2008 NBA All-Star Game: The Good, Bad, and Ugly

Good

LeBron James

James was certainly the star of stars.  He poured in 27 points, reeled in eight rebounds, and dished out nine assists to lead the Eastern Conference to a 134-128 victory.  He sealed the MVP honors with an emphatic dunk in the game’s final minute.

At the age 23, it is already James' second All-Star MVP.  (Keep in mind that the record is four.)  Is there anyone who doesn’t think he could have six by the time his career wraps up?

The importance of the All-Star game can be debated, but when NBA players hit the court they want to win.  When the game was in balance, his teammates (the league’s best players) deferred to “the King,” allowing him to take over.

James responded by putting on a show, and helping the East regain some respect lost after last year’s 153-132 drubbing.

New Orleans

The NBA has been part of the revitalization of the city torn apart by Hurricane Katrina just three years ago.  The city played host to the game and the sights, sounds, and tastes of New Orleans were prominent throughout.  The unmistakable music, the world famous food, and the fanfare were true to the city’s nature.

While the NBA has done a great deal for the city of New Orleans, basketball has benefited more from the city.  As a way of giving back to the community, the NBA has put together its NBA Cares program, highlighted over the weekend by the NBA Day of Service.  Not only will they help the community, they will let you know about it (again and again).

Chris Paul and David West represented the home-town Hornets, each in his first All-Star appearance.  True to his playing style, West was unspectacular but efficient.  Paul stole the show for the Western Conference, collecting 14 assists to go with his 16 points.

Bad

West Big Men

Take Amare Stoudemire out of the equation for a moment; he was the lone bright spot among the group of centers and power forwards from the Western Conference.  In a conference of greatly talented front-court players such as Tim Duncan, Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, Carlos Boozer, and David West, no one else emerged with a truly remarkable performance.

Duncan, Yao, and Nowitzki, the usual headliners of the conference, combined for a paltry nine goals on 26 attempts, tallying 23 points among them.  Boozer put together a decent game, but shot just seven out of 15 in a game where 50 percent shooting was average.

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