NBA: Yao Ming at his peak returns to his rookie season

The second half of the game has begun.

However, fans were still reeling from the shock of Yao Ming dunking the backboard.

Western Conference players: Yao Ming, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Steve Francis.

Eastern Conference Team: Michael Jordan, Tracy McGrady, Allen Iverson, Jermaine O'Neal, Ben Wallace.

After coming on, it was Francis's turn to play in the attacking third.

During halftime, both teams adjusted their players' form, with Iverson taking possession of the ball and defending more tightly.

Garnett is still running and calling for the ball.

The ball went to Garnett, and McGrady came out to defend.

As old rivals, Garnett and McGrady exchanged glances, with Garnett attempting to overpower McGrady with sheer physical strength. Garnett's playing philosophy has always been to compete with speed against strong opponents and with power against fast ones.

McGrady isn't fat yet; he's rather thin overall, and his strength and physicality are significantly lacking.

But McGrady has his own defensive style; he's quick and fast.

Losing a step, he immediately made up the distance with his acceleration, and just as Garnett was about to shoot, McGrady rushed up.

An angry Garnett threw the ball to Kobe, who then hit a three-pointer.

"Are you out of your mind, Tracy? This is the All-Star Game!"

Garnett didn't seem too happy about the +1 assist.

McGrady didn't care.

Although both of them had a good relationship with Kobe, it's strange that McGrady and Garnett didn't get along very well. This season, they were competing for the scoring title. During their last game, Garnett used foul language, and McGrady didn't hold back with his elbows.

The relationship between the two people is so intense that it's practically bloody.

The game continued, and although the Western team looked chaotic, their stability left the Eastern team in despair.

Nowitzki and Kobe teamed up for a shot.

Yao Ming switched to playing supporting center, Garnett focused on defense, and all five players on this side possessed multiple offensive capabilities.

The score difference gradually widened.

Many commentators began to learn to take Yao Ming seriously after this game.

It's not that he didn't play well before.

There are just too many talented geniuses in the NBA. For example, Lamar Odom was a super talent who scored 30 points in his debut game and was almost compared to Allen Iverson.

However, as the season progressed, Odom's performance declined drastically before the season was even over.

With Yao Ming's shooting touch and height, it's not surprising that he can contribute offensively. But for a big man to perform well on a stage full of superstars is truly remarkable.

His positioning ability can be considered top-tier in the league.

The playing style wasn't explosive, and the score wasn't high either.

However, with Yao Ming's positioning and transit, the Western Army became a unified whole.

I was pressed down for a few more minutes.

Michael Jordan didn't know why he was following along in a daze.

It seems that apart from defense, this once-great basketball god had nothing to do on the court, and the Western Conference had too many offensive options, so Jordan could only bully Kobe.

Was Kobe serious?

Not now.

If Kobe Bryant were to put the same effort into scoring against Tracy McGrady, then unfortunately, Jordan simply wouldn't be able to catch up.

A dull ache was coming from my knee.

I just tried pricking it with a needle a few more times, but it doesn't seem to relieve the pain.

In the end, it still has to end like this.

I'm really not reconciled.

Michael Jordan was unwilling to end it like this. He didn't necessarily have to win, nor was he a sore loser, but he couldn't accept being so pathetic.

Iverson stole the ball from Francis and immediately launched a very difficult floater.

That shorty is really fast.

Moreover, steals are considered fancy moves in the All-Star game, yet the fans still cheered, which only shows how much they like AI.

The boy has grown up.

It feels like ages since Iverson faked me out.

Western forces turn.

Yao Ming was observing the players on the court. It seemed that Jordan had changed. He was the kind of player who could not be ignored once he stepped onto the court.

Jordan took the initiative to guard Kobe.

Kobe is playing listlessly right now. Although his performance is decent, he finds it boring and scoring is meaningless.

Garnett was about to pass the ball to the side.

Ha, that was a feint.

Kobe drives to the basket, he's going to show off over Ben Wallace, huh?

Jordan made a very sloppy lateral movement, and when Kobe walked over, the ball was gone from his hands. In the instant Kobe turned his head, Michael Jordan's large hand steadily covered the basketball.

This is much more interesting!

Kobe's body instantly went into battle mode, sprinting frantically toward Michael Jordan, but he wasn't fast enough to match Jordan's pass.

Jordan tossed the ball across the court with one hand, like a rugby ball.

McGrady was already there, caught the ball in mid-air, spun around, and slammed it down with a dunk. The young McGrady kicked his legs and roared with excitement.

"Bryant, you're much slower. Is it because your hands are too small?" Michael Jordan's small mouth seemed capable of poisoning someone!

"Michael, you're dead! You're dead! Nobody can save you!"

Kobe yelled and screamed at that moment, but he was extremely happy.

This is the real Jordan, the real Jordan now. He's not some loser sitting in his office smoking cigars and playing with Latina girls. He's the Superman who took off in his youth!

Jordan started to exert himself, and nobody knew what was wrong with him. At 40 years old, he seemed to have returned to his youth in every move, with all sorts of crossovers, flying, and dunks.

The third quarter belonged solely to Michael Jordan.

73 is better than 73!

The third quarter ended with the score tied, and Michael Jordan went from 18 points to 28 points!

Kobe, who was matched up against him, was no less impressive. His personal score went from 12 points to 20 points, and he finally decided to shoot!

The Western Conference team is indeed stronger overall. Even without O'Neal, the trio of Yao Ming, Duncan, and Garnett could easily make Ben Wallace and Jermaine O'Neal despair.

This is even more despairing than simply dealing with O'Neal.

But despite such a huge disadvantage, Jordan stepped up and actually stopped the score from falling behind. Superstars are the ones who save the team, and this was exemplified in Michael Jordan.

Jordan's brief resurgence amazed fans.

This is simply superhuman; no wonder he's the greatest scorer in history.

His strong physique allowed him to compete with Yao Ming and Tim Duncan, and his agile footwork enabled him to outpace Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett. As for Steve Francis, he was practically invisible in front of Jordan.

This guy's power made people feel what it means to be terrified to the point of suffocation!

That was a power that left opponents in despair.

To make matters worse, with the rise of Michael Jordan, Ben Wallace and Jermaine O'Neal regaining control of the boards, the Western Conference teams are gradually establishing their rhythm!

The Western Conference team didn't call a timeout; this was Michael Jordan's moment.

But... Garnett hasn't given up yet. He's still fascinated by Jordan's performances while searching for possibilities.

Just once.

Garnett told himself to give it a try, and if it didn't work out, he would give up on the All-Star MVP award!

But he will absolutely not give up the chance to win a Grand Slam!

In the latter part of the third quarter, Jordan led his teammates to play better and better, and McGrady, as the second scoring option, was simply terrifying.

He almost perfectly replaced Pippen's role, even though he hadn't trained much before.

His basketball talent is absolutely phenomenal.