This past weekend was full of excitement as professional basketball players along with celebrities came together in New Orleans for All-Star Weekend. We learned that US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan can ball when he broke the record for most points in the All-Star Celebrity Game. We also learned that the NBA should not get their trophies at the 99 cents store as the Rising Stars Challenge trophy broke when it was being handed to Andre Drummond! After Pharell finally finished his set, we were treated to the highest scoring All-Star game in NBA history. All of it made for some entertaining television.
The slam dunk contest was a little more exciting this year probably because, according to Ben Goliver of Sports Illustrated, it was the first time it featured three all-stars since 1988. There were a handful of memorable dunks, including winner John Wall who leaped over the Washington Wizards G-man mascot for a reverse slam.
The new format which featured a conference on conference battle destroyed some of the essence of the dunk contest. It potentially got in the way of seeing some great dunks as six dunkers only got one dunk in the battle round after the freestyle round, where each dunker has 90 seconds to hit as many dunks as possible. The old format was fine, there just needs to be exciting players participating in the contest, cough Lebron cough.
163 to 155. That was the score of the NBA All-Star Game this weekend where the East came back from 18 points to win. It’s safe to say that no defense was played in this game. Carmelo Anthony made eight three-pointers, setting a record, which probably helped take his mind off of the terrible season the Knicks are having. Kyrie Irving tied the record for most points in a single half with 24. Blake Griffin had 19 made field goals which also set a record. Kevin Durant set a record for most three-point attempts at 17. He only made 4, but still finished with over 50% shooting. It’s exciting to see scoring and all the players know that its just for fun. The new NBA uniforms, however, will take some getting used to. The youth of the league really stood out during All-Star weekend. Drummond was able to show off his rebounding skills during the Rising Stars Challenege. Seeing the dunks from Paul George, Ben McLemore and John Wall brought excitement back to the Slam Dunk Contest.
21-year old Kyrie Irving from the Cleveland Cavilers won the MVP award during the All-Star Game. The oldest players in that game from the West were Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant at 25 years old. This is great news for the NBA because young talent brings renewed excitement to the game. It gives the NBA more stars to talk about and feature.
What does this mean for the rest of the season? In the East, it looks like it will be another juicy face off between the Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards and the Brooklyn Nets will make the playoffs. The last place spot is very much a toss up and between the Pistons, Bobcats and the Knicks, it will come down to whichever team is less terrible down the stretch. In the West, I’m hoping for an Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets clash in the Western Conference Finals. The San Antonio Spurs, L.A. Clippers, Portland Trailblazers, Dallas Mavericks, and Golden State Warriors, and either the Phoenix Suns or the Memphis Grizzles will be in the playoffs. The second half of the season has officially started and it should be action-packed.
