The East's possession began with Kevin Garnett holding the ball. Ignoring Dwyane Wade's call, he fired a pass to Lian Dao. James waved for the ball, but Lian Dao faked a pass, blew past Carmelo Anthony with a single step, and charged the paint.
Tim Duncan saw the freight train coming and wisely stepped aside. Amare Stoudemire, less prudent, slid into defensive position—too late. His footing was shaky, caught off-guard by Duncan's retreat. Lian Dao, seething from James and Wade's freeze-out, didn't hesitate. He launched skyward, right at Stoudemire.
Bad move, Stoudemire thought, realizing he had no time to brace or foul. Lian Dao thundered a two-handed dunk, the impact sending Stoudemire sprawling past the baseline, crashing into the basket's padding.
Duncan wiped imaginary sweat from his brow. Dodged a bullet there. Then he paused. Why'd I think "again"?
The crowd fell silent for a split second before erupting into a tsunami of cheers. The jumbotron replayed Lian Dao's posterizing slam, cementing Stoudemire's role as the unfortunate backdrop.
Really, Amare? fans thought. Lian Dao just won the dunk contest, hailed as better than Vince Carter, and you step up to get dunked on?
Lian Dao, fueled by frustration, would've slammed through anyone in his path. Standing at the free-throw line, he sank the and-one, tying the game at 8-8. His first All-Star highlight was a statement.
But the snub from James and Wade persisted. They monopolized the ball, and when Garnett—nursing injuries and eager to rest—subbed out for Chris Bosh, Lian Dao's touches dried up entirely. The East became a three-man show: James, Wade, and Bosh weaving dazzling plays, leaving Lian Dao and even Dwight Howard as spectators. Howard, at least, got dunks; Lian Dao got nothing.
In the West, Duncan also hit the bench, conserving energy at 33. His replacement, Dirk Nowitzki, triggered a deafening roar from the Dallas-heavy crowd. Playing on his home turf, Nowitzki joined Stoudemire in exploiting the West's interior edge. Coach George Karl leaned into their big-man advantage, with Nowitzki and Stoudemire hammering the East's paint.
The score seesawed, with neither side locking down defensively. With four minutes left in the first quarter, Bosh drained a three, and Howard followed with an and-one dunk, fouling Nowitzki. The East surged to a five-point lead.
Lian Dao, subbed out during Howard's free throw, finished the quarter with eight points—one three, one dunk, and an and-one—but zero assists. A missed Bosh jumper had given him a fast-break dunk, but otherwise, he was a ghost on offense.
CCTV's broadcast avoided the elephant in the room. Commentators Zhang Lili and Yu Jia praised the game's flow but sidestepped Lian Dao's isolation, focusing on the West's injury woes. "Kobe's playing through a finger injury," Yu Jia noted. "That competitive fire is rare."
Fans at home, however, weren't fooled. Social media lit up with outrage over James and Wade's tactics, alongside a surge of Lian Dao hate. "Lone wolf, no assists!" one troll jeered, clearly not watching. "Does anyone actually think he deserves to be an All-Star?" sniped another. The worst: "With his hype, no wonder they're freezing him out."
Lian Dao and David Lee, both benched, watched quietly. Lee, in his first All-Star appearance, expected minimal minutes—maybe seven or eight. Compared to players who never made the cut, he felt lucky, but next to Lian Dao's star turn, his role felt small. Still, Lee thought, better than those stuck at home.
The first half was a typical All-Star showcase—light defense, flashy offense, and mutual respect. Both teams traded highlight-reel plays, keeping the crowd buzzing.
In the second quarter, with 8:35 left, Stan Van Gundy called timeout and shook up the lineup. Lian Dao, David Lee, and Al Horford checked in, joining Derrick Rose and Joe Johnson. James led the East with 12 points, three rebounds, and five assists; Bosh had six points and nine boards; Wade had six points, seven assists, and a rebound.
From the stands, Guo Yuwei fumed. "If James, Wade, and Bosh weren't ganging up, Xiaodao would have way more than eight points and one rebound. Such petty villains!"
The score stood at 49-52, West up by three.
Lian Dao synced with Rose immediately. Off a Rose pass, he splashed a corner three. Unlike James or Wade, Rose played instinctively—dishing to open teammates without agenda. His own scoring took a backseat in the All-Star setting, prioritizing playmaking.
Kevin Durant answered with a three for the West. On the next possession, Lian Dao drove, spun past his defender, and—like a magician—elbow-passed the ball behind him to the paint. David Lee, cutting hard, caught it and hammered a two-handed dunk.
The pass was pure artistry, evoking "White Chocolate" Jason Williams' flair. A classic reborn.
The crowd exploded, cheers drowning the arena. Even Steve Nash, from the West's bench, clapped in admiration. Nash, known for no-look, through-the-legs wizardry—and once tossing a football as a dunk contest assist—saw a kindred spirit in Lian Dao's audacious feed. That's how you play with fire.