Time flew by, and before they knew it, a week had passed.
Every team had gradually wrapped up its games before the All-Star break.
The Pelicans continued extending their winning streak, posting an unbelievable 57-1 record before the All-Star Game and sitting firmly atop the league standings.
Over in the East, the Cavaliers had also earned an outstanding 50-8 record, trailing only the Pelicans for second place in the league.
With that, the Head Coaches for the East-West teams—or, this year, Team James and Team Tang Tian—had been decided.
Tyronn Lue would coach Team James, while Stevens would coach Team Tang Tian.
Interestingly enough, both men were also the Head Coaches of their respective captains.
That made fans even more eager for the upcoming All-Star Game.
Would the favored Team James claim the win as expected, or would Team Tang Tian pull off a surprise? Everyone was looking forward to finding out.
In the blink of an eye, February 17 arrived, and the 2018 NBA All-Star Game kicked off at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
This was the third time the NBA had held the All-Star Game there, following 2004 and 2011.
The Lakers and Clippers were both rebuilding, making the All-Star Game a rare major event of the season for Los Angeles fans.
Fans had shown tremendous enthusiasm for this year's events.
That much was clear from the attendance at the first day's Celebrity Game and Rookie Game.
After all, those two events were essentially meant to warm up the crowd.
By the time the individual contests began on the second day, Staples Center was completely packed.
Not only were all the seats filled, but fans had even crowded the aisles and the second-floor railings.
They knew that today's Slam Dunk Contest would be no less exciting than the