NBA All-Star Weekend Doesn't Disappoint

Monday Morning Point Guard
2/16/09

With the NFL season in the books, and baseball dealing with steroids admissions on a weekly basis it seems, the NBA had a golden opportunity this weekend to capture the attention of casual sports fans, and showcase their brightest stars and biggest names.

With every event that was put on display, the league did just that. I have not always agreed with the decisions of Commissioner David Stern, however, he has mastered the All-Star Weekend format.

No other major professional sport puts on a show for their fans like the NBA does during its mid season classic. The host city this year, Phoenix, did very well in putting on the show, and the game lived up to the hype for the most part.

Here are my five highlights that I took away from this All-Star Weekend:

1. Nate Robinson is great for the league.

The NBA Slam Dunk contest had been lacking the star power and anticipation of past years, but thanks to Superman Dwight Howard, and Mr. Krypto-Nate Robinson, the flair is back.

Nate’s dunk over the 2008 dunk champ was a great moment, and the buzz around the contest was heightened more when TNT’s Cheryl Miller talked to LeBron James, and he put his name in the hat for the 2010 contest in Dallas.

The King vs. Krypto-Nate next year? That would be good. I think that LeBron entering will also bring out other great dunkers of past contests, such as the Hawks’ Josh Smith, or perhaps the Sixers’ Andre Iguodala.

2. Kevin Durant should have made the West All-Star Team.

Kevin Durant had a great weekend in Phoenix, starting with winning the first ever All-Star H-O-R-S-E over the Hawks’ Joe Johnson and the Grizzlies’ OJ Mayo.

Then, Durant put on a show in the rookie/sophomore game, scoring 46 points, and clearly being the best player on the floor.

I had said before that Durant should have made the West team, and hopefully next season in Dallas he will represent the Thunder on the team.

 

3. Shaq seemed to have more fun than every player last night.

Starting with his pregame dance with the Jabbawockeez(watch video below), to his inspired play on the court with former Laker teammate Kobe Bryant, the elder statesman of the NBA All-Stars seemed to soak it all in this weekend in Phoenix.

O’Neal, who talked about this possibly being his last All-Star Weekend, said he wanted to enjoy the moment. He certainly did.
 

4. The NBA does a good job keeping their legends involved with today’s game.

Many of the young fans that watched the All-Star game or were in attendance in Phoenix never saw Dominique Wilkins play, let alone greats like Bill Russell, yet the NBA does a great job in re-introducing them.

The NBA announced this past weekend that the Finals MVP trophy will now be named the Bill Russell Award, which is an excellent way to pay tribute to the 11-time NBA champion.

Ironically, with all his Finals wins, Russell never was named the Finals MVP.

5. The second half of the season will be very exciting.

The league sets up their stretch run of the season with all the buzz generated around their biggest names in the All-Star Game.

While we often spends hours arguing over who should or should not have made the All-Star team, when it is all said and done, the game is often very competitive and entertaining.

As we look forward to the second half of the season, there will be many story lines that will unfold over the next few days and weeks. Whether your team has aspirations of the championship this season or not, most fans will start to follow the game much more intently in the coming weeks, and that is always a good thing.

 

This week’s team to watch: Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets, who come out of the All-Star break sitting at 36-17, and just percentage points behind the Spurs for second overall in the West.

This week, the Nuggets have a three-game road trip, which takes them east to play Philly, Chicago, and Milwaukee. Why are these games so important? With every game meaning so much more as we get closer to the end of the season, the following week’s brutal schedule of playing both the Lakers and Celtics could cause trouble for Denver.

If the Nuggets can seize the opportunity and win the “games they are supposed to win,” things could get very interesting out West.