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NBA Loud - by Evenard M. Panes

2008 NBA-All Star Weekend Re-Cap.

February 18th 2008 07:45
Whoa, Nelly! What an exhibition of basketball talent this year’s All-Star Game was – it was a mid-season classic in every sense of the word. The Eastern
Dwight Howard Superman dunk.
Is it a bird? Or a plane? No, it's Super-Dwight! (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)
Conference All-Stars pipped their more illustrious Western Conference brethren, 134-128.


Not only were the East, beasts, but they outperformed their opponents in every facet of the game – from the fundamentals to the highlights. It was an experience to savour.

As exciting as the game was – the conclusion was something else, as LeBron James went Scarface on the West. Reminiscent of his destruction of the Detroit Pistons from a season ago, King James literally rose up to the heavens in the final minute and finished with a dunk that was of such viciousness – Hell has frozen over. To cap off his final minute heroics, Bron-Bron added 27 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

James got a lot of help from Boston’s Ray Allen, who was a last minute inclusion to the All-Star proceedings, and didn’t he earn it with a 28 point performance? It was an almost inconceivable injustice that Ray-Ray was originally overlooked for the game when his other gangsta teammates were selected.

With today’s exciting victory, the East went a long way in erasing the pasting they got last season when the West beat them handsomely, 153-132.


Do we need to state the bleeding obvious at who received the game MVP nod? Does it need to be spelled out for the world to see? Well, if you do deem it necessary: Gimme an L-E-B-R-O-N…what does it spell? Tuna? No, LeBron!

Although, today’s game was the jewel in the All-Star Weekend crown, Saturday night was also pretty righteous with the skills, 3-point, and dunk competitions to wet the whistles of NBA fanatics.

Starting off with the skills, Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz was the fastest man around the obstacle course, while Jason Kapono showed everyone that he was the fastest gun in the, er, West? Well, let’s stick with that and move along shall we? Jason Kapono was the silkiest shooter when he tied a 22 year old record by scoring 25 points in the final round of the 3-point contest.

However, it is dunks that you’re all interested in – and this year’s contest didn’t disappoint. Continuing with a mini revival of the dunk contest, this year’s version was no exception in the display of innovation from the competitors. Writing a description on each individual dunk would not do the players justice. So, in summary: Dwight Howard won it all – gaining some justice when he was robbed of the title last year.

Today’s video is of the dunk contest. Enjoy.



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The All-Star Game starters have been announced and there was one massive surprise out west – Allen Iverson nabbed one of the starting guard positions! Well, done AI.

Boston Celtics forward, Kevin Garnett led the voting with 2,399,148. KG, participating in his
Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson.
'Melo and AI are two badass ballers for Denver. (Michael Martin/NBAE/Getty Images)
11th straight mid-season classic, will for the first time suit up for the Eastern Conference. Following Garnett in vote numbers is LeBron James, with first time starter Dwight Howard, Nets guard, Jason Kidd and Dwayne Wade rounding off the rest of the leading lights out east.

Wade’s participation in New Orleans follows a trend that has been evident in every All-Star Game: a player who balls for a horrendous team still gets a place as a starter. Miami are having a forgettable season, with the game a respite from the grind of constant humiliation: "It'll be the first enjoyment in a while," Wade said. "Being an All-Star, it's amazing to be there with the other great players around the league. It's a special weekend. Everyone makes you feel so special. It'll be great, and it totally takes your mind off your season." (Mahoney, AP, 2008)

Congratulations must go out to Jason Kidd too who makes his first starting appearance out east since moving to that side of America in 2001. Finally, the fans had recognised the ill skillz the man possesses.

Moving onto the Western Conference, Kobe Bryant was the leading vote getter, with the ever present Yao Ming and Tim Duncan joining the Bean, and of course the aforementioned, Allen Iverson who got the numbers after a late surge in votes, overtaking Tracy McGrady along the way. When the final update was released two weeks ago, Iverson was 80, 000 votes behind T-Mac, and ended up beating the Rockets guard by 10, 410 votes when it was all said and done.

AI will be joined in the starting line-up with fellow Denver Nugget, Carmelo Anthony, who also got the approval of the fans. This marks the first time two players from the Nuggets had been voted by the fans as starters since Alex English and Fat Lever accomplished the feat many moons ago.

Congrats to the All-Star starters. Here are the final numbers.

2008 NBA ALL-STAR BALLOTING TOP 10
OVERALL LEADING VOTE-GETTERS


1. Kevin Garnett, Bos 2,399,148

2. LeBron James, Cle 2,108,831

3. Dwight Howard, Orl 2,066,991

4. Kobe Bryant, LAL 2,004,940

5. Carmelo Anthony, Den 1,723,701

6. Tim Duncan, SA 1,712,800

7. Yao Ming, Hou 1,709,180

8. Dwayne Wade, Mia 1,608,260

9. Dirk Nowitzki, Dal 1,259,025

10. Jason Kidd, NJ 1,246,386

(Source: NBA.com)


Today's video is of Allen Iverson's 2001 All-Star Game MVP Performance.


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The 1992 version of Team USA featuring the names of Michael
Dream Team 2007.
Get ready to hear chants of U-S-A ring out in China in 2008. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen is widely regarded as the greatest collection of basketball talent in one squad. Hell, they’re the benchmark that every American team has been measured up against since, with each subsequent unit falling either just short, or miserably short in regards to the standard the ‘92 team set.

Team USA reached a nadir in the last Olympics when coach Larry Brown treated his team with disdain, believing he was the most important component, whilst letting the woefully under-prepared players be run by Stephon Marbury of all people. It was a team that couldn’t shoot, or had any sense of basketball acumen in regards to international basketball. So, not surprisingly they got their millionaire asses handed on a platter.

Well, the 2002 World Championship version of Team USA was pretty awful too with the team finishing sixth, behind New Zealand!

Anyway, the point is that the American national team, which used to be the most feared basketball squad on the planet, could no longer win by reputation alone. They had to step up and play international ball.

This brings us to the current USA squad, which has some semblance of consistency because each player in the team had to make a three year commitment to the national cause. Not only that, the present incarnation of Team USA has some rhyme and reason as to their make-up. Players such as Michael Redd who can spread the court with his accurate shooting, or Carmelo Anthony who has proven to be a beast for international play are planned parts all working to a grand goal.

It is however, Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant who are the undisputed leaders of the team, while also being the hardest workers. Kidd and the Bean set the standard, and everyone else has followed suit.

The result? Team USA thumping all-comers in the Olympic qualifying tournament recently, which has led to basketball watchers stating that this team may be even better than the original Dream Team!

Whoa, Nelly! Huge call there and this writer can hear all readers choking on their lunch with that statement.

Now, hear me out as to why the current Team USA has the potential to be better than the 1992 team.

On a purely athletic measure this team has probably got it all over the original Dream Team. Yes, His Airness, David Robinson, Clyde ‘the Glide’ Drexler and Pip were wonderful sportsmen, but LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade just to name a
Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.
Give me some shades because the star power in this photo is blinding me! (Leifer/NBAE via Getty Images)
few, conjure up frightening images for international coaches. Not only are they big and strong, but can more than hold their own on the perimeter against much smaller players.

Don’t believe me? Ask, Rod Thorn, general manager of the New Jersey Nets and was the committee member for the 1992 team: “Athletically, I don't know that we've had a team more athletic than this team. That team had some of the icons in the history of basketball on it, so you know, it's tough to compare until this team goes on in Beijing.” (Sheridan, ESPN.com, 2007)

This current U.S. team is also much younger than their Dream Team brethren, and with the exception of Jason Kidd, are either in the beginning or middle of their basketball careers with the potential to really become icons.

Perhaps the only area this current team is lacking would be down the middle with Patrick Ewing and David Robinson really enforcing things down low in ’92.

Anyway, the only true measure of how good this team really is will come next year in Beijing. Argentina and Brazil were nowhere near as strong as they should be in 2008, while the USA hasn’t even played any of the European superpowers yet.

But take note that there is another Dream Team looming on the basketball horizon.

Today’s video is a highlight clip of the ’92 Team USA squad. Admire the basketball brilliance. Unfortunately no image of Charles Barkley elbowing skinny Angolan players on this highlight reel.


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Moderated by Evenard M. Panes
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