Oh my god!
Half-court shot, what just happened?
The whole process was too fast.
By the time everyone reacted, they saw the score on the scoreboard had changed. Anthony hit a long-range three-pointer steadily, and the Western All-Stars had already taken a 5-point lead.
Anthony's long-range shot completely ignited the fans' enthusiasm, and they cheered Anthony's name with fervor.
"Anthony, you're too lucky."
Kobe ran over to celebrate with Anthony, not forgetting to tease him.
Following closely, Paul, Duncan, and Yao Ming also joined the celebration. The players on the Western bench stood up and waved their towels wildly to celebrate Anthony, while Iverson blew a whistle from the sidelines.
Compared to the harmonious Western All-Stars, the Eastern All-Stars were in a bit of a disarray.
Garnett was glaring at LeBron with dissatisfaction: "LeBron, I had a better passing lane, why didn't you pass me the ball."
"I don't like you, so what?"
LeBron had already disliked Garnett for a while, and being questioned by Garnett now made him furious.
"What did you say?"
Garnett was also angered and was about to question LeBron furiously.
"Forget it, everyone, let's say less."
Kidd quickly stood between them. This was the All-Star game, broadcast worldwide. If the All-Stars were to have an internal conflict, the league would definitely investigate and perhaps even impose a suspension.
Beep.
At this moment, the referee blew his whistle.
Doc Rivers called a short timeout.
He had seen the changes on the court. So, as the players walked off, Doc Rivers immediately called Ray Allen up: "Ray, when you get on the court, substitute LeBron. Howard, you screen for Ray, giving him space to shoot."
Doc Rivers had confidence in Ray Allen's three-point shooting.
"This is unfair."
LeBron yelled at Doc Rivers excitedly.
Doc Rivers' face darkened as he stared coldly at LeBron and said, "I'm the coach, and who plays is decided based on the game situation."
"I'll remember this."
LeBron sat down next to Tang Long with a dark expression, secretly vowing that he would show no mercy to the Celtics in the playoffs.
"LeBron, calm down."
Tang Long handed LeBron some water and patted his shoulder, "We'll have a chance to play."
They were starters chosen by votes. Doc Rivers was just arranging the players according to the votes. Even if it weren't the case, given the current situation, if the problem of player disunity couldn't be solved, their deficit would only grow larger.
It was clear that the players at this moment were also very dissatisfied with Garnett and Doc Rivers' handling of the situation, but they were holding back because it was a global broadcast.
In fact, it was almost as Tang Long had predicted. Ray Allen could indeed coordinate with Garnett after coming on court, but it only made the rift more obvious.
As long as Garnett or Ray Allen had the ball, the other three would stand on the perimeter and watch. Garnett and Ray Allen were playing a two-man game, how could they be a match for the Western All-Stars?
After failing to score twice and the Western All-Stars scoring two consecutive possessions, the difference had widened to 9 points. There were only 50 seconds left until the end of the third quarter.
Doc Rivers hesitated, but still didn't make a substitution, hoping to adjust after the third quarter ended. So, he stood on the sidelines and shouted to Garnett and the others: "Control the ball first, slow down the pace. One possession in 50 seconds is enough."
He thought it was well-planned and the most correct approach at the moment.
However, Doc Rivers had clearly overlooked one fact: it was difficult for them to slow down the pace when playing 5 against 2.
They were all leading players on their respective teams, doted on by fans and owners alike. They were rarely criticized, let alone complained about. Being yelled at by Garnett as if they were rookies naturally made them unhappy, and they were disinclined to cooperate with them.
How could two players be a match for the Western players? As soon as the ball was put into play, a full-court press resulted in the ball falling into the hands of the Western All-Stars, who then launched a counterattack.
With two consecutive turnovers, the score had widened to 14 points, making Doc Rivers' face as dark as the bottom of a pot.
At this point, even a fool could see that as long as Garnett and Ray Allen were on the court, the others were clearly unwilling to cooperate.
Beep.
At this moment, the referee finally blew the whistle for the end of the third quarter. Doc Rivers breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but fly into a rage: "This is a globally broadcast game, and you're playing this badly. This is a disgrace to the league. Wade, you could have created an opportunity for Garnett with your movement, why didn't you? Howard, why aren't you getting rebounds? Wake up, this is a game!"
Faced with Doc Rivers' roar, Wade and the others clearly didn't take it to heart and just drank their water.
Originally, they still wanted to cooperate, but Garnett's mouth was too talkative. Wade and the others were tired of it and simply ignored him, letting him play by himself.
Seeing that they didn't care, Doc Rivers roared, "Why aren't you executing my plays?"
Wade and the others still said nothing. Kidd opened his mouth, then looked at LeBron and Wade and the others, and wisely swallowed his words.
Doc Rivers also seemed to feel that this wasn't working. After scolding them, he slowly said, "In the fourth quarter, I want you all to show the responsibility of being a core player on your team. You are all stars for your respective teams. Don't you feel ashamed losing so badly?"
"Okay, but let LeBron and Tang Long play."
Wade stood up at this moment, looking seriously into Doc Rivers' eyes.
Kidd, who was usually a smooth operator and didn't like to get involved in such matters, couldn't help but agree: "I think what Dwight said makes sense. We're too passive on the court, and we need Tang Long's contribution in the paint."
"Kidd, what do you mean?"
Now Howard was unhappy.
What did he mean?
It's okay for Tang Long to play, but I can't?
Howard glared fiercely at Kidd.
Kidd shrugged and sat back down.
Doc Rivers looked at both sides of the players and suppressed his anger, "Since you're unwilling to play, let's make some substitutions."
Saying that, Doc Rivers looked at the other players.
"Antoine Jamison and Pierce, you'll substitute Wade and Kidd in the fourth quarter."
Jamison was still hesitating, but Pierce had already stood up and said, "Yes, Coach."
Now, the three Celtics' Big Three were all in the fourth quarter.
"Antoine, you're also unwilling to play, are you?"