Pope of Basketball.

Summary

The chapter describes the annual NBA All-Star weekend in Las Vegas, highlighting the Western and Eastern Conference rosters. Allen Iverson's trade to the Denver Nuggets is discussed, forming a "Golden Trio" with Richard Hamilton and Cameron Anthony, but their performance was disappointing. The chapter also notes injuries affecting player selections and the emergence of the Magic as a strong team. In the rookie game, second-year players won, with David Lee achieving a remarkable shooting performance. Kapono won the three-point contest, while Gerald Green claimed the dunk contest. The West defeated the East in the main event, with Kobe earning MVP honors. Tragedy struck after the game with a violent incident in Las Vegas, raising concerns about future NBA events there. The regular season continued without major trades, with Yang Rui managing player rotations. Yao Ming's performance peaked before an injury, and the Lakers finished with the best record. In the East, the Cavaliers topped the standings, and LeBron James emerged as a strong MVP candidate, potentially becoming the youngest MVP in history. The chapter concludes with a note on Rudy Gay's disappointing season.

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