It was nine o'clock that evening.
The All-Star Game officially began.
The starters for both sides took the court one by one.
East All-Stars starting lineup: Mitchell, Chen Xi, Durant, Giannis, Big Butt.
Western All-Stars starting lineup: Curry, SGA, Doncic, James, Jokic.
Once the players on both sides took their positions near center court, the game finally got underway.
Giannis, who had volunteered for the opening tip, comfortably beat Teacher Jokic and tapped the ball back into the Eastern Conference's backcourt.
The ball then landed in Mitchell's hands.
Donovan Mitchell slowly dribbled across half court and reached the top of the key.
He waited there for his teammates to get into position, then passed to Chen Xi.
The first possession of the All-Star Game went to the leading All-Star vote-getter.
Mitchell sure knew how to get on someone's good side~~
Seeing how considerate Donovan Mitchell was, Chen Xi immediately returned the favor.
Holding the ball in one hand, he signaled for Mitchell to set a pick-and-roll screen, then put the ball on the floor and accelerated diagonally down the left side at a forty-five-degree angle, driving into the paint.
After two strides, he smoothly tossed the ball skyward.
The [Special Delivery] badge reliably kicked in.
Donovan Mitchell!
He cut inside and soared into the air, caught the ball with one hand, then powered it down in a thunderous slam.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!! What an explosive alley-oop dunk to open the game!"
"That was a connection between Chris and Donovan! The newly crowned dunk champion served up an alley-oop slam for a former dunk champion!! That dunk had power and beauty in spades! If we were scoring in-game dunks, I'd give that one at least a 48!"
"Your standards are pretty high, then..."
On the court, Mitchell hung from the rim