The Best Point Guard

Tracy McGrady was also determined to win this year’s All-Star Game MVP. The game was on his home court, and he considered the trophy his for the taking.

But LeBron James had other ideas. He had no intention of letting Tracy McGrady have his moment, believing he himself was more deserving of the trophy.

So, as soon as he crossed half-court, he wanted to go one-on-one.

Seeing how eager he was, Su Xi casually passed the ball to Zach Randolph instead.

LeBron James gave a slight shrug, spreading his hands.

Su Xi laughed.

’Why should I give it to you? What are you even expecting?’

’Of course I’m gonna take care of my own guy.’

Zach Randolph took the ball and showed no signs of being a first-time All-Star. He executed a beautiful between-the-legs dribble beyond the three-point line, then drove into the paint with a big stride, even adding a nice gather step. His movements were surprisingly agile, but his physique was so unconventional that the whole thing looked comical.

It was like watching a round, lumbering black bear tiptoe with nimble feet into the restricted area. Duncan was at a loss, unsure whether to defend him or not. In the end, he just stood aside with his arms folded, watching Randolph come to a sudden stop, spin, fake with his shoulders, and hit a fadeaway jumper... SWISH!

The ball dropped cleanly through the net.

The entire arena erupted in laughter.

Randolph was using pure guard moves, and what’s more, they were effective enough to work in a real game.

And yet, they were hilarious to watch.

The Knicks had truly found a gem.

In front of their TVs, the New York fans were ecstatic, while only the people of Portland didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, feeling a pang of regret.

They could only console themselves with an old Chinese proverb: an orange grown in the south is sweet, but it becomes bitter when grown in the north.

It seemed Randolph had finally found the fertile soil where he could take root and flourish.

The game continued. The West was putting on a chaotic show of their own, and Tracy McGrady threw down another dunk.

Back on the other end, Su Xi passed to Randolph, who continued to show off his bag of tricks. His skillset was far more varied than O’Neal’s.

At this point, O’Neal didn’t even feel like Randolph was stealing his spotlight. He just wished Randolph would stop trying to compare their sizes, insisting that they had to "do it for the big guys."

Randolph had even made a "grand" proposal to O’Neal. He’d said, "Shaq, I’ll set you up for a monster dunk. After you score, we’ll pull down our pants together and show the whole world that big guys are *long* too."

O’Neal was the picture of refusal. "You go have your fun," he said. "I’ll pass you the ball."

O’Neal genuinely believed that, given how crazy Randolph was, he would actually go through with it.

So, he let Randolph have the stage, even proactively setting screens for him. He was just terrified Randolph would drag him into the fray.

In any other year, O’Neal would have been the biggest showman on the court, doing anything to grab the spotlight. But tonight, he just wanted to be invisible.

On the TNT Network broadcast, Charles Barkley was baffled. "Does Shaq have the flu today?" he asked. "Why isn’t he excited at all?"

"Maybe it’s because one team can’t handle two crazy, big black dudes," Kenny Smith quipped.

Zach Randolph’s performance had truly exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Su Xi kept setting Randolph up, and Randolph kept capitalizing on his chances, playing exceptionally well.

If the star of the show for the West was Tracy McGrady, then the undisputed star for the East was Zach Randolph.

Furthermore, the East’s head coach, Isaiah Thomas, was not one to follow unwritten rules.

The moment he heard LeBron James complaining on the court, he subbed him out without a second thought.

He couldn’t care less if you were the "Chosen One" or the league’s golden boy. ’So what about Jordan? Back in the day, if I wanted to freeze him out of the All-Star game, I froze him out.’

Thomas was a brazen character who fiercely protected his own. He would always maximize the power at his disposal and paid no mind to what others thought.

He subbed James out for Vince Carter, instructing Carter before he went in to let Randolph put on a show.

Isaiah Thomas had been a benefactor to Vince Carter. He had drafted Carter for the Raptors and had been instrumental in launching his career.

So, Vince Carter was obedient to the Smiling Assassin’s command.

Next, Thomas had Little O’Neal sub in for Big O’Neal.

Randolph continued his show, playing the entire first quarter.

He scored 21 points in the quarter alone.

He also helped the East build a 6-point lead.

A collective groan went through the East’s bench. The two Wallaces, Ben and Rasheed, stared at Isaiah Thomas, their eyes filled with resentment. ’When the hell are we going to play? We haven’t even touched the ball yet!’

Thomas didn’t care.

He was long past the point of caring about saving face.

’Why should I care what they think? If they’re so great, they should’ve gotten their team to first place in the East. They should be the ones coaching.’

In the second quarter, Su Xi and Randolph were still on the floor, joined by Little O’Neal, Vince Carter, and Arenas.

’Playing favorites is the Isaiah Thomas way.’

Halfway through the second quarter, the East’s offense was running smoother than ever, and there was still no sign of any substitutions.

This continued until a league official came over to Thomas and told him to be a little more mindful of appearances and not to run the game this way.

It was only when Su Xi himself asked to be subbed out for a rest that Thomas finally made a change.

As he made the substitution, he even had the nerve to say, "Don’t blame me for not giving you a chance. I’m all about fairness and justice. The guys coming off the court built an 11-point lead. If you can stretch it to 20 by halftime, I’ll let you keep playing in the second half."

On the spectrum of character types, Isaiah Thomas was a classic "brazen villain." He made no secret of his intentions; he’d come at you head-on, ready for a real fight.

He threw Billups, Wade, James, Ben Wallace, and Rasheed Wallace onto the court.

All five of them were battle-tested elites. A Pistons-style core plus Wade and James—this was a lineup straight out of Larry Brown’s wildest dreams.