The opponent indeed panicked and substituted O’Neal off the court.

From Zhang Hao’s impression, when O’Neal is fouled out, he’s often confused at first, then irritable, then resigns to his fate... and then, when his mentality settles, he usually shoots free throws quite well in critical moments.

To use this tactic, timing is crucial. It usually works when facing O’Neal if you’re trailing in score, and your team has reached the foul phase by being forced to foul rather than fouling intentionally; otherwise, it won’t be very effective, at least not particularly noticeable in the playoffs.

After the timeout, the Western Team is on the offensive.

Once Zhang Hao reaches the frontcourt, he continues doing what he should and can do.

It’s not that with O’Neal off the court, the Western Team has an advantage for the remaining 7-plus minutes. It’s just that with O’Neal off, and both teams in good form offensively, the Western Team can match the Eastern Team equally. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

With Stockton paired with two inside players capable of pick-and-roll, shooting, and cutting, a mid-range shooter, a versatile shooter who can also assist... Such teammates are quite formidable.

The opponent replaced the 130-kilogram center with small forward athleticism, O’Neal, with Ewing, whose legs seem like they have weights on them. The Western Team’s efficiency in attacking the basket increased, and their offense was executed very well.

The Eastern Team reverted to having Pippen as the organizing core, Jordan as the primary scorer, and others supporting the play. After the Zen Master made long-term adjustments on the offensive end, they were equally formidable.

The key point is that the players are generally very familiar with each other. Even if they are not teammates, they’ve played against each other for many years, so they deeply understand each other’s playstyles. Combined with strong skills and teamwork willingness, by the last quarter, their cooperation becomes quite proficient.

At this stage, Zhang Hao’s scoring relies entirely on his teammates, doing his utmost to provide mid to long-range containment and occasionally making second passes. Indeed, in terms of ability, compared to the other 9 players on the court, he is obviously at a disadvantage.

This is his personal understanding of his role in this match, but in the eyes of others, he is already quite excellent!

Without holding the ball, capable of scoring when opportunities arise, occasionally coordinating, and even switching to defend the center successfully... As for being unable to defend, both David Robinson and Ewing are challenging each other with mutual explosions. The players from both teams are strong, at best, limiting each other a little, so Zhang Hao’s average defense isn’t particularly noticeable.

The game is filled with physical confrontations, and amidst such conflicts, Zhang Hao managing to maintain accuracy in open shots is quite surprising.

It’s often said that heavily contested games can look unattractive, but it really depends on who is playing.

When stars from both teams find opportunities to score under high pressure, will those difficult shots not be impressive?

Both teams’ stars are giving their all. At this stage, with everyone fighting hard, who cares if it’s the All-Star game—they all refuse to lose to the other side.

The score remained tight, and at 10:58 minutes, with Olajuwon, who was substituted in, receiving a direct pass to the low post from Zhang Hao at the top arc and spinning for a floater, the Western Team took a 146 to 144 lead by two points!

This pass was Zhang Hao’s most beautiful offensive decision in the last quarter, aside from the foul on O’Neal. The Eastern Team was blocking Malone on the left side of the three-second area and Stockton at mid-range on the right, with Ewing expanding to the left edge of the three-second area, near the free-throw line, preventing Malone from forcefully cutting in.

Zhang Hao sent a direct pass through a seam to Olajuwon’s hands. Even though Ewing retreated in time, Olajuwon already had space to make his move!

Transitioning to defense, the Western Team concentrates on defense!

The first 20 seconds of this defense was executed very well, but at 11:40, Reggie Miller, who was substituted in for Vin Baker, received a return pass from Jordan and, without hesitation, took a three-point shot with only two seconds left on the shot clock, scoring with nothing but net!

to 146, the Eastern Team took a 1-point lead!

Del Harris called a timeout! The game reached 11:41, leaving only 19 seconds!

Failing to stop them in the final moment, Malone switched to defend against Reggie Miller and frustratingly punched his own thigh. He almost intercepted Jordan’s pass but was a beat slow, and failing to press up against Reggie Miller became his biggest defensive mistake!

With 22 out of 10 shots and playing for 37 minutes, Jordan’s stats improved to 28 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, achieving a triple-double!

Although O’Neal scored 35 points and Reggie Miller hit 5 three-pointers, totaling 21 points, Jordan’s performance was clearly the best in the East.

As long as the East wins, Jordan is bound to win this year’s All-Star Game MVP! This would also be Jordan’s second All-Star Game MVP.

"Didn’t expect this kid to be so lucky, not making a fool of himself and playing quite well..."

Originally, it was just to let Zhang Hao experience the level of this game in the fourth quarter, but unexpectedly, after O’Neal went off, Zhang Hao scored 2 out of 3 shots, serving as an excellent decoy and also dishing out two assists. His final pass to Olajuwon almost became a game-winner.

With 25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks, Zhang Hao’s performance tonight couldn’t have been better, far exceeding expectations.

For Del Harris, winning would certainly be joyous, but reaching this point, if they lost due to Reggie Miller’s critical three-pointer, there’s really nothing that could be done.

But for the Western Team’s players, it was hard to accept!