| 18 February 2007
(Boulder-CO) It was once again an incredible game consisting of the most amazing athletes on the planet. The Thomas and Mack Center was the stage for this year’s All-Star game and the stars of the NBA did not disappoint. The West was dominant, as was expected, and beat the East, 153-132, falling just one point short of the all-time record for points scored in an All-Star Game (154) which was set back in 1984 by the East led by Dr. J’s 34 points and was once again hit in 1987 by the West led by Tom Chambers’ 34 in both overtime games.
*Correction: The record for All-Star Game points scored is 155 and was set in 2003. The leading scorer in that game was Kevin Garnett who amazingly put up a stat line of 37 points, nine rebounds, five steals, three assists, and a block on his way to the game's MVP! My sincerest apologizes for the misrepresentation, but hey, Tom Chambers needed some publicity.
This All-Star Weekend, much like all the others, was special for numerous different reasons. You had Charles Barkley winning a footrace against Dick Bavetta. Dwight Howard left us with a dunk that will forever be remembered for how confusing it was received and how great it actually was. And Jason Kapono winning the three-point shootout in convincing fashion over Gilbert Arenas and Dirk Nowitzki were just some of the many highlights that the weekend brought to us all.
In the actual game itself Kobe Bryant stole the show and ran away with the MVP. Bryant finished with 31 points, six steals, six assists, and five rebounds. Other West stars included Amare Stoudemire with 29 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and a pair of blocks and Shawn Marion with 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
There was also a guy named Carmelo Anthony who made his first All-Star Game appearance in what should be the first of many to come. The Denver Nuggets sole representative to play in the game did not disappoint. ‘Melo finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, a steal, and an assist in a MVP candidate performance. Anthony was an economical 10-15 from the field and finished many assists from Western Conference friends with thunderous dunks. Not bad for a guy the coaches were trying to leave off…
East stars included Lebron James with 28 points, Dwight Howard’s double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds which was the only double-double of the game, and Joe Johnson with 12 points and two assists. Shaq tried to cross-over Mehmet Okur and hit a jumper, but luckily for Memo, was unsuccessful. Could you imagine having to live with that for the rest of your life?
An interesting note about tonight’s game that will become a trivia question in the future will be how many assists were recorded in the All-Star’s Games greatest evening? The answer, Trebek, is 52 assists in the 2007 NBA All-Star game.
A few more days of rest before Tuesday when the Nuggets will be on national TV against the San Antonio Spurs in a real measuring stick for the remaining 31 games of the regular season. The only thing that matters now is Nuggets victories and where they can land in the playoff seeding. In my opinion, the Nuggets need to climb up to the five spot to realistically make any noise in the postseason. Otherwise, they will surely run into a juggernaut of the likes of Phoenix, Dallas, or San Antonio. Viva Las Vegas, baby!
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