Jeff Lundstrom is a pretty cool dude. Here is the recap of the NBA All-Star Game that ran at his website, NoLoveForLeBron.com.
The 2009 All Star weekend has come to an end and what a finish it was.
The All Star Game itself was nothing short of entertaining basketball. The guys who I felt really belonged to be there made their presence known. And guys like Joe Johnson and Danny Granger, who had 2 points between them, showed that being named to the team is the easy part. Actually being an All Star is the hard part. I didn’t pay attention closely to minutes while the game was going on but I would like to make one comparison, since this is noloveforlebron.com.
Kobe Bryant had 27 points, 4 boards, 4 assists and 4 steals in 29 minutes while LeBron James had 20 points, 5 boards, 3 assists and 3 turnovers in 26 minutes. Both of those are solid games. However, the NBA keeps the plus/minus stat these days and that is where this comparison gets interesting. Bryant’s team was +24 while he was on the floor while James’ team was -14 while he was on the floor. This is the All Star game where the stars are supposed to showcase their talent. There’s minimal defense and a lot of respect on the court so the upper echelon guys should be able to go off at will, like Kobe. LeBron didn’t answer that call. He missed layups, he missed jump shots and he threw the ball away 3 times. This game is for the fans and LeBron let his fans down.
Shaq and Kobe paired up for a few baskets, reminding us all why they reached the playoffs all 8 seasons they played together and won 3 championships. And fittingly, they were awarded co-MVP.
The West wins 146-119.
The shooting stars competition was entertaining. I thought for sure that Fish and the rest of the LA representatives were going to do better than they did. I also thought that the Phoenix group had it in the bag after sinking their first 4 baskets, but the half court shot tripped them up. The Detroit group took home the trophy.
The skills challenge was a pleasant surprise for me. With the way the Bulls season has gone thus far I didn’t expect anyone to be representing them there. I knew Derrick Rose was competing in the Rookie Game but I didn’t know he was participating in the skills challenge. Point guards Devin Harris, Tony Parker and Mo Williams filled out the rest of the field. D Rose breezed through the first round nonchalantly, much to the criticism of Reggie Miller. Tony Parker and Mo Williams struggled with the passing portion and didn’t make it to the second round. Harris went first and had a pretty solid time. Rose, again, nonchalantly cruised through the course showing his composure, and when it was clear he was going to beat Harris’ time, went up for a reverse slam that got the crowd on their feet. In case you don’t know, Derrick Rose is 6′ 3″ with a 40″ vertical. That’s impressive if you ask me.
The 3-point shootout left a lot to be desired. Jason Kapono, the reigning champ and heavy favorite, came out with a pretty poor performance. In fact, all of the competitors performed pretty poorly compared to years passed. I believe the highest score was 18 or 19 points. Daequan Cook of the Miami Heat took home the trophy for this event.
I watched most of the Rookie Game but I was pretty unimpressed. Not with the talented rookie class, because they are very talented, but just with the lack of effort I was seeing. Kevin Durant came out, for the sophomore team, and just started scoring. I guess he didn’t get the memo about the low key attitude most of the guys seemed to be playing with. Well, he would finish with 46 points and go home with the MVP honor.
H.O.R.S.E. was also another let down. I loved the return of this event. I had high hopes but I wasn’t sure what to expect since I don’t follow Johnson, Mayo or Durant very regularly at all. They started pretty simple with some regular jump shots and worked their way into some trickier shots. Kevin Durant would be the first one to get a letter and actually had 4 letters before anyone else had one. From this point, the event slowed down quite a bit. Finally, a few tricky shots and Joe Johnson was out. Durant had no imagination whatsoever down the stretch. He hit a couple 3’s and got hot so instead of sticking to what I think is the true spirit of H.O.R.S.E., he just shot 3’s until O.J. Mayo couldn’t make any. So in a lame fashion, Durant took home the trophy, which happened to be a My Little Pony toy.
The Celebrity All Star game was entertaining just like it is every year. They added 4 Harlem Globetrotters and a couple WNBA players this year to try to boost the scoring numbers a little bit. And it worked. Although, Donald Faison, my personal favorite, took a lot of shots and shot them poorly just like he always does. Most of the actors were non-issues. Terrel Owens played a very solid game throwing down alley oop dunks off the glass and hitting corner 3’s. He would win MVP. I don’t remember who won the game. It was a one point win for whoever though. Does it matter? No.
The Dunk Contest seemed as if it was decided before it started. Fan voted in Rudy Fernandez didn’t stand a chance against Dwight Howard and Nate Robinson. J.R. Smith, who was a late replacement for injured Rudy Gay, also competed but didn’t do anything spectacular while I thought Fernandez put down a couple solid dunks. Unfortunately, the celebrity judges didn’t agree and gave him an overal 84. Dwight Howard received 50’s on both of his dunks, neither of which I felt were worthy. Nate Robinson would end up winning as he dressed in full green gear right down to the shoes and used a green ball to dunk over fellow competitor, Dwight Howard.
I didn’t catch the D-League All Star game since it was only broadcast on NBA TV.
The highlight of the weekend was watching Shaq dance with the Jabbawockees during the All Star intros.
The biggest disappointment was LeBron James. The whole world was watching and he didn’t prove himself again. Yet, he still gets a pass. However, he did kind of say he was going to compete in the dunk contest next year. I believe his quotes were “I am preliminary announcing that I will compete in the dunk competition next year” and “I am primarily stating that I will compete next year.” The english language is tricky LeBron. Maybe you should have gone to college.