The 2014 NBA All-Star Weekend has come and gone! It’s back to reality for everybody in the league. The top-tier teams hope to continue their strong start to the season. Mid-level teams hope to gain some sort of momentum to keep their hopes of a playoff berth alive. Bad teams can go back to tanking (loljk). The trade deadline is right around the corner, and General Managers are looking to make moves to help their teams’ short-term and long-term future. But we’re not players, or owners, or coaches, or general managers, or scouts. We’re fans. We have the luxury the take a look back at what happened during the 3-day fiesta in the great city of New Orleans.
Sprint Celebrity All-Star Game
Results: East 60, West 56
Comedian Kevin Hart was named Celebrity Game MVP (again), but it’s mostly because he’s a funny man. The true MVP’s of the game were United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and actor Michael B. Jordan. Jordan scored 16 for the West, while Sec. Duncan had 20 points (which, according to NBA.com, is a Celebrity Game record), 11 rebounds and six assists. Sec. Duncan is a prettty solid basketball, having been Harvard’s basketball team captain (yes, Harvard actually has a basketball team that plays in the NCAA) during his years there. He showcased those skills, which were highlighted by a sick around-the-should, no-look pass to WNBA player Skylar Diggins. Watch the video below:
Team Hill beat Team Webber 142-136 in this year’s edition of the Rookie-Sophomore Game. Detroit Pistons sophomore Andre Drummond was named Rising Stars Challenge MVP after scoring 30 points and 25 rebounds (14 of them offensive) for Team Hill. New York Knicks rookie Tim Hardaway Jr. (Team Webber) and Cleveland Cavaliers sophomore Dion Waiters (Team Hill) put on a show during the second half, answering each other shot-for-shot. Hardaway finished with 36 points (12-23 FG%; 7-16 from three) while Waiters had 31 (10-14 FG%, 4-6 from three).
The event ended on a hilarious note. During the MVP ceremony, BBVA President and COO Angel Cano dropped the MVP trophy as he was handing it to Drummond.
Team Bosh (composed of Miami Heat star Chris Bosh, WNBA star Swin Cash, and Atlanta Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins) won the Sears Shooting Stars competition for the Eastern Conference, finishing in 31.4 seconds in the final round. Each team has to make four shots from different areas on the court, with the final one coming from halfcourt. Bosh hit the halfcourt shot.
Representing the West were Team Durant (OKC Thunder superstar Kevin Durant, WNBA star Skylar Diggins, and Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone) and Team Curry (Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, his dad Dell, who played for the Charlotte Hornets and WNBA star Becky Hammon). Team Hardaway (Tim Hardaway Jr. of the New York Knicks, ex-Miami Heat player Tim Hardaway Sr. and WNBA star Elena Delle Donne) was the other team that represented the East.
The duo of Portland Trailblazers sophomore Damian Lillard and Utah Jazz rookie Trey Burke, representing the Western Conference, won the 2014 Skills Challenge in a photo finish, beating the East squad made up of rookies Michael Carter-Williams of the Philadelphia 76ers and Victor Oladipo of the Orlando Magic by 0.1 second.
Paticipants must weave through a series of obstacles that test the players’ dribbling, passing and shooting skills in the shortest possible time. Lillard and Burke finished with 45.2 seconds in the final round while the Carter-Willims & Oladipo tandem finished with 45.3 seconds.
The other West duo consisted of Goran Dragic and Reggie Jackson, point guards for the Phoenix Suns and OKC Thunder respectively. The East’s second team was composed of Milwaukee Bucks rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo (good luck pronouncing that) and Toronto Raptors All-star DeMar DeRozan.
Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout
San Antonio Spurs guard Marco Belinelli, representing the Western Conference, won the 2014 Three-Point Shootout with a score of 24 in the tie-breaker round, edging out Washington Wizards guard and Eastern Conference representative Bradley Beal. They both scored 19 in the intial final-round.
The other West representatives are: Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love and Portland Trailblazers guard Damian Lillard. The three other shooters from the East are: reigning champion Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic guard Arron Afflalo and Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Johnson.
Normally, the shootout consisted of five racks with five balls each — four normal balls and a “money” ball. Each normal ball is worth 1 point while the money ball is worth 2. This year’s edition of the Shootout had one rule change: one rack consists of FIVE money balls, and each player gets to choose where from the five positions (left and right corners, left and right wing and the top of the three-point line) to put this particular rack.
Washington Wizards star John Wall and his Team East buddies beat Team West in a revamped Slam Dunk Contest. Joining Wall on Team East were Indiana Pacers superstar Paul George and reigning Dunk Champion Terrence Ross of the Toronto Raptors. Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore, Blazers guard Damian Lillard and Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes dunked for Team West.
The NBA changed the Dunk Contest format for this year’s All-Star Weekend. The contest had two rounds — the Freestyle Round and the Battle Round. In the Freestyle Round, the players were give 2 minutes to showcase a wide array of creative dunks as a team, after which they were subjected to be judged by NBA legends Magic Johnson, Dominique Wilkins and Julius Erving. The three judges all declared the East to be the winners for the first round. In the Battle Round, the West and East players were pitted against each other, in a one-versus-one duel. They were each given three attempts to throw down one dunk, after which they are also subjected to the judgement of the Legends. The East swept the Battle Round 3-0.
The fans also voted Wall (via text and Twitter) as Dunker of the Night
The Eastern Conference made a furious comeback in the 4th quarter after being down by as much as 18 and held on to beat the Western Conference, 163-155. Cleveland Cavs star Kyrie Irving was named MVP after scoring 31 for the East. Leading the West in scoring were OKC Thunder superstar Kevin Durant and Los Angeles Clippers big man Blake Griffin, who each had 38.
New York Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony set an NBA All-Star Game record after hitting eight 3-pointers, en route to scoring 30 for the East.
The East’s win put a stop to the West’s 3-game winning streak, which started at the 2010 All Star Game.
Los Angeles Lakers megastar Kobe Bryant, selected by fans to start in his 15th All-Star game, did not play due to injury. He was replaced by local hero Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans.
(You can view box score here)
The winners of each competition were given trophies and monetary awards, ranging from $25, 000 to $100, 000, which were in turn, donated to a charity of the winners’ choosing.
patrickkennan.com 