When Link followed the Western All-Stars out of the tunnel, the deafening roar nearly swallowed him whole.
The Thomas & Mack Center courtside was already glittering with stars.
The league had deliberately saved the best seats for celebrities from every world.
Link spotted rap king Jay-Z and Beyoncé immediately. They had crossed paths last season in New York—at the party Jay-Z threw where Link first met Isabella.
Not far away, rising superstar Rihanna was excitedly snapping photos with her phone, sparkling in a purple sequined top that made her impossible to miss.
Spike Lee, Jack Nicholson… familiar faces dotted the sideline, turning the night into both a basketball feast and a full-blown celebrity showcase.
Suddenly the arena lights cut to black, leaving only a single spotlight at center court.
The DJ's deep, magnetic voice rolled through every corner.
"Ladies and gentlemen… welcome to the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend!!!"
The beat dropped—pounding electronic music exploded.
The spotlight swept across the Western bench, and the DJ's voice climbed with the drums.
"First, let's welcome… from San Antonio… Tony Parker!!!"
Parker rose smiling and waved; the French fans roared extra loud.
Lights danced, music shifted.
"Next… from the Denver Nuggets… Carmelo Anthony!!!"
"Ray Allen from the Seattle SuperSonics!!!"
"Dirk Nowitzki from the Dallas Mavericks!!!"
Every name triggered thunderous cheers.
"Now… a very special one!"
The DJ's voice dropped low; the music switched to a drumbeat carrying an Eastern rhythm.
"From a ten-day contract to the All-Star stage—the miracle kid from the Los Angeles Lakers… Lin~~Ze!!!!"
The spotlight slammed onto Link.
He took a deep breath, stood, and waved to the crowd.
The fan section erupted like a tsunami, the roar threatening to blow the roof off.
He could see Isabella in her seat, clapping hard enough to hurt her hands.
The lights swept to the Eastern bench.
Same ritual—Carter, Billups, Howard—
Then the voice cut off.
The arena fell silent for two full seconds.
Suddenly an explosive intro detonated. The DJ screamed until his voice cracked.
"Now… the starters!!!"
"First! The King from Cleveland—LeBron James!!!"
LeBron rose slowly from center court under silver spotlights.
"From South Beach, the Flash—Dwyane Wade!!!"
Wade flashed that million-dollar smile.
"Agent Zero from Washington—Gilbert Arenas!!!"
Arenas did his signature gun-finger and blow-smoke pose.
"The power forward from Toronto—Chris Bosh!!!"
Bosh waved grandly.
Finally the music grew thick and heavy.
"The headliner… the Big Shark—Shaquille O'Neal!!!"
Shaq's massive frame rose.
He broke into a robotic dance right there in the middle of the floor, syncing perfectly with the beat—an impromptu solo that instantly blew the roof off the building.
The Western starters' intro was just as epic.
Minnesota's Wolf King Garnett.
San Antonio's Stone Buddha Duncan.
China's Little Giant Yao Ming.
Phoenix's Wind Son Nash.
Until the very last.
All music stopped. The arena plunged into darkness and silence.
"The final one—from Los Angeles—the Black Mamba—Kobe!!! Bryant!!!"
Kobe rose slowly in the beam.
No extra flair—just his right hand lifting, index finger pointing straight to the sky.
That single, simple gesture triggered the loudest roar of the night.
Every light in the building exploded back on. The music hit its peak!
East and West All-Stars gathered at midcourt as confetti rained from above.
"Ladies and gentlemen… your strongest lineup!!! The 2007 NBA All-Star Game… begins NOW!!!"
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Warm-ups started. The vibe was pure fun—logo threes and flashy dunks flying everywhere.
Vince Carter even threw down a gliding windmill from a step inside the free-throw line, drawing gasps from the entire arena.
Link's touch felt good; he knocked down several threes during his routine.
The game was about to tip off.
Both starting fives stepped to center court.
West: Nash, Kobe, Garnett, Duncan, Yao Ming.
East: Wade, Arenas, James, Bosh, O'Neal.
The ref tossed the ball. Yao easily tipped it to Kobe.
The All-Star Game was officially underway.
The first quarter was pure entertainment.
Kobe's first possession against Wade: a flashy series of between-the-legs dribbles, then a silky fadeaway—swish. Instant explosion from the crowd.
East answered right away.
James caught Wade's pass, exploded downhill, and threw down a thunderous tomahawk dunk.
The building shook with cheers.
The game flowed in that relaxed, showtime rhythm.
Next trip, Arenas brought it past half-court, slowed near the logo, flashed a "look here" gesture, then pulled up.
Logo three—nothing but net!
He turned and walked away before the ball even dropped, signature celebration detonating the arena.
Shaq took the entertainment to another level.
He kept calling for the ball—but not in the post. Instead he pulled out flashy guard dribbles beyond the three-point line, even launching a comically off-balance step-back three that had the entire crowd laughing out loud.
End of the first quarter: an absurd 48-44, both teams shooting at ridiculous percentages.
Link checked in midway through the second quarter, replacing McGrady.
The moment his name was called, the fan section erupted.
His first touch came from Steve Nash.
Nash pushed the ball up, shot Link a quick look, then whipped a behind-the-back bounce pass straight through two defenders.
Link caught it in stride, rose, and finished with an easy dunk.
"Beautiful connection!" the commentator shouted. "Nash's passes are pure art, and Link's cut was timed perfectly."
Next possession, Link caught a kick-out from Nowitzki in the corner.
Defended by Vince Carter.
Carter smiled and spread his arms, giving just enough space.
Link adjusted, rose up.
The ball traced a perfect high arc.
Swish!
Three-pointer.
The game kept rolling in that fun, loose rhythm.
During one timeout the big screen cut to Rihanna. When the camera landed on her, the future superstar blew a playful kiss to the lens—triggering screams across the arena.
Late in the second quarter, Link got a fast-break steal off a Billups lob.
He pushed alone.
Facing an empty rim, he took off on one foot, body fully extended in the air, and threw down a thunderous one-handed slam!
fans lost their minds again; even Isabella screamed from her seat.
Halftime score: 82-77, West leading by five.
Kobe had 23, James had 15 points and 7 assists.
During the break the league rolled out the usual entertainment show—Christina Aguilera came out and performed her classic "Fighter."
Link sat on the bench sipping water when Isabella quietly passed him a towel from courtside.
They shared a small smile; dozens of cameras caught the moment.
Third quarter: the entertainment slowly gave way to real basketball.
Defense tightened.
Link played only two minutes this quarter, but he made them count.
He caught Nash's pass with LeBron James guarding him tight beyond the arc.
One-on-one.
Link was about to dump it inside when he heard Kobe yell from the wing:
"Don't pass! Don't pass!!"
James closed in with a grin. "Come on, Prophet—show me what you got!"
The crowd started chanting.
James dropped into a low stance, long arms spread, defense suffocating.
Link stayed calm, dribbling.
James trash-talked the whole time: "You can't get past me! You can't get past me!"
Link ignored him, raised his center of gravity slightly… then suddenly pulled up.
Cold-blooded shot!
James flew at him, fingertips nearly grazing the ball.
The ball spun high in the air, tracing a ridiculous arc.
Swish!
Three!
"Wow!!!" The arena exploded.
James turned back shaking his head, laughing. "Lucky boy! Lucky boy!"
As the third quarter ended, the showtime vibe officially disappeared. Tension started rising.
Before the fourth quarter, the East had actually taken a two-point lead.
Eastern stars huddled around their coach, faces serious now.
LeBron and Wade were deep in intense discussion.
Kobe sat quietly on the bench, eyes ice-cold.
The All-Star show was over.
The real game… started now.