By MIKE LOPRESTI
Gannett News Service

ATLANTA - Michael Jordan's farewell to the NBA All-Star Game Sunday night came with a shot that should have been like the last sentence of a storybook. But wasn't.

His goodbye came with a fadeaway jumper over Shawn Marion with 4.9 seconds left in the first overtime that seemed to win an unforgettable game. But didn't.

His goodbye came with a 155-145 loss in the first double overtime in All-Star history - a game taken away from Jordan by two Kobe Bryant free throws four seconds after Jordan's wannabe winner.

So much for the flawless finish.

"It was fun," he said at the end. "The most important thing ... I wanted it to be competitive."

Jordan's goodbye came with a starting spot at the last minute, when Vince Carter stepped aside to make room.

His goodbye came with a smile and a wave and a speech ... and 20 points on 9-for-27 shooting.

And his goodbye came with five remarkable seconds in the first overtime.

It was his signature move. The fadeaway to break a 136-136 tie. Jordan has hit a million of them.

He had missed one over Marion at the end of regulation. Even at this age, you never want to give him a second chance.

And he was going to keep getting the ball, as long as he was out there.

"We were definitely trying to make it end the right way," East coach Isiah Thomas said.

The audience blew off the roof, and was ready to head for the parking lot, taking Jordan's last shot as a lifelong memory with them.

But just a second. There was Bryant going to the deep corner for a desperation shot, and then Jermaine O'Neal bumping him out of bounds, and the referee calling the foul that gave Bryant three free throws with one second left.

With Jordan nearby, jawing at him, Bryant rattled in the first, missed the second, buried the third. All with mixed emotions. Who wants to be the party pooper?

"Part of me felt like I had a job to do," Bryant said. "The other part of me was like ... I just didn't want to do it to be honest with you.

"I would wish that on none of the players in here. ... You can't help but be split right down the middle."

So another overtime. By then Jordan was too weary to continue, after playing 36 minutes. The West ran away for good, led by Kevin Garnett, to settle a game of 26 lead changes and 16 ties.

It was a legendary gallop into the sunset, even if the shooting was not.

"I leave the game in good hands," Jordan told a roaring Philips Arena at halftime. "I have passed on the things Dr. J, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird passed on to me. I thank you for your support, and now I can go home and be at peace with the game of basketball."

All around him were the next wave of stars. Allen Iverson with his 35 points. Tracy McGrady with 29, even after throwing up just before the game. MVP Garnett with his 37 points and nine rebounds.

And as Jordan said goodbye, Yao Ming was saying hello, with an alley-oop dunk in the first minutes and then not another shot all night.

The NBA wanted it perfect. As perfect as the fantasy Jordan called a career.

He would start, of course. Never mind the voting, or his own hesitation. Carter had been criticized early for not being eager to give up his own spot, out of respect for those who voted him as a starter.

But just before tipoff, Carter made the offer. One old North Carolina Tar Heel to another.

"He was very genuine," Jordan said. "I didn't want him to take any more of a beating."

Said Thomas before the game, "I think all of us understand the moment. ... What's amazing to me is everyone wants to make this a special moment for him, except him. I think that's the beauty of Michael Jordan. That's the beauty of greatness."

And said Thomas afterward, "Every man would have given up his sport for Jordan. Had he not taken it, the guys would probably not have started the game."

And Jordan would be MVP. But the rims were unsentimental. Jordan missed his first seven shots, clanging jumpers, blowing a dunk.

By halftime, he was 3 for 12. His first shot in the second half was swatted away by Shaquille O'Neal, who was booed for his efforts. Jordan later had another shot blocked by Bryant, and another by Marion.

But at the end, there was a game to win. He could still do that. Or almost.

His night included one meaningful number. When Jordan hit two free throws with 2:04 left in the third period, it gave him 252 All-Star points, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time record.

As for Yao, with tens of millions back in China watching, he slammed home an alley oop early and then went quiet.

Was he nervous? Excited? Anxious?

"All of these feelings are mixed together," he said before the game through an interpreter. "It is impossible for me to separate them."

It was a weekend he'll remember. All of them will.

WEST (155)-Duncan 8-18 3-3 19, Garnett 17-24 3-3 37, Yao 1-1 0-0 2, Francis 9-12 0-0 20, Bryant 8-17 3-6 22, Marbury 1-3 2-2 4, Nash 1-3 0-1 2, S.O'Neal 8-14 3-5 19, Marion 4-9 0-0 8, Nowitzki 4-8 0-0 9, Payton 4-6 0-0 8, Stojakovic 2-7 0-0 5. Totals 67-122 14-20 155.

EAST (145)-Jordan 9-27 2-2 20, J.O'Neal 3-10 4-6 10, Wallace 1-2 0-2 2, Iverson 13-23 8-9 35, McGrady 10-17 5-6 29, Kidd 4-9 2-2 11, Miller 2-4 1-2 5, Carter 4-9 0-0 9, Pierce 4-11 0-0 8, Ilgauskas 0-1 0-0 0, Walker 2-4 1-2 6, Mashburn 4-7 0-0 10. Totals 56-124 23-31 145.

West	18	37	31	34	18	17-155
East	23	29	41	27	18	7-145

3-Point Goals-West 7-22 (Bryant 3-5, Francis 2-3, Stojakovic 1-4, Nowitzki 1-4, Payton 0-1, Marion 0-1, Nash 0-2, Marbury 0-2), East 10-27 (McGrady 4-7, Mashburn 2-2, Carter 1-1, Iverson 1-3, Walker 1-3, Kidd 1-4, Jordan 0-2, Pierce 0-5). Rebounds-West 76 (Duncan 15), East 61 (J.O'Neal 10). Assists-West 40 (Francis 9), East 31 (Kidd 10). Total fouls-West 21, East 16. A-20,325 (21,000).