O’Neal simply didn’t come to Cleveland, watching TV at home.
This made both sides lose a bit of star power, but it also gave many young stars a chance to showcase their talents.
For example, Schlammfeste, Vin Baker, Joe Dumars, Kevin Garnett, Chris Gatlin, and other players were selected, showing up in front of All-America fans.
At the center circle, Gan Guoyang and Olajuwon competed for the ball, the two old rivals facing each other once more.
"Hakeem, you’ve gained weight." Gan Guoyang commented on his old friend’s weight.
Olajuwon shook his head with a smile, saying, "Come on Sonny, it’s the All-Star game, don’t be like this."
Olajuwon thought Gan Guoyang was trash talking again, wondering if this guy was crazy, to play mental games even in the All-Star game.
"I’m serious, you really have gained weight. I heard you married a young wife, she’s only 18, isn’t she?"
This time Olajuwon didn’t shake his head, and his smile turned awkward, saying, "That’s personal, Sonny, don’t joke about it."
"I’m concerned for you, how does it feel having a young wife? Your form seems to have declined."
"Stop it, Sonny, let’s play, let’s play."
Most wouldn’t dare joke about such matters with Olajuwon, but Gan Guoyang dares.
In 1996, Olajuwon married an 18-year-old wife, saying it hasn’t affected his form would be lying.
This season, despite the Heat assembling four great kings, their record is not as good as last season.
On one hand, Charles Barkley suffered a major injury mid-season, missing many games.
Another reason is the 34-year-old Olajuwon’s form is no longer at its peak, his young wife has worn him out physically and mentally.
Moreover, the conflict between Olajuwon and Riley is deepening, which might make this their last season working together.
The referee tossed the ball into the air, and the long-awaited All-Star game began.
Both reached the ball simultaneously, but it didn’t fly towards either side, instead bouncing towards the sideline, almost going out of bounds.
Gan Guoyang suddenly dove to save the ball, throwing it back as he flew towards the technical bench.
"Oh no! Ah Gan comes on with a high-difficulty move right away, so intense? Is his body okay? He’s already 32."
Zhang Weiping, the CCTV commentator for today’s All-Star game, worried about Gan Guoyang’s health.
Gan Guoyang quickly crawled out of the technical table, pulling up the staff he knocked over, and jumped out with no problem at all.
From that play, Olajuwon knew the gap between himself and Ah Gan had widened, he couldn’t catch up with this beast anymore.
Now Olajuwon definitely wouldn’t attempt such a save, his back would break.
When Gan Guoyang returned to the court, the West Team had already completed their first attack.
Gary Payton attempted a 20-foot baseline jumper, completely missed, retrieved by Pippen with the defensive rebound.
"Is this what I saved the ball for!?" Gan Guoyang complained to Payton about his unreliable mid-range shot.
Quickly, it was the Western Conference’s turn to attack, Hardaway’s outside three-point shot was a complete miss, going out of bounds, West Team’s ball.
The game had just begun, both sides played loosely, with a very fast playing rhythm, but the shooting percentage was low, clearly not in form yet.
Both sides kept missing, Payton missed another shot, Jordan tried a three-pointer, which hit the front edge of the rim.
Gan Guoyang made a beautiful straight pass to the cutting Stockton, but Stockton’s floater didn’t go in.
Olajuwon tried to overpower Ah Gan in the low post, but found he couldn’t move him, being pushed further away and finally had to pass the ball.
Clearly, everyone was very relaxed, too relaxed, two and a half minutes passed with seven or eight possessions without scoring, somewhat unsightly.
Gan Guoyang finally couldn’t hold back, cursing everyone, "None of you can make a shot, is this still the NBA All-Star? You can’t even compare to our CBA."
Right after speaking, Gan Guoyang received the ball at the top of the arc, faced Pippen, and pulled up for a three-pointer, scoring!
"Happy weekend, Scottie!" After scoring, Gan Guoyang said to Pippen.
"Don’t take it so seriously, Sonny, you’re a bit too excited." Pippen said with a long face.
However, Gan Guoyang’s scoring and trash talk indeed helped the stars warm up faster.
Penny Hardaway, with his agile steps, broke into the basket, facing Kevin Garnett’s defense, and scored with a floater.
Gan Guoyang then received the ball in the low post, using Sigma Step facing the basket to drive inside and scored with a two-handed dunk!
Gan Guoyang heated up very quickly at the start, followed by Jordan answering with a precise mid-range jumper, the game slowly opened up.
Due to low defensive intensity, after warming up, the stars began showcasing their unique skills.
Olajuwon’s low post footwork, Karl Malone’s pick-and-roll drive, Penny Hardaway’s agile steps, and Grant Hill’s high-speed changes.
Aside from starting with jump shots to find feeling, as the game progressed, shooting became impossible, grabbing the ball and charging inside became the performance.
Halfway through the first quarter, the Eastern Team called a timeout as both teams rotated, starters leaving, giving substitute players some chance to perform.
That’s how the All-Star game is, players go on for performance, fans hope to see stars showcase their skills on the court.
Compared to the All-Star games of the 80s, today’s All-Star entertainment flavor has become increasingly strong, with more flashy moves from the stars.