For all of the flair, excitement, and flamboyance of Sunday evening, the East and West teams got down to business with about eight minutes to go in the game.
The East squad was down by 15 at that point but made a furious comeback to make the game interesting. The West, led by game MVP Kevin Durant and Clippers forward Blake Griffin, scored 88 first half points and led the East by as much as 21 points.
But with most All-Star games, players started getting serious as time ticked off the clock. Before the West saw their lead evaporate, the East stiffened their defense and failed to allow any players to drive the lane. Miami Heat forward, and boo bird recipient, LeBron James led the East down the comeback trail. He nailed six three pointers and scored 36 points for the East. Yet no matter what James does for the first three quarters, he’ll forever be judged by his fourth quarter performance.
If not for James’ aggressive play, the East may have lost by double digits. James took charge and put his team on his shoulders. Then the final seconds of the game arrived and James made a big mistake.
With the West leading 151-149, East coach Tom Thibodeau drew up a play for Nets guard Deron Williams. The ball was being handled by Lebron as he dribbled right. Williams came off the pick, James found him, Williams shot the ball, but it hit nothing but air. Knicks guard Carmelo Anthony tipped the ball back out to Williams, who passed it to James.
James, for whatever reason he has in his mind, throws the ball clear across his body trying to find Dwayne Wade. Blake Griffin steals the ball and so ends the game.
James played great, but made an irrational decision when the pressure was the greatest.
West guard Kobe Bryant surpassed Michael Jordan to become the all-time scorer in All-Star game history. He made his 14th All-Star appearance this season.
Game MVP Kevin Durant scored 36 point while his OKC teammate Russell Westbrook turned in a 21 point game.
Click here for the full box score.
Watch Kobe Bryant tell LeBron to shoot the ball.
The East lost by three points.
West guard Kobe Bryant surpassed Michael Jordan to become the all-time scorer in All-Star game history. He made his 14th All-Star appearance this season.
Game MVP Kevin Durant scored 36 point while his OKC teammate Russell Westbrook turned in a 21 point game.
Click here for the full box score.
Orlando Played A Superb Host
The city of Orlando was on full display this past weekend as the NBA, its fans, and celebrities from across the country descended on the Magic Kingdom. Magic center Dwight Howard played un-official host for the weekend.
The attendance was robust for all three days of events, including the NBA Jam Session activities at the Orange County Convention Center. Over 17,000 fans showed for the All-Star game on Sunday night with many more attending events held around the city to watch the All-Star game.
Supposedly, Orlando saw an economic impact of over $80 million for the weekend. With a plethora of parties and gatherings going for the entire weekend, Orlando was truly the city beautiful for all three days.
But everything wasn’t without incident. On Friday night, NBA Commissioner David Stern was visibly upset with local security and law enforcement as his vehicle was stopped on four different occasions to be checked for bombs.
The NBA placed an eight foot fence around the arena for security purposes, but it served as a detriment to local African-American owned businesses surrounding the arena. Merchants were unable to field many All-Star goers as their businesses were shielded by the fence.
Rumors about the city’s biggest star begin to spread like wildfire on Sunday evening. According to a report in the Orlando Sentinel, Dwight Howard will be traded to the Lakers by March 1st. Before the weekend is out and Howard closes out the festivities, he supposedly has a new team.
When asked about trade rumors and where he think he’ll end up, Howard got combative and shifted the conversation back toward All-Star weekend. Howard seems to be a player who cannot make up his mind on what conversation he wants to have with the media. One minute he wants to talk and the next his heart is in Orlando.
Ok, Dwight.
All-Star Concerts and Celebrities
Before the All-Star game started on Sunday night, fans were treated to a concert outside of the arena by artists including R&B superstar Mary J. Blige, J.Cole, and Gym Class Heroes. To introduce the players from both squads, pop star Nicki Minaj performed three songs to treat the crowd inside of the Amway.
During halftime, omnipresent entertainer Pitbull performed with singers Chris Brown and NeYo, along with the Magic dancers.
Aside from the performances, director Spike Lee, rapper Lil Wayne, comedians Kevin Hart and Chris Tucker, marketing executive Steve Stoute, actor Michael Rapaport, civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, hip-hop legend DMC, and a host of celebrities were all spotted courtside or arriving through VIP.
It was a weekend full of intrigue, fun, and excitement. This was the first time Orlando played host to the NBA All-Star game in twenty years and it seemed to go off without a hitch. After the first quarter ended, the NBA played tribute to NBA Hall of Fame player, Magic Johnson. Johnson returned to the court for the first time after being diagnosed with HIV at the All-Star game in Orlando.
Next year’s All-Star weekend moves to Houston, Texas, home of the Rockets.
