Chapter 524: Gentry's Happy Moment

Wade felt increasingly uneasy as the Eastern All-Stars were on offense.

Wade shook off LeBron and executed a Euro step to score.

"Why the sudden increase in intensity?" 

Wade Dong muttered to himself, noticing Wade's determined attack against LeBron.

69:61!!!

With 4 minutes and 27 seconds left in the first half, the Eastern All-Stars were trailing by 8 points.

The players on the court were:

**Western Conference:** Wade Dong, Curry, LeBron, Griffin, Aldridge

**Eastern Conference:** Wade, Irving, Horford, Teague, Butler

Curry dribbled up court and passed the ball to Wade Dong.

As soon as Wade Dong got the ball, the audience stood up... From the first quarter until now, he had not taken a single shot, and the audience was anxiously waiting.

This feeling was like...

Little A and Little B are dating; Little B is already lying down, but Little A is tightening his belt while shouting "Dame."

This time, Wade Dong chose to go for a one-on-one!

Before attacking, Wade Dong gave Griffin a look, signaling him to prepare for an alley-oop. Griffin seemed to understand but also seemed confused...

In any case, Griffin nodded lightly.

He got past Teague!

Wade Dong charged into the paint; Horford had already jumped up trying to block him, but Wade Dong pulled off a layup that sent the basketball soaring right under Horford's arm.

"This is..."

The audience was somewhat confused. Wade Dong's drive and layup looked impressive, but this shot seemed off; the straight-up arc didn't look like it would go in.

It lasted no more than 0.7 seconds before Griffin dispelled everyone's doubts.

As Wade Dong and Horford were still in the air, Griffin rushed in and caught the ball for a two-handed slam dunk!

"Whoa!!!"

"What a pass!!!"

"Beautiful!!!"

Only then did the audience realize that Wade Dong wasn't attempting a layup but rather making a pass; their connection was seamless.

71:61!!!

This alley-oop collaboration ignited the entire arena!

Even though they were down by 10 points, many players on the Eastern All-Stars' bench jumped up excitedly, waving their towels vigorously.

The Dunk King and Dunk King's alley-oop collaboration!

Wade Dong's pull-up was somewhat reminiscent of Iverson's famous move against Duncan in an All-Star game; however, Iverson chose to lay it up while Wade Dong opted for a pass. If Griffin had been just a moment slower, that pass could have easily turned into a turnover.

"Wow!!!"

After the alley-oop, Griffin excitedly pounded his chest and roared.

"Wade Dong! Wade Dong! Wade Dong!"

The crowd chanted his name; indeed, when Wade Dong entered the game, it was different—just his passing made everything incredibly exciting.

However...

The audience began to worry as the first half was nearing its end without Wade Dong taking any shots. Was he planning to only pass today?

Then...

Wade faced off against LeBron again with a change of direction and accelerated to score over Durant in the paint.

"Beep!!!"

The referee's whistle blew again; another defensive foul was called on Durant.

LeBron scratched his head and said, "Wade's desire to score is so strong..."

In an entertainment-focused All-Star game, it seemed like Wade had started to play seriously.

"Swish!!!"

After making his free throw, Wade ran back to prepare for defense.

71:64!!!

The score remained close.

Next, Curry brought the ball up again and passed it back to Wade Dong. LeBron positioned himself near the free-throw line for support. Wade dribbled around LeBron before stepping back for a shot...

Teague defending Wade Dong along with Butler guarding LeBron both lunged at him trying to block his shot.

But...

After Wade Dong released the ball, they realized it wasn't in his hands anymore.

Where's the ball?!

LeBron also paused for a moment; looking down he discovered that somehow Wade Dong had already slipped it into his hands.

Without hesitation...

LeBron stepped forward and jumped for an emphatic dunk!

"What a pass!"

Even the audience was stunned; no one saw how Wade Dong managed to slip that ball into LeBron's hands.

The key was that after passing it to LeBron, Wade Dong maintained his dribbling step-back posture, leaving both Butler and Teague completely fooled.

It turned out passing could be so flashy!

83:74!!!

The first half ended with the Eastern All-Stars trailing by 9 points.

Both sides played lax defense; it's just human nature—when executing brilliant plays, they wouldn't intentionally foul each other resulting in high scores.

Plus there was that moment when Curry and Irving combined for 11 three-pointers within just 1 minute and 57 seconds earlier in the game.

Wade Dong played only 11 minutes in the first half without taking any shots but racked up 13 assists instead.

Curry scored highest for the Western All-Stars with 21 points from hitting all 7 of his three-point attempts; Westbrook followed with 17 points while LeBron contributed 15 points.

Irving led scoring for the Eastern All-Stars with 22 points from hitting 6 of 9 three-pointers and shooting 8 of 11 overall; Wade followed with 19 points.

....

In previous All-Star games during halftime breaks, they invited stars from China to perform—especially two years ago when they brought international diva Yunqi—but this year felt somewhat lacking with a rock singer from M country as their guest performer.

As soon as halftime ended, Wade Dong returned to the locker room.

Most players also headed back there too.

LeBron asked, "Brother Dong, how did you slip that ball into my hands?"

Griffin chimed in, "Brother Dong, how about that alley-oop I caught?"

Aldridge added, "That pass you made to me was spectacular—a bounce pass through four defenders."

All of this year's All-Star Weekend players who received assists from Wade Dong gathered around him excitedly.

Among this year's All-Star point guards who could easily make it into the top fifty stars are names like Paul and Curry along with several other solid point guards like Westbrook, Irving, Wall, Lowry... Wade Dong truly taught them all a lesson on how to pass effectively. 

Aldridge couldn't hold back any longer: "I want to go to Phoenix and team up with Brother Dong!"

"You better step back a bit; my contract expires this summer."

Griffin laughed and said: "As long as I can play alongside Brother Dong, I'd be willing to join Phoenix for minimum salary."

"Cough cough~"

LeBron cleared his throat twice: "No one steal my spot; I want to join Phoenix too."

"Hahaha..."

Gentry grinned widely: "Come one! Come all! Brother Dong will lead us to victory. I have plenty of good tea for you all until retirement."

"It turns out we've always been envied by others."

Durant and Curry exchanged knowing glances. 

Human sorrow and joy are not alike; what comes easily for them is what others dream of achieving desperately. 

Of course,

LeBron and others were joking around; although deep down they genuinely wanted to team up with Wade Dong, they knew it was nearly impossible. 

Only Durant would truly sign a max contract with Phoenix. 

Curry and Thompson would technically only achieve their value after being traded to Phoenix.