The NBA All-Star Recreation was one other exhibition heavy on highlights, long-range pictures and dunks, and light-weight on competitiveness, protection and energy. Listed below are the winners and losers from the Jap Convention’s 211-186 victory over the Western Convention.
Winners
Tyrese Haliburton
Damian Lillard might have taken dwelling the Kobe Bryant Trophy, however Tyrese Haliburton was the Individuals’s MVP.
The Indiana Pacers hosted the All-Star Recreation, and their younger star confirmed out within the recreation. After successful the Abilities Problem with a half-court shot Saturday night time and falling simply quick within the Three-Level Contest tiebreaker, Haliburton got here out firing, opening the sport by drilling 5 three-pointers in a minute.
He ended up placing on an outdoor capturing exhibition, hitting 10 of his 14 triples for 32 factors, and delivering six assists, together with a Jason “White Chocolate” Williams-style elbow go to Lillard for a 3.
Damian Lillard
Is it a little bit gauche to deliberately attempt to win All-Star Recreation MVP? Possibly, however that by no means stopped a participant like Kobe Bryant from attempting for the trophy. Lillard scored 39 factors on 14-of-26 capturing and 11-of-23 from three-point vary, nailing some extraordinarily deep triples for his first yr on the Jap Convention squad.
Whereas Lillard hasn’t had a ton of postseason success, he has carried out extraordinarily effectively with fake-ish NBA awards. He took dwelling the inaugural and extremely manufactured MVP from the 2020 “bubble” season in Orlando. Lillard has gained two Three-Level Contests, an NBA Teammate of the 12 months and two Huge Sky Convention Participant of the 12 months awards. Now he is added an All-Star MVP.
Certain, he took 11 extra pictures than his rival, Haliburton, to attain simply seven extra factors. Certain, the Indiana crowd heartily booed Lillard as he held up the trophy. However within the historical past books, folks will see the trophy and never the gunning or the group’s displeasure.
Cities competed within the Three-Level Contest this yr, however he submitted an audition tape for subsequent yr’s dunk contest throughout Saturday’s recreation. He had a surprising 50 factors on 23-of-35 capturing, together with a spotlight reel of jams.
The draw back? Each shot he took that wasn’t a layup or dunk. Cities went 19-of-22 from two-point vary, however solely 4-of-13 from deep. He in all probability may have handed to teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (12-of-16, 7-of-10 from three-point vary) on a few these lengthy bombs. SGA can also be a minor winner, nevertheless it’s exhausting to present out greater than a type of to a group that misplaced by 25 factors.
Doc Rivers
Did Doc Rivers deserve to teach the Jap Convention All-Star group after taking up the Milwaukee Bucks at midseason? Most likely not, however these are the foundations. He was 3-7 with Milwaukee since assuming the top coach, however now he is 1-0 in All-Star Video games! He gained the sport with masterful teaching recommendation like, “Shoot it from mid-court, Dame!” and “Guys, it would not seem like anybody is guarding the basket.”
However Rivers ought to be capable of bask on this victory and the wonderful video games by his Bucks — Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lillard mixed for 62 factors — till his inevitable disappointing playoff loss this Might.
Losers
Protection
Adam Silver might have hoped {that a} return to the All-Star Recreation’s conventional East vs. West format would improve the sport’s competitiveness, however as a substitute we noticed a 48-minute layup line. The East scored 211 factors whereas making a report 42 three-pointers, which captain Giannis Antetokounmpo celebrated by declaring, “Winner winner, hen dinner.”
The most important signal of absolutely the indifference to enjoying protection is that the 2 groups mixed for 3 fouls in 48 minutes. That is proper. The groups have been so disinterested in making any defensive effort in any respect that there was lower than one foul per quarter, and three blocked pictures. Hilariously, one in all them got here from 6-foot-3 Steph Curry, who wildly celebrated his denial of Paolo Banchero.
In fact, that was adopted by an uncontested dunk on the opposite finish.
Outdated Guys
LeBron James sat out the second half. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George performed 10 minutes every. Curry shot 6-of-17, however admittedly that was as a consequence of attempting quite a few trick pictures. At the least he had eight assists!
The Western Convention was older, and the gamers appeared to care concerning the recreation considerably lower than the Jap Convention did. Plus, Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic, a number of the youthful stars, appeared to have a substantial amount of enjoyable within the recreation however probably did not break a sweat.
Look, it is not lifelike to anticipate an injured James to care deeply about his twentieth All-Star Recreation, however the reality stays that the Jap Convention cared lots about successful this recreation, and the Western Convention appeared extra intent on avoiding damage and getting an excellent night time’s sleep.
Anthony Edwards
The Timberwolves guard declared that he was going to shoot left-handed for the whole thing of the sport. He did not shoot left-handed, or actually in any respect.
Maybe he was embarrassed by clanking his lefty makes an attempt within the Abilities Problem, however Edwards was invisible in his 13 minutes, ending with 4 factors after taking simply three pictures. It is doubtless not what the NBA wished or anticipated from a participant who is taken into account one of many league’s subsequent huge stars. However maybe he did not wish to get in the way in which whereas his teammate was placing up 35 pictures.
TNT’s alternate broadcast
The much-hyped alternate gamecast of the All-Star Recreation that includes Draymond Inexperienced, Charles Barkley and Taylor Rooks fell flat. One purpose is that it did not really feel like a lot of another. For a decidedly non-serious basketball recreation, TNT’s common broadcast was already jokey and irreverent. Against this, the Chuckster simply appeared cranky.
Barkley is generally thought of a voice of light-hearted, straight-shooting honesty. He sounded previous and conservative through the recreation, changing his regular light-hearted jauntiness with complaining and grievances that felt like he wished the All-Stars to “get off my garden.” Hating on homeless folks makes Barkley sound historic and unreasonable.
It may very well be that Barkley merely is not used to the size of an NBA recreation. On “Contained in the NBA,” his job is to speak in brief segments. This recreation featured lengthy stretches of precise basketball he needed to touch upon, for two-and-a-half hours. Inexperienced wasn’t the perfect accomplice, because the post-therapy Draymond was typically constructive and non-controversial, resulting in a stagnant telecast of a non-competitive recreation.
And why did we have to see the broadcasters’ faces in a sidebar for the entire recreation? At this level in tv historical past, viewers can belief that the folks talking throughout a sporting occasion are the folks asserting it.
Inexperienced bought his greatest line in and the top of the sport, when longtime Warriors doubter Barkley informed him, “Good luck within the play-in.”
