All-Star Weekend Recap

Thoughts from the recently completed NBA All-Star Weekend...

Friday: Celeb Game. I will not mention the young boy who was voted MVP. I will however question how Michael Rapaport is still a celebrity. He was in one of my five favorite movies of all time, True Romance, which came out in 1993! Since then, he’s been in a lot of gems, 95% of things you’ve never heard of. But be sure to check him out in the current (?) TV show Pound Puppies. How many people were offered a spot in this game before they got to him, or does he get an automatic invite considering he’s never missed a celeb game?


It was good to see Scottie Pippen getting after it. I am a big Pippen guy, and clearly he still has the fire.

Rookie-Sophomore Game: I was shocked. Rookie for the 2nd year in a row? I know they had Blake Griffin and John Wall, but the Sophs had won 8 of the 11. The Wall oop to Griffin made the whole game worth while. How about James Harden, who was a late addition for the banged up Tyreke Evans, dropping a smooth 30 including a monster throw down? DeMarcus Cousins went for 33-14. I really should have considered the chemistry between Wall and Cousins before making a “friendly” wager. At least the over hit.

Saturday Night: Shooting Stars again? Come on. I don’t know what the worst part is. The NBA stuffing the WNBA down our throats. The retired player wearing a current jersey and looking sadly out of shape. Watching three people take turns missing a half court shot. Or the WNBA. Just get rid of this. I was on board for HORSE when they did that, it wasn’t good, but it made Shooting Stars look like a 1980’s Dunk Contest.

Skills Challenge: Great lineup. Chris Paul, Stephen Curry (who was my pick), Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose, and John Wall. They clearly don’t give a crap about it, but I still like it. It’s a solid obstacle course and shows off some different things. Passing through tires? Yes please. Of course this is coming from a guy who will be watching hours of the NFL Combine coming up.

3-Point Shootout: I had Pierce, thought he would rise to the challenge and overcome the LA crowd. He seemed surprised by the boos. I understand he is from Inglewood, but you were the Finals MVP beating the Lakers less than 3 years ago. It’s not going to be a friendly atmosphere. Pierce should have gone from rack to rack in a wheel chair then given the finger the Staples Center. But he probably handed it better.

Despite not winning, there is no shame in the efforts put forth by Ray Allen and Pierce. The same can not be said for Boobie Gibson and Kevin Durant. Why was their a Cavalier allowed at All-Star weekend? Did we get an answer on that yet? No one else would shoot 3’s?

Dunk Contest: Very solid. NBA TV recently aired an NBA Slam Dunk Contest Marathon, airing every single Dunk Contest in order from 1984 to now. Needless to say, I got nothing done that day. (Side note: best part may have been the guys who didn’t win and maybe you forgot about like Stacey Augmon, Larry Johnson, Shawn Kemp, Ray Allen, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Kendall Gill, and the fact that Clyde Drexler was in it 5 times and never won.)

Fair criticisms about the event this year: only 1 star player/ guy casual fans have heard of, lots of gimmicks, the coaches, and the number of times it took most dunks to be completed.

I didn’t hate the coaches, but can understand those who found them annoying. I also thought the lineup was fine. Sorry people LeBron is not going to do it, Kobe isn’t coming back, and I think Vince Carter has disappeared in the Arizona desert. Michael Jordan was in it 3 times with his last being in 1988 (3 years before he won the title). It’s easy to look back and say all the stars used to do it, which is really part true. Yes Jordan was an All-Star and scoring leader, but he had not yet become a champion and owner of best player on the planet distinction.

If you just saw the completed dunks from this year’s contest, it was as good, if not BETTER, than any other. I do believe that the number of attempts hurts the WOW factor, and that is my biggest criticism of this year’s event. In 2000 did Vince have any re-dos? I don’t think so. In the same event, in fact, I remember Steve Francis picking himself off the floor at one end of the court; kinda stretch his legs while dribbling toward half court then just tossing a crazy high pass down court, letting it bounce before catching it and throwing down a sick dunk (below 5:30 mark). It looked like he just woke up and then he brought the place down. It was nuts. No do-over needed.

I loved both of DeMar DeRozen’s dunks, although the number of attempts and likely Darryl Dawkins, hurt his chances. Serge Ibaka did a TRUE free throw line dunk, which no one seemed to care about. JaVale McGee did something I have never seen (also one that is hard to practice for you 7 footers with bounce out there.) Blake won, and that’s fine with me. I wonder what he was really going to do on the Kia dunk as Kenny Smith did say the pass from Baron Davis wasn’t where it was supposed to be. Maybe we’ll find out next year…

(Ideal 2012 Dunk Contest: Blake Griffin, LeBron James, JaVale McGee, Dwight Howard, Russell Westbrook, Monta Ellis… that’s right, going back to six.)

Sunday All-Star Game: A record night. Kobe Bryant went for 37 and 14 to win his 4th MVP (tying a record) as the West beat the East 148-143. LeBron James slapped up just the game’s 2nd triple-double (only Jordan had done it previously). It was a typical All-Star game other than that, long outlet passes, dunks, oops, open shots, tons of points, then about 2-3 minutes of “this is gonna be a game” at the end.

The four Celtics combined for just 28 points off the bench led by Ray Allen’s 12. More importantly Doc Rivers made sure to rest his guys. Kevin Garnett played a game-low 8 minutes, Paul Pierce just 11, Allen 17, Rajon Rondo 21.

All and all, it was a successful and enjoyable All-Star weekend, the best of all the four major sports. Now it’s time to turn our attention to the second half… well final quarter of the season.

-Keefe

NBA All-Star Reserves Revealed

A record tying 4 Celtics were named as reserves for the Eastern Conference All-Star team tonight. The C's and Miami Heat combine for 7 of the 12 roster spots in the East. Here are the squads starting with the newly announced subs...

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

Rajon Rondo, Celtics
Ray Allen, Celtics
Paul Pierce, Celtics
Kevin Garnett, Celtics
Al Horford, Hawks
Joe Johnson, Hawks
Chris Bosh, Heat

Starters: Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Amar'e Stoudemire, Dwight Howard

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Tim Duncan, Spurs
Manu Ginobili, Spurs
Russell Westbrook, Thunder
Pau Gasol, Lakers
Blake Griffin, Clippers
Deron Williams, Jazz
Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks

Starters: Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Yao Ming*

These were the All-Stars I picked last week with two exceptions. I had Danny Granger over Joe Johnson in the East. Johnson is the smarter pick as he is on a far superior team, and that is clearly important in the East as all 12 All-Stars are on the Top 6 teams. Johnson has picked it up after a slow start while Granger's Pacers are struggling big time.

Meanwhile I also had Kevin Love as an All-Star for the West, and that can still hold true. David Stern has not selected his replacement for the injured Yao Ming yet. There is a deep pool of snubs in the West including Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Zach Randolph, and Lamar Odom, just for big guys. Also All-Star worthy were/are Monta Ellis, Steve Nash, and Tony Parker.

I'll be rooting for Kevin Love who leads the NBA in rebounding with 15+ to go along with 21+ points a night.

-Keefe


Coming soon Besse and I will make our pick for the Super Bowl, game MVP, and plenty of other exciting props that will make you want to reactivate your online account.

NBA All-Star Starters Announced

The starters for the upcoming NBA All-Star game were released tonight with no changes from the last voting update. Here they are...

Eastern Conference:

Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
LeBron James, Miami Heat
Amar'e Stoudemire, New York Knicks
Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

Western Conference:

Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Yao Ming, Houston Rockets

Each player is making a return trip to the All-Star game, led by Kobe Bryant in his 13th. Kobe also received more than 2.3 million votes making him the most popular. Does that surprise anyone else? He may or may not have raped a chick a few years ago. He's won back-to-back titles, which I guess means there are a ton of front runners out there, because I don't think Jack is logging on to vote for his favorite Lakers.

I am not surprised in the sense that he doesn't deserve it. Of course he does, Kobe is one of the Top 10 greatest players of all-time and is still playing at a high level. But that many people voted for him? Come on America. On second thought, perhaps China can be blamed for this. As you see Yao Ming gets the starting nod after a solid 5 games played this season. Maybe it's Kobe's Worldwide popularity that pushed him to this level. Yes, I am going to go with this.

The All-Star reserves will be announced next Thursday night. Just scroll down to see my picks. I do have 4 Celtics making it as well as Kevin Love in the West.

-Keefe

NBA All-Star Predictions

The starters for next month’s NBA All-Star game from Los Angeles will be announced this Thursday night. The starting lineups, as we know, are voted on by fans all over the world especially China. We got a sneak peak of the results with two weeks left to vote, and if those results hold true the fans deserve some credit. Not a ton of credit, but 9 out of 10 deserving All-Star starters is pretty good. Let’s take a look at the expected starting lineups with my picks for the reserve spots.

Western Conference:

Chris Paul, Hornets (16.2 points, 9.6 assists (3^rd in NBA)) Paul’s numbers are below his career averages across the board, FG% is slightly up and 3pt% is way up. But he’s quietly having one of his best seasons. New Orleans is right in the thick of the playoffs in the Western Conference, currently tied for 3^rd place. Paul is adjusting to some new teammates while still clicking with the one guy he has played with his entire career, David West. Don’t let the low ppg fool you; Paul should be the starting point guard in the loaded West.

Kobe Bryant, Lakers (25 points (6^th in NBA), 5.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists) Kobe’s Hall of Fame career continues as LA tries to capture their 2^nd 3-Peat in Bryant’s tenure. With all the talk that the Lakers are struggling, don’t look now but they are in 2^nd place in the conference and winners of 9 of their last 11. I know I’m looking forward to Sunday when the Celtics take the floor at Staples.

Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets (23.5 points (9^th in NBA), 8 rebounds) Melo is still on the Nuggets and thus likely to start on the West Squad. If he is shipped to the Nets prior to the February 20^th game, than he would suit up for the East. Anthony has played well, maybe surprisingly well, with such a public possible trade going on. The fans in Denver have booed him, but the way things are progressing he’ll be representing them in the All-Star game.

Kevin Durant, Thunder (28.3 points (1^st in NBA), 6.3 rebounds) My preseason pick for league MVP may not be that right now but he certainly deserves to be starting for the West. He is on pace to win his second consecutive scoring title and OKC could have home court advantage in the 1^st round of the playoffs.

Yao Ming, Rockets (18.2 minutes per game in 5 GAMES) Did I mention that votes are tabulated all over the world particularly China. I get that Yao is popular in America too, but come on. This is one of the worst examples of fan voting ever. (Allen Iverson from last year was bad as well, but at least he was playing.)

Injury Replacement: Pau Gasol, Lakers (18.6 points, 8.6 rebounds (6^th in NBA)) Gasol should be the replacement for Yao and start for the West. Yes, Pau is technically a power forward and not a center, but with Andrew Bynum missing so many games this year, more than half, he qualifies as a center and deserves to start alongside his LA teammate Bryant.

Here is where it gets fun… and extremely difficult. Picking the reserves is always a bit tricky, but this year’s Western Conference is as tough as ever. The West is loaded with talent at every position (besides center obviously). These are the 7 I’m taking…

West Reserves:

Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks (23.4 points (10^th in NBA), 7.1 rebounds) Dirk looked like the league’s MVP (again) earlier this season, but injuries to him and Caron Butler have knocked him down that list. However he is still a lock for the All-Star game, for what will be the 10^th time in his great career.

Deron Williams, Jazz (21.7 points (15^th in NBA), 9.5 assists (4^th in NBA)) D. Williams is still my pick for the best point guard in the NBA. I know Derrick Rose is playing out of his mind, but I like Williams. Paul is having a better season, thus deserves to start, however there won’t be a drop off when they go to the bench. He is one of the guys that will make the All-Star game that much more entertaining.

Russell Westbrook, Thunder (22.7 points (13^th in NBA), 5 rebounds, 8.3 assists (9^th in NBA) It was difficult to leave Steve Nash off the roster, but I doubt they would take more than three point guards. Westbrook has been a monster, as seen by the numbers. He and Durant are the highest scoring duo in the NBA and should both be in LA next month. I do question his shot selection late in games, although that shouldn’t prevent him from making his 1^st All-Star game.

Blake Griffin, Clippers (22.8 points (12^th in NBA), 12.9 rebounds (4^th in NBA), 238746289 Highlights (1^st in NBA)) The eventual Rookie of the Year has more than taken the league by storm. The staunchest Clippers fan… Penny Marshall, Malcolm in the Middle…? Whoever, could not have guessed Blake would be this good, this soon. Clipper games are now must watch. Fact.

Kevin Love, Timberwolves (21.3 points (19^th in NBA), 15.6 rebounds (1^st in NBA)) All-Stars are usually on successful teams. Well certain exceptions can be made, and this is one of them. Mr. Double-Double has been outstanding, 38 in 43 games. Also we can now rest on the “Greatest Current White American Born Player” debate that for years featured the likes of Wally Szczerbiak (who was actually born in Spain), Luke Ridnour, Kirk Hinrich, Mike Miller, Brad Miller, before it appeared as though it would settle on David Lee… now, it should be Love for the next 10-12 years. Whew.

Manu Ginobili, Spurs (18.5 points, 4.8 assists) I keep waiting for Manu to run out of gas. Guess it won’t be this year either. His basic numbers don’t “wow” you, but 37-7 does. The 2^nd best current international player deserves to be on there. Bill Simmons had a fantastic article last week about All-Star picks and he mentioned the fact that the 3 best international players (Dirk, Manu, and Pau) will all be on the same team. And they would have had Yao if he was healthy.

Tim Duncan, Spurs (13.6 points, 9.6 rebounds (9^th in NBA)) Under 14 points per game, but it’s still Tim Duncan, the Big Fundamental. He, along with Manu, Parker, and Pop have San Antonio on top in the West. I’m not one for lifetime achievement awards; this is more deserving than just name recognition. Duncan is still putting up a near double-double every night and is anchoring a defense for a team with the best record in basketball. Also in my scenario for All-Stars I need Duncan to be considered my second center. Please don’t shoe horn Okafor, Nene, or some other “center” in this spot.

Just Missed Out:

This group is far more extensive than its Eastern Conference counterparts. You can field a pretty good 3^rd All-Star Team just from this selection of stars…

Monta Ellis, Warriors (25.8 points, 4^th in NBA)

Eric Gordon, Clippers (24.1 points, 9^th in NBA)

Steve Nash, Suns (10.9 assists, 2^nd in NBA)

Luis Scola, Rockets (19.1 points, 8.3 rebounds)

Michael Beasley, Timberwolves (20.6 points, 20^th in NBA)

LaMarcus Aldridge, Trail Blazers (21.4 points, 18^th in NBA)

Zach Randolph, Grizzlies (20.1 points, 13.1 rebounds)

Rudy Gay, Grizzlies (20.5 points)

Tony Parker, Spurs (17.4 points, 6.9 assists)

Lamar Odom, Lakers (19 double-doubles)

David West, Hornets (18.9 points)

Kevin Martin, Rockets (23.3 points, 11^th in NBA)

If the Clippers (who have won 12 of their last 17) had been playing like this all season, Eric Gordon would have been a lock. Monta Ellis is one of the easiest scorers in the NBA and perhaps the 2^nd or 3^rd most entertaining player in the league, however he won’t crack this list. Two-time MVP Steve Nash will likely watch this game from home, which seems crazy.

Career years from Aldridge, Beasley, and Scola also will net them on the outside looking in. But for an All-Star game to be truly great/ memorable, you need extremely talents players having career seasons to not make the cut, and that’s what you have this year… in the West. The East is a little easier to narrow down to 12.

Eastern Conference:

Derrick Rose, Bulls (24.7 points (7^th in NBA), 8 assists (10^th in NBA)) Perhaps the league’s MVP at the midway point of the season, Rose recently surpassed Rajon Rondo in the fan vote and will likely keep his advantage and start at point for the East. He certainly deserves it, Charles Barkley recently crowned him the Best PG in the NBA.

Dwyane Wade, Heat (25.1 points (5^th in NBA), 6.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists) The Heat had been rolling until an injury bug came out of no where and bit them, including D-Wade. The additions of LeBron and Bosh did not hurt Wade’s scoring as he is barely under his career average.

LeBron James, Heat (25.9 points (3^rd in NBA), 7.2 rebounds, 7.2 assists) LeBron is not going to average a triple-double like some thought he would at the beginning of the year, but he will still be in the running to win his 3^rd straight MVP award. Love him or hate him, who is better than LeBron in the East? In the NBA?

Amare Stoudemire, Knicks (26 points (2^nd in NBA), 9 rebounds (13^th in NBA)) Amare has taken New York by storm. He’s got the Knicks in the Top 8 in the East and turned a basement dwelling team to an attractive location to fellow stars (See: Anthony, Carmelo).

Dwight Howard, Magic (22.1 points (14^th in NBA), 13.3 rebounds (2^nd in NBA)) The league’s best center will take his familiar spot as the starting big for the Eastern Conference. Dwight has withstood a major shake up to his team’s roster and he’s only gotten better. To go along with his monster points and rebounding numbers he is also 5^th in blocks and on pace to be the league’s top defender once again.

East Reserves:

Paul Pierce, Celtics (19 points, 5.2 rebounds) Another All-Star season for Pierce, who leads the best team in the East in scoring. Similar to the players on the Spurs, the Celtics star players can’t compete based strictly on stats with many other stars, but their winning and overall play on both ends of the floor make it easy to pick them for the All-Star game.

Kevin Garnett, Celtics (15.2 points, 9 rebounds) KG is playing his best basketball in a Celtics uniform since the 2007-2008 season when he won Defensive Player of the Year and popularized the phrase “Anything is Possible!!!” Amare deserves to start ahead of KG, but in a historical perspective, Garnett in the starting 5 would give you 5 potential Hall of Famers (LeBron and Wade are locks, Howard is on his way, same with Rose, just don’t see Amare making the cut.)

Rajon Rondo, Celtics (10.5 points, 13 assists (1^st in NBA)) Rondo has solidified himself as a regular for the All-Star game with an impressive first half of the season. He’s dishing out assists at a record clip. Insert him into this starting lineup, and something tells me Wade, LeBron, Amare, and Howard would enjoy themselves a lot more.

Al Horford, Hawks (16.2 points, 9.7 rebounds (8^th in NBA)) The Hawks continue to be the same team from the past three seasons. They will finish at best in 3^rd place in the conference and at worst 5^th. Horford is a double-double big guy. If he was battling the likes of Aldridge, Nowitzki, Duncan, etc. he’d have a tougher time.

Chris Bosh, Heat (18.6 points, 8.3 rebounds) Those are the worst numbers Bosh has put up since the ’04-’05 season, but he’s doing it for a winner now. Bosh also had a very slow start to the season and has come on strong. We’ll see how this latest injury (ankle) affects him when he returns. A month and a half ago the “New Big 3” looked like it would send just 2 to the All-Star game, but it looks at though Bosh will get the invite after all.

Danny Granger, Pacers (21.5 points (16^th in NBA), 5.7 rebounds)) A solid scorer on a very average team, Granger also benefits from playing in the East. Indiana is a fringe playoff team, but out of that group of Philly, Charlotte, Milwaukee, I think Granger is the best any of those teams have to offer, this season.

Ray Allen, Celtics (17.3 points, 50.7% FG) I think Allen returns to the All-Star game this year. He’s made 9 in his career, including his first two seasons with the Celtics. He did not go to the game last year, but has responded this season by shooting over 50% and knocking down countless crunch time shots. Doc is the head coach, Pierce, KG, and Rondo will be there, so why not Ray?

Just Missed Out:

Not nearly as many tough omissions in the East as in the West, but these guys could have a gripe.

Joe Johnson, Hawks (19.7 points, 5.5 assists)

Andrew Bogut, Bucks (Averaging a double-double, 1^st in blocks)

Raymond Felton, Knicks (17.5 points, 8.7 assists)

Joe Johnson has made 4 consecutive All-Star games. A slow start to the season will likely snap his streak. He has come on, raising his averages to just below 20 points a night and 5.5 assists on a winning team. Bogut is shooting a miserable percentage for a 7 footer (49%), he should stay at home.

Felton deserves consideration as the metamorphosis in New York is not solely due to Amare. Felton could definitely make it. Look back at 2009 as Devin Harris and Jameer Nelson both made the team and Mo Williams was later added as a replacement. (Ray Allen replaced Nelson, and then Williams took Chris Bosh’s spot) How does Felton’s year compare to those guys from ’09?

It should be a very exciting All-Star game this year. There is a lot of intrigue for who will make the West squad. In the East, could 7 of the 12 players really be from the Celtics and Heat. We will find out soon enough. The starters will be unveiled Thursday night. Make sure to let me know who you think will be named to the 2010-2011 NBA All-Star teams.

-Keefe