A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
Last Thursday (we know, like 2,000 years ago in Internet time) the NBA All-Star Game starters were announced. Let’s take a quick jaunt down memory lane, reset what we know, and look at who made the cut for the seven reserve spots in each respective conference.
Well folks, now that the dust seems to be settling from the incredible show we saw on February 7th (brought to you by the Saints), and now that all of the Super Bowl commercial hoopla seems to have died down, and now that the parties have have died down (except in New Orleans), we can now show appreciation to the “other” sport…the sport that seems to be gaining much leverage as we edge closer and closer into the playoffs.
Yes, that’s right folks: the NBA.
Oh, and if you haven’t heard, the NBA All-Star game is this weekend, and I’m going to give you loads of reasons as to why it’s a weekend you can’t miss.
Heck, just ask the 100,000+ fans who are going to attend the All Star game in Dallas.
Well everyone, the wait is pretty much over. Last week we had gotten word of who would start for the East, and who would start for the West. Earlier today, it has been confirmed that the complete roster have been announced for the 2010 NBA All-Star game in Dallas.
Before I get to the teams, let me assure you that this will be the BIGGEST NBA All-Star game to date. Why? Well simply due to the fact that it is taking place in Dallas. And guess where in Dallas? The Dallas Cowboys brand new stadium, which was opened at the beginning of the NFL’s season.
The seating capacity for the modernly-gorgeous stadium is a whopping 80,000. Can you believe that? The domed arena, which seats 80,000, will host this year’s NBA All-Star game. Can you say, BIG?
I now present to you, the 2010 NBA All-Star rosters:
Well, the 2009 NBA All-Star game was not the most exciting basketball game I’ve ever seen, but it did feature two images that we will see for weeks and months to come this season.
The Western Conference beat the Eastern Conference 146-119, and a most unlikely duo ended up sharing MVP honors: Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. Kobe scored 27 points to lead all scorers and Shaq had 17 points in only 11 minutes. Reunited and playing for Lakers coach Phil Jackson, Shaq and Kobe teamed up for some key buckets early in the third quarter to push the West to an insurmountable lead.
The awarding of co-MVPs to Shaq and Kobe was clearly a PR move by the NBA to symbolically bury the hatchet between the two long-feuding stars. Shaq, of course, now says that it was all just a ruse they played on the media; and while that’s an entertaining story now, he isn’t fooling anyone. These two formed one of the most dominant duos in the history of the NBA and there is no telling how many more titles they could have won together. Only pretty significant personality disputes could break that kind of duo up — and it did.
Either way, now that they have officially been photographed accepting the MVP award together, the Shaq-Kobe feud is officially over. Halelujah.
Anyway, the other highlight from the 2009 NBA All-Star game was Shaquille O’Neal’s awesome pregame dance with The Jabbawockeez. Robert Littal over at Black Sports Online emailed me the video earlier tonight, and it is definitely worth sharing with you here:
LOTD: Shaq Gets His “Two Step” On With The Jabbawockeez..Classic Video
Also from BSO: Kobe, Lebron & Jay Z Together? Also Did I Mention Vanessa Bryant is FINE!!!
Leave it to Shaq to breathe some life and excitement into an otherwise pretty uneventful night. Now the next question is where will Amare Stoudemire be going…
Now some other links for your Monday morning viewing pleasure before I had to bed on what has been a surprisingly productive Sunday for me:
Some great behind-the-scenes quote from White Sox Spring Training — (Scott Merkin’s blog Being Ozzie Guillen)
May the best man (occasionally) win — (Sox Machine)
First Annual Ben Wallace Award — (TalkHoops.net)
Allen Iverson cuts his trademark braids — (NBA FanHouse)
Boom Goes the Dynamite 02.15.09 — (Rush the Court)
Separated at Birth: First Gentleman Trey Wingo — (Hugging Harold Reynolds)
Mike Tyson to publish tell-all book — (The World According to MoonDog)
Ballroom Dancing, now with more crotch exposure — (Deadspin)
Marshawn Lynch arrested and ESPN actually gives PFT credit — (ProFootballTalk)
Have a great Monday everybody.
There is no question that the NBA Slam Dunk contest does not have the same cache that it once did. I remember back in the day when MJ, Dominique, Spud Webb, and even Dee Brown and his infamous Reebok Pumps made the Slam Dunk Contest the highlight of NBA All-Star weekend. (And for the record, I’m not old enough to remember DR. J in the Slam Dunk contest, but obviously his exploits were legendary and must-see TV as well.)
Now though? Well, times have changed. For the most part, the marquee names do not participate anymore. Can you imagine LeBron James and Dwyane Wade being in the Slam Dunk Contest today? Sadly, no. But back in the day, it was high profile players like these who made the Slam Dunk Contest great. I’m fairly certain, off the top of my head, that Dwight Howard won the Slam Dunk Contest last year. Beyond that, I’m not sure I could name anyone else who has won the Slam Dunk Contest this decade. I guess you could say that makes me a subpar NBA fan, but I think it is more of an indictment of the Slam Dunk Contest’s lowered profile that non-die hard NBA fans, but huge sports fans, like myself do not have a lot of great recent memories of the once prestigious contest.
With all that said, I plan to make a concerted effort to tune in this year. Maybe the Slam Dunk Contest is still great and I just haven’t been giving it a chance. We’ll see.
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Anyway, here are the particulars for the 2009 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest:
2009 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest Schedule and Preview
- When: Saturday, February 14, 2009
- Time: 8:00 ET
- TV Schedule: TNT, as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night
- Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Kenny Smith, Reggie Miller, Cheryl Miller, and Mike Fratello
- Participants: Dwight Howard, Nate Robinson, J.R. Smith, and Rudy Fernandez
- Official website of 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest
And to whet your appetite for all of the slam dunk madness of Saturday, here are some videos of the participants’ best dunks:
(Note: Rudy Gay was supposed to participate, but is being replaced by J.R. Smith due to injury.)
What’s your prediction?
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The NBA takes a quick break this weekend for its annual All-Star game festivities, which include the 58th All-Star game, the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge, the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout, and a new event being held for the first time this season: H-O-R-S-E.
We’re going to take you through a quick preview of the 2009 NBA All-Star action and give you all of the viewing information you need for your weekend of NBA All-Star Festivities.
First, in this post, we’ll break down the All-Star Game itself. Here are the particulars:
- What: 58th NBA All Star Game
- Location: U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix, AZ
- TV Schedule: 8:00 p.m. ET on TNT
- Announcers: Marv Albert, Doug Collins, and Reggie Miller (with Craig Sager wearing a crazy suit)
- Point Spread: Western Conference -2 1/2
- Over-Under: 264
- Western Conference coach: Phil Jackson
- Eastern Conference coach: Mike Brown
- Haltime Show: John Legend, Andre 3000, and Juanes
- Official Website: 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix
(Note: You can access from the NBA Picks from the NBA Handicappers at DocSports, or check out BetUs.com to get up-to-the-minute information regarding the point spread and over-under.)
Now, onto the rosters for the 2009 NBA All-Star Game:
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(Note: Ray Allen is replacing the injured Jameer Nelson and Mo Williams is replacing the injured Chris Bosh on the Eastern Conference All-Star Roster)
In the 2008 NBA All-Star Game, which took place in New Orleans, LeBron James was named the MVP after leading the Eastern Conference to a 134-128 victory. All-Star games are always kind of a toss-up, but who do you think will win?
And, almost as importantly, who do you think will be named MVP? LeBron James and Kobe Bryant have been duking it out for alpha-dog status in the NBA all season long. Something tells me that the 2009 NBA All-Star game will come down to these two guys going mano-a-mano. Whoever wins will very likely be named the MVP as well:
Upon hearing that Mo Williams’ name was left off the All Star Team, and that the Cavaliers, the team with the best record in the NBA, would only be sending one All Star to the game in Phoenix, LeBron James had the following to say:
“It just shows a disrespect to Cleveland, Cleveland Basketball, Cleveland everything. I haven’t seen the All Star list yet, so I cannot comment on who’s in it who’s not in it, but it is definitely disrespectful that we continue to do work, every year, but nothing shows up for it. They always say that when you win, individual accolades take care of themselves, but that doesn’t happen for us most of the time. “
My first thought here is a question to all the NBA coaches who voted. Do you really want LeBron James coming into your gym feeling as though you disrespected him? Not the best move.
With regards to the comment, I couldn’t agree more with LeBron, and am glad he said that. The snub is disrespectful towards the Cavaliers and Cleveland, there is no way around that. I am not the Elias Sports Bureau, but has the team with the best record in the NBA ever sent only one All Star? And Mo was certainly deserving. All he has done this season is average over 17 points per game, shoot 40% from the three-point line, and elevate the play of his team from a good team, to a title contender right now.
What do you think? The guys over at LeBron2010, I’m sure, agree with The King.
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JD Shaver is a featured columnist at Midwest Sports Fans who also runs Shaver Sports, where they discuss everything you ever wanted to know about Cleveland sports.
