Chapter 364: The Heat's Big Five Take the Court

Aldridge and Curry, with Wade Dong's orchestration, kept scoring.

At the end of the third quarter, the score was 95-107!!!

The East still trailed by 12 points.

...

During the timeout, D'Antoni didn't make many tactical adjustments, as he felt no one cared about the outcome of the game.

On the West team, the scoring was relatively even, with Curry at 13 points, Aldridge at 12 points, Durant at 15 points, Griffin at 12 points, and Wade Dong at 26 points... but Wade Dong also had 13 assists.

If the West won this game, Wade Dong would likely be the All-Star MVP again.

The fourth quarter began.

Wade Dong didn't play, and the West brought in their reserves, Lillard, Davis, and Harden, while the East also had a mix of starters and reserves.

However, after two minutes of play, Vogel made a substitution, replacing several players with James, Wade, Anthony, Paul, and Bosh.

All participants in the All-Star Game were top-tier players in the league.

But NBA players were also among the best in the world, and basketball was a team sport. The East team now had the Miami Heat's Big Five on the court, a group that had been playing together for over half a season and had developed excellent chemistry.

The West team, on the other hand, had a lineup of players who were temporarily put together.

After the Heat's Big Five took the court, not only did their offense improve, but their defense also intensified.

In less than three minutes, the East team took the lead.

With five minutes left in the fourth quarter, the score was 129-121!!!

The East team was now leading by 8 points.

"Huh???"

Everyone felt something was wrong, and D'Antoni immediately called a timeout, glancing at Vogel. This guy was stirring up trouble!

The West team players walked off the court.

D'Antoni said, "If the East wants to play seriously, we'll play seriously too! Do you all understand my tactics?"

"Yes..."

Everyone nodded.

D'Antoni looked at Harden and then at Howard and said, "In a moment, Wade Dong, Durant, Curry, Griffin, and Howard, you five will go on the court. You need to be fast in your offensive and defensive transitions.

We can use a 3-2 zone defense against the Heat's lineup, and Wade Dong and Durant, you two will be responsible for limiting James and Anthony's scoring!"

"Yes!"

Wade Dong and the four others nodded.

D'Antoni then asked, "Do you five, who are a temporarily assembled lineup, have the confidence to catch up in the score?"

"Yes!!!"

Wade Dong and the four others nodded again.

"Good!"

D'Antoni patted Durant's shoulder, "Go on the court."

...

Huaxia Live Broadcast Room.

Yu Jia, "Vogel is being a bit unreasonable by putting the Heat's Big Five on the court together. Their chemistry is just too strong."

Zhang Zhidao, "I think it's even more interesting this way. It's exciting to see these superstars playing seriously together. I wonder what kind of sparks they'll create!"

Yu Jia, "Zhang Zhidao is right. This kind of All-Star Game is even more anticipated."

...

With 6 minutes and 51 seconds left in the game, the West trailed by 8 points.

Wade Dong, Durant, Curry, Griffin, and Howard took the court.

Howard stood at the baseline and inbounded the ball to Wade Dong!

Wade Dong received the pass and quietly said to Howard, "In a moment, come up and set a screen for me. After the screen, immediately cut to the basket and be ready to receive the pass. Don't go beyond the three-point line."

"Hmm~"

Howard nodded.

Wade Dong then dribbled to the frontcourt, with James defending him.

Wade Dong waved his hand, and Howard immediately set a screen on James's side, allowing Wade Dong to drive past James. He then rushed to the basket.

James stuck close to Wade Dong's defense, and Anthony also came over to help defend under the basket.

Howard hesitated after setting the screen, but he still rushed to the basket. He was unsure why Wade Dong wanted him to cut to the basket because, at that moment, Wade Dong had his back to him, and he couldn't see his position. He didn't understand why Wade Dong wanted him to cut to the basket.

But as Howard entered the three-second zone, the ball suddenly appeared in his hands!

"Huh?!"

Howard had no idea how Wade Dong had passed him the ball.

However, upon receiving the pass, Howard didn't hesitate and immediately went up for a slam dunk!

The score was 129-123!!!

The West team narrowed the gap by 2 points.

After the dunk, Howard was still a bit puzzled, and Wade Dong shouted, "Get back on defense! Get back on defense!"

The Heat's Big Five also transitioned quickly on defense, and before the West team's defense was set, Anthony received a pass from Paul and made a mid-range jump shot!

The score was 131-123!!!

The East team maintained an 8-point lead.

The West All-Stars weren't flustered. Wade Dong and Howard executed the same pick-and-roll play again.

Howard once again received Wade Dong's pass and slammed the ball home without hesitation!

The score was 131-125!!!

The East All-Stars attacked.

Since the defenders were Wade Dong, Durant, Griffin, Howard, and Curry, and all of them except Curry were strong defenders, the East team didn't dare to take any one-on-one shots.

Paul dribbled to the frontcourt and passed the ball to James.

Anthony and Bosh moved into position, and James lobbed the ball to Anthony, who caught it and quickly passed it to Bosh. This simple play also tore through the West team's defense, which hadn't yet developed any chemistry, and Bosh slammed the ball home!

Wade Dong's five-man lineup was a temporary combination, and their defense couldn't form a cohesive system.

James and the others had figured this out, so their offense relied entirely on teamwork, and they rarely took any one-on-one shots.

The score was 133-125!!!

However, the West team had no problems on offense, even if their defense couldn't stop the East team.

Wade Dong dribbled past James's defense and drove to the basket, with Anthony defending him.

"Clang!"

Anthony made contact with Wade Dong's arm while defending.

Wade Dong's balance was affected, but he still managed to take a fadeaway shot...

"Gulu~"

The ball spun around the rim a few times before falling into the basket.

And-one!

"Too strong!"

Anthony clenched his teeth, not out of anger but out of admiration!

He had defended Wade Dong with almost all his strength and even committed a foul, yet Wade Dong still made the shot.

It was hard to imagine how James had defended Wade Dong in their previous matchup against the Suns.

"Swish!!!"

Wade Dong made the free throw.

The score was 133-128!!!

The East and West teams continued to increase the score.