Overall, NBA All-Star 2011 was fan-freaking-tastic! The Rookie-Sophomore game on Friday night was a high scoring affair, as always, with the Rookies besting the Sophomores, 148-140. One thing that made the game more exciting was the unbelievable play of Washington’s John Wall, who finished the game with a record-setting 22 assists. Perhaps not all young players have the “all about me” mindset so common among the Kobe’s and LeBron’s of this league. And some of the passes that Wall, the game’s MVP, made were beyond incredible…and had showed up on YouTube before the game was even over!
Saturday, even before the All-Star events got started, TNT presented a fascinating hour long program, The Lost Dunks, which chronicled some of the most remarkable slam dunks ever made, going all the way back to Dr. J in old ABA dunk contests. It was fun to revisit the glory days of the dunk contest, when Dominique Wilkins and Michael Jordan went head to head. I also enjoyed some of the more forgettable dunks, those which were wildly missed or took multiple tries to get right. After watching that, I couldn’t wait for the Slam Dunk contest to begin to see what new and inventive ideas the participants had developed.
Once again, the players didn’t disappoint. From tiny tots with teddy bears to choirs with Kias, this was one of the most fun-to-watch contests in several seasons. Although the Clippers’ Blake Griffin won the title (thanks in large part to the fan vote) for his dunk over the hood of a shiny new Kia, I was more impressed with the Washington Wizards’ Javale McGee, who first dunked two balls simultaneously in side by side goals and later dunked THREE balls at one time – two he had in hand as he leaped off the floor, plus a third passed to him by teammate John Wall. Now that, to me, was truly amazing!
Sunday night, the game itself was a little boring in the beginning, as the West seemed to be taking the game seriously (while still enjoying themselves) and the East seemed more concerned with flashiness and showmanship than playing basketball. The West actually played defense throughout the game, and I’m crediting their coach, Gregg Popovich, for that. In all the years that Pop has led the Spurs, they have been known for their defense, and in a game where traditionally little to no defense is played, it was nice to see steals and blocks coming at the hands of Western Conference All-Stars!
Even though I never have been (and never will be) a Kobe Bryant fan, I was quite impressed with what the old man was able to accomplish in this All-star game: 37 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. I, too, texted in my vote for Kobe as MVP, as much as it pained me to do so. And I got a kick out of seeing Kobe school LeBron – and then smack him on the butt! I think that was my favorite part of the whole game – seeing LeBron put in his place and reminded that, talented as he may be, he is still not the best player on the court. If he was, he wouldn’t have waited until the fourth quarter to take the game seriously and actually focus on winning, rather than showboating.
LeBron finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, marking only the second triple-double in NBA All-Star game history. The first, of course, came at the hands of Michael Jordan, the man who LeBron claims he wants to be like. Kobe Bryant is no Michael Jordan, and on this night, LeBron James was reminded that he is not even a Kobe Bryant.
As for Dirk, who played a mere 14 minutes and change, his stats aren’t nearly as impressive in the box score. Nowitzki’s line included six points, five rebounds, an assist, a steal, and no turnovers. But again, to Dirk, it’s never been about the numbers, nor personal glory and recognition, but all about the game. Just one more reason I love me some Dirk…
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