During the dead ball phase, Rick Carlisle stood in front of the scorer's table and signaled for a substitution.
He replaced Kevin Garnett with Jermaine O'Neal of the Orlando Magic.
" Kevin, come down and rest for a bit." Rick Carlisle patted Garnett on the back, then looked at Kobe and Iverson, who were completely fired up on the court. "Let them finish this."
O'Neal Jr.'s eyes gleamed with undisguised ferocity. Years ago, he was ruthlessly swept out of the Lakers and wandered the league until he had a breakout season with the Orlando Magic. Facing the Western Conference Conference's lineup centered around the " Lakers ' Big Three," this young interior beast was consumed by the flames of revenge.
Garnett walked to the end of the bench. Pierce moved aside, and Big Ben casually tossed him a dry towel.
"Not playing anymore?" Pierce leaned back in his chair, his long legs stretched out comfortably. "You don't want the All-Star MVP trophy anymore?"
"Look at the looks in those two guards' eyes on the court." Garnett draped a towel over his head, grabbed a water bottle, and unscrewed it. " Kobe practically has 'I'm going to beat Michael ' written all over his face right now, and Allen won't let anyone run rampant on Philadelphia's turf. If I were still on the court, I'd have to keep running back and forth with them. I might as well sit here and watch the show."
Gary Payton, chewing gum nearby, scoffed, "Let the Chicago lunatics fight the Los Angeles old guys. We'll conserve our energy for the regular season in February."
The Eastern Conference's lineup on the court became: Allen Iverson, Kobe Brian, Glenn Robinson, Antoine Kemba Walker, and Jermaine O'Neal.
On the Western Conference side, they also fielded their final lineup: Jason Kidd, Michael Jordan, Chris Webber, Tim Duncan, and Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal.
The game restarted.
On the Western Conference offensive possession, Kidd dribbled the ball across half-court. He keenly noticed that the Eastern Conference Conference's interior had been substituted by the relatively thin O'Neal Jr. O'Neal, and immediately gestured for Shaquille O'Neal to go to the low post and dominate.
Facing the " Big Shark " in his prime, Jermaine O'Neal certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to try and outmuscle him. Just as O'Neal was about to use his broad hips to sit back and try to gain position, O'Neal Jr. immediately adopted a fronting defense.
He swung his long arms, positioning himself in front of O'Neal, sparing no effort to stick to the Shark with his body, aggressively blocking passing angles. The humiliation of being abandoned by the Lakers and the anger that had been building up over the years transformed into a fierce defensive desire at this moment.
Kidd frowned. He realized his passing lane was blocked, so he could only raise the arc and try to lob the ball behind O'Neal into the open space.
But just as the basketball was flying towards the paint, O'Neal Jr. unleashed an astonishing burst of speed, leaping high above O'Neal, his long arm swinging out, his fingertips barely touching the basketball in mid-air!
The basketball changed its original trajectory. Just as O'Neal's massive frame turned to receive the ball, it had already sailed over his head, bounced high off the backboard, and soared into the air.
Kobe reacted quickly, leaping high to snatch the disrupted pass from over Chris Webber's head.
The moment he landed, Kobe didn't hesitate; he immediately accelerated and launched a fast break. To his left, a white lightning bolt simultaneously slashed out—it was Allen Iverson.
The two strongest guards of the 1996 Golden Generation made a double-line fast break on the floor of the First United Center.
Kidd attempted to intercept Kobe's passing lane while retreating on defense. Kobe changed direction as he moved, his eyes fixed on Iverson on his left, and with a subtle flick of his wrist, the ball was transformed from Kidd's bounce pass into a perfect through ball to the basket.
O'Neal Jr. caught the ball, leaped into the air, and slammed it into the basket with both hands, facing the retreating Tim Duncan!
"Boom!"
Philadelphia's home arena was absolutely blasted.
"Nice shot!"
On the Eastern Conference bench, Garnett stood up, waving a towel. Big Ben looked at O'Neal Jr. on the court, a hint of admiration in his eyes.
The game resumes after the break.
Michael Jordan actively sought position in the right elbow area. He looked at Kobe, who was right in front of him, and slowed down his chewing gum.
"You're really excited today, kid." Jordan lowered his center of gravity, held the ball with both hands, and his voice carried the imposing aura of the God of Basketball.
"You're getting old, Michael." Kobe's eyes were fixed on Jordan's shoulder, not backing down an inch. "It's time to hand over the reins."
Jordan sneered. He drove to the basket, stopped abruptly, and smoothly turned around, forcing a fadeaway jump shot despite Kobe's defense being almost pinpointing his fingertips.
"Whoosh!"
The ball went into the net cleanly.
Jordan landed and, while retreating on defense, wagged his finger at Kobe.
But in the next possession, Kobe responded immediately.
Iverson had the ball at the top of the key, facing Kidd's defense. Kobe came around from the baseline and reached out for the ball. Without hesitation, Iverson passed the ball directly to Kobe and then created space.
The entire arena rose to their feet. The Western All-Stars also tactfully refrained from double-teaming, giving the stage to these two shooting guards from different eras.
Kobe faced Jordan. He took two probing steps, then suddenly dropped his shoulder and drove hard from the right. Jordan's footwork was inevitably a beat slower. Kobe stopped abruptly at the free-throw line, and Jordan rushed at him with all his might.
Kobe hovered in the air with incredible grace, and only gently flicked the ball with his wrist as Jordan's body began to fall.
The same fadeaway jumper, the same decisive strike.
"Whoosh!"
116 to 112.
After scoring, Kobe bit his jersey collar and looked at Jordan with icy eyes.
On the sidelines, Pierce rubbed his chin. "Is this kid crazy? It's just an All-Star Game."
"He didn't treat it like All-Star Game." Garnett looked at Kobe on the court, "He treated it like a game to decide who is the 'best shooting guard in the NBA'."
The final three minutes of the game became a showcase for the two Eastern Conference strikers.
Iverson used a burst of speed to get past Kidd, drove into the paint, and completed an incredible reverse layup under O'Neal's overwhelming presence.
Then, Kobe guarded Jordan on the defensive end, forcing Jordan to commit a turnover. O'Neal Jr. dove to save the ball and passed it to Kobe, Kobe made a fast break and completed a tomahawk dunk.
With ten seconds left in the game, the score had widened to 125-118.
Jordan held the ball at the top of the arc, glanced at the timer, and then at Kobe, who still stood in front of him with his arms outstretched, looking as if facing a formidable enemy.
The Lao Liumang finally gave up on his last attack. He tucked the ball under his belt, shook his head with a helpless smile, walked forward, and bumped chests with Kobe.
"You win, kid." Jordan patted Kobe on the back.
The buzzer sounded as the game ended.
Confetti rained down from the dome of the First United Center. Kobe, with a game-high 31 points, stood in center court alongside Iverson, who had 25 points and 11 assists, basking in the cheers of the crowd. O'Neal Jr. also contributed 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
On the Eastern Conference bench, the Boston players all stood up.
Gary Payton stretched. "The show's over. These guys really know how to cause trouble."
Pierce ripped the bandage off his ankle and patted Big Ben on the shoulder. "Let's go, Big Ben, back to Boston tomorrow. Vacation's over."
Garnett draped a towel over his shoulder and turned with his teammates toward the player tunnel. He glanced back at Kobe, who was holding the MVP trophy high in the center of the court.
"That Kobe kid... he's definitely going to be a big problem in the future." Garnett withdrew his gaze, his eyes turning cold again.