Tang Tian played eight minutes in the first quarter, making 8 of 9 shots for a game-high 17 points.
Because Stevens had been the Western Conference Head Coach last year, even though the Pelicans were in Western Conference First Place before the All-Star Game this year, Cole was this year's Head Coach.
Cole had become a little obsessed this season. He did not want to see the Pelicans or Tang Tian doing too well.
Although Tang Tian kept scoring, Cole only gave him his normal rotation minutes.
If it had been Stevens, Tang Tian would have played the entire quarter and surely scored over 20, perhaps even 25 points.
By the eight-minute mark, both the Eastern and Western Conference Teams had gradually brought on their benches, but neither side slowed down its scoring.
The biggest difference between Superstars and ordinary All-Stars showed in high-intensity games. In an exhibition game like this, the gap was not so obvious.
At halftime, the score was 90-84.
The two teams had combined for 174 points in one half, breaking last year's first-half scoring record.
The fans were thoroughly enjoying themselves as well.
The past few years had been the small-ball era, and the intensity of many Regular Season games had nearly become the same as the All-Star Game.
As a result, fans naturally had little interest when the All-Star Game came around.
But now that the referees' calls had changed and the league had returned to the basketball style of the early 2000s, fans watched Regular Season games with nervous excitement, their blood pumping.
Games like that were certainly highly watchable, but watching too many of them could also be exhausting.
The All-Star Game gave everyone a chance to relax, watch the All-Stars put on a scoring show, and enjoy an entirely new experience.