Welcome to the grand city of Orlando, where the weather is warm and the basketball is hotter. NBA All-Star weekend officially kicked off with the celebrity All-Star game at the Orange County Convention Center during Jam Session. While I wasn’t there to witness the fun, I did manage to find a video of comedian Kevin Hart being ejected from the game.
But the game of the night is the NBA Rising Stars Challenge presented by BBVA. NBA rookie sensations Jeremy Lin, Kyrie Irving, and Derrick Williams are all on the floor tonight for a game showcasing the NBA’s best, young talent. Wizards guard John Wall and his speed and quickness are on full display at the Amway Center, but even Wall’s quickness cannot keep up with the scoring of Irving and that of Philadelphia 76ers guard Evan Turner.
Irving turned in an 18 point effort in the first half, with Turner coming behind him with 12.
Points are nice and so is the speed and big shots, but fans did not come to see who had the best stroke or who could jack the best three. They came for excitement, thrill, alley-hoops, and dunks.
Clippers forward and last year’s All-Star dunk champion Blake Griffin already has one alley and dunk under his belt, and Sacremento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins has the same.
All players are looking for the big play to motivate the crowd, and I am sure that we will see much more of that thrill in the second half.
