, Harden, James, Durant, and Thick Brows.
Westbrook, sitting on the bench, had 10,000 horses of grass and mud running through his heart.
"Alright, it's all about me, right? You think I won't win the All-Star MVP this way?"
Despite the obvious change in style, Thick Brows' team still couldn't take control of the game. They're all league superstars, the strength is there. How can anyone exploit the game when everyone's serious?
Even Pau Gasol didn't fall behind when facing Davis, a Thick Brows' brother.
With Curry and Irving shooting from beyond the three-point line and Wang Chong's consistent scoring efficiency, the difference between the two teams widened even further to double digits.
In the entire third quarter, both teams scored surprisingly few points. Wang Chong's team scored 31 points, while Thick Brows' team scored only 27 points, which is really rare in a fast-paced, high-scoring All-Star Game where one could usually expect 40+ or even 50+ points in a single quarter.
This is naturally related to the fact that both teams were serious, and the defensive intensity had increased.
At the end of the third quarter, although Thick Brows' team was 10 points behind, it wasn't without hope. After all, this was an All-Star Game, and with so many stars on the team, just one or two players could explode and the 10-point gap could be closed or even surpassed in an instant.
But Thick Brows shouldn't have let Westbrook back onto the court in the final quarter. That was definitely a fatal choice.
Westbrook, who had been holding back for almost two quarters, finally appeared on stage, and the game, which had been intense, suddenly changed in tone.
In just 6 minutes, Westbrook took 10 wild shots but only made 3 of them under high-intensity defense. His massive and inefficient offense allowed Wang Chong's team to take advantage and play a 10-2 run, resulting in a direct 20-point lead.
Six minutes later, Westbrook was substituted, but the game was no longer suspenseful, and there was no need to fight anymore.
At the end of the game, Wang Chong's team defeated Thick Brows' team 157-139, winning the first captain-structured All-Star Game in NBA history with a massive 18-point lead.
Wang Chong made 15 of 22 shots, 5 of 9 three-pointers, and 4 of 4 free throws, scoring 39 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists, and was selected as All-Star AMVP without any suspense.
This had truly been a long time coming. Since Wang Chong began his journey towards a championship, he lost interest in the All-Star performance games, which had no real prestige, and had been playing a supporting role in the All-Star Games for several years, watching Kobe, James, and others fight for the AMVP trophy, and then happily grabbing the regular-season MVP and FMVP in the finals, hiding his merit and fame.
But this time, the All-Star Game was restructured at Wang Chong's suggestion, giving it special symbolic meaning. So, Wang Chong didn't mind taking it seriously every now and then.
It's worth mentioning that although Wang Chong won the AMVP, he wasn't the player with the most shots in the entire game.
With 22 minutes played, Westbrook took 25 shots, the same as before.
However, due to the sudden change in the style of the All-Star Game in the second half and the increase in defensive intensity, Westbrook couldn't score the 41 points he originally planned. He shot 11 of 25, only making 44% of his shots. Even counting the free throws, Westbrook only managed to get 27 points, 4 rebounds, and 0 assists.
——The NBA 2015 All-Star Weekend ended with a big victory for Wang Chong's team and a complete harvest for Wang Chong.
This also means that the 14-15 regular season has entered its final sprint, with fewer than 30 games left to determine the 16 teams in this season's playoffs.
Of course, teams like the Cavaliers and Bulls, whose win rates have remained over 80% all year, have already secured a playoff spot at this point, but the two teams are too close to each other, and they've started a competition for the regular-season record rankings.
As the biggest rivals in the playoffs and even on the road to the championship, both teams are hoping to have home-court advantage when they face off in the playoffs.
On this basis, Wang Chong and Curry are currently the two top players in the regular-season MVP race. Wang Chong is better in terms of personal stats, but Curry's progress is more intuitive, and Wang Chong isn't well-liked by the U.S. media, so there's still doubt about who will win the 14-15 season MVP.
But if the Cavaliers can secure the best record in the league, Curry probably won't be able to compete with Wang Chong. After all, the facts are here. The Cavaliers, led by Wang Chong, were the last team in the East last season, and Wang Chong was able to take them to the best record in the East in his first year. This contribution would truly be unreasonable if he doesn't win MVP.
You know, it seems that the Cavaliers' lineup is a bit exaggerated now, but no one thought so before the start of the new season.
Back then, the league laughed at Wang Chong for joining the Cavaliers to help the "poor" team, with a bunch of teammates that were both old and young. How could they have any real effectiveness on the court?
Who would have thought that now, over halfway through the season, the Cavaliers are still at the top of the league's record standings?
End of this chapter
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