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!"