Chapter 199: Is Chen Yan Showing Off Again? The Competition Enters the Final Battle!
The Eastern Conference All-Stars had possession.
This time, Shaquille O'Neal decided to bring some fun to the court—he motioned for the ball from the baseline, signaling that he was taking over as point guard.
The crowd instantly erupted in laughter. Everyone knew what was coming. When Shaq started handling the ball, it was never just basketball—it was comedy gold.
Sure enough, after dribbling awkwardly across half court, O'Neal pointed straight at Chen Yan and shouted, "Come on, let's go one-on-one!"
Chen Yan grinned and accepted the challenge, stepping forward to guard him. The two athletes faced off in the middle of the court, both clearly enjoying the playful energy of the All-Star Game.
O'Neal winked and boomed, "Hey Chen! I'm gonna break your ankle!"
Chen Yan laughed. "Hahaha! Shaq, if my ankle breaks, it'll be because you ran me over, not because you crossed me!"
If O'Neal actually decided to bulldoze his way from beyond the three-point line, there wasn't much Chen could do—but that wouldn't fit the spirit of the moment.
Instead, Shaq began his "dribbling show."
He started high-stepping, waving his hips exaggeratedly, and mimicking Chen Yan's earlier dribbling style. The sight of the massive center trying to pull off guard moves was priceless.
LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony were laughing so hard on the bench that they nearly fell to the floor. Even Yao Ming couldn't hold back a grin.
Meanwhile, the cameras cut to Kobe Bryant, sitting on the Western Conference bench with a completely deadpan expression. His face said it all: human joy and sorrow are not the same. At that point, his relationship with Shaq still hadn't thawed, and in Kobe's eyes, O'Neal's antics were nothing more than a circus act.
After a series of clumsy moves, Shaq suddenly rose up for a mid-range jumper.
"Bang!"
It clanked hard off the backboard and bounced away.
Tim Duncan calmly secured the rebound and immediately outlet-passed to Chris Paul.
Paul sprinted down the court, pushing the tempo for a 3-on-1 fast break with Chen Yan and Ray Allen flanking him.
Only Dwyane Wade managed to get back on defense, but it was too late.
Paul dribbled behind his back, then whipped a perfect one-handed lob into the air.
"Boom!"
Chen Yan caught it mid-flight and threw down a thunderous dunk.
"Nice pass!" Chen shouted, pointing at Paul as he landed. The chemistry between them was instant. Paul smiled and pointed back, clearly enjoying the connection.
The crowd roared with excitement.
On the next Eastern Conference possession, O'Neal redeemed himself under the basket with his signature two-handed "Shark Attack" dunk.
After slamming it in, Shaq roared triumphantly, then jogged over to Chen Yan, grabbed his head, and planted a massive kiss right on top of it.
Chen froze, completely blindsided. His expression instantly turned from triumph to horror.
He stared at O'Neal, then frantically wiped his head with his jersey as if trying to disinfect it.
The crowd exploded with laughter.
He had managed to dodge Durant's mother's kiss of death and Duncan's head pats in previous events, but he hadn't escaped Shaq's affection.
The broadcast camera quickly cut to Taylor Swift in the stands, ready to capture her reaction. To everyone's surprise, she was laughing even harder than the fans.
The game continued, and Chen Yan wasted no time striking back.
He cut off a screen from Paul, took a pass in stride, and threw down another vicious dunk. Moments later, he trailed the play, received another pass from Paul, and hit a perfect three-pointer from the wing.
"Beautiful shot! You could tell it was good the moment it left his hand!" the NBA commentator shouted enthusiastically.
"Chen Yan's on fire! That's five straight points—and his first three-pointer of the game goes down clean!" the co-commentator added.
Wade answered with a quick layup on the other end, slicing through the defense for two points. The crowd was loving it—every possession was a highlight reel.
On the next trip down the floor, Paul and Chen connected again.
Paul threaded a bounce pass through the defense, and Chen Yan glided to the rim for an easy finish.
Rasheed Wallace, caught off guard, barely had time to react before Chen finished right under his arm. Any attempt to contest would've drawn a foul, and since this was the All-Star Game, Rasheed simply let it go.
Chen bumped chests with Paul on the way back up the court, their synergy shining. In just three possessions, Chen had scored seven straight points, all assisted by Paul.
Their playstyles fit perfectly. Paul, much like Nash, had a natural gift for setting up teammates. For Chen Yan, playing next to such a selfless playmaker was a dream.
Paul, for his part, couldn't help but think how incredible it would be to have Chen on his Hornets roster. With him, Hornets could be first in the West and possibly contending for a title.
But everyone knew that was impossible. Chen Yan was Phoenix's crown jewel—and D'Antoni wasn't letting go.
"Bang!"
The Eastern Conference missed again—this time a long jumper from Rasheed Wallace—and Duncan quickly grabbed the rebound.
Without hesitation, he hurled a full-court pass to Chen Yan.
Chen sprinted ahead, catching the ball in stride.
Two defenders—Wade and Paul Pierce—closed in fast, but Chen attacked fearlessly, slicing between them with a blur of motion.
"Bang!"
Just as Chen lifted off, Pierce's hand accidentally struck his headband, knocking it down over his eyes.
Instant blackout.
But Chen was already airborne. There was no stopping now.
Relying purely on instinct, he followed through—his body twisting midair, momentum carrying him forward.
"Boom!"
The dunk thundered through the arena.
The whistle blew at the same moment.
For a second, Chen couldn't tell if it had gone in—until he heard the roar of the crowd.
He had done it.
Landing hard, Chen didn't even bother adjusting his headband. He simply stood tall, pointing to where it had fallen across his face.
The cameras zoomed in immediately, capturing the moment.
"A blindfolded dunk and a 2+1! Unbelievable!"
"Even when he can't see, Chen Yan still finds the rim!"
"Pierce just got posterized in an All-Star Game—he did not see that coming!"
"I bet that dunk just gave Pierce flashbacks from past nightmares!"
"Man, that kid's showing off again!"
On the bench, Stoudemire slammed his towel down and shouted, "Coach! Put me in—I wanna play with him!"
The crowd roared as Chen stepped to the line and completed the three-point play.
Eastern Conference coach Flip Saunders quickly called a timeout. Chen's scoring burst had completely swung the momentum.
After the break, LeBron checked back in for the East to steady things.
The final minutes of the third quarter were intense. The East fought back, trading baskets with the West possession by possession.
As the horn sounded to end the period, the scoreboard read Western Conference 109, Eastern Conference 107.
The smiles were gone. The joking was over.
Everyone knew—the exhibition was finished.
Now, it was time for the real game to begin.
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