Randolph was playing nothing like a rookie in his first All-Star Game. His presence was just too overwhelming.
With his family's support, Isaiah Thomas's blatant favoritism from the coach's bench, and Su Xi openly feeding him the ball on the court. Add to that the buzz he'd generated all weekend and the words under his jersey.
It was hard not to be drawn to this burly, dark-skinned big man.
The rivalry between Randolph and Garnett continued.
After Randolph posted up Garnett and assisted O'Neal on a thunderous dunk, he started bodying up Garnett on the defensive end as well. Garnett went one-on-one against Randolph, using a quick turnaround jumper... Garnett's jumper was considered one of the most unstoppable shots in the NBA.
Because of his height, long wingspan, and excellent jumping ability, his shot was like dropping the ball in from the second floor.
However, "unstoppable" referred to a head-on defense, not a sneak attack from behind.
