NBA All-Star Game 2015: Who Ya Got in East vs. West Showdown?
The 2014 NBA All-Star Game saw the two teams combine for a league-record 318 points. With the free-flowing, equal-opportunity coaching styles favored by the West's Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors) and the East's Mike Budenholzer (Atlanta Hawks), that record could be in jeopardy.
That feels as certain as any take can be when it comes to a glorified exhibition. Both rosters are overloaded with talented players, all of whom are likely to spend the majority of their minutes building their offensive highlight reels. As hard as it is to predict any single-game outcome, calling this contest is akin to a coin flip.
That being said, there are ways to bring a favorite to the surface.
Statistics help compare the two teams, but there are additional elements to examine in a setting like this.
The Rosters and Statistical Breakdown
The injury bug has claimed its casualties. Three fan-selected starters (Kobe Bryant, Blake Griffin and Anthony Davis) and one reserve (Dwyane Wade) have been forced out of the action.
Still, the talent level is overwhelming on both sides of the equation.
| Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks | James Harden, Houston Rockets |
| LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers | LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers |
| Pau Gasol, Chicago Bulls | Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies |
| John Wall, Washington Wizards | Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors |
| Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors | Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors |
| Chris Bosh, Miami Heat | DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings |
| Paul Millsap, Atlanta Hawks | Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs |
| Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks | Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks |
| Kyle Korver, Atlanta Hawks | Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls | Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers |
| Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers | Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers |
| Jeff Teague, Atlanta Hawks | Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder |
Off name recognition alone, the West has a fairly sizable edge. The East has four of the six first-time All-Stars in Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, Kyle Korver and Jeff Teague. The two fresh faces on the West are Klay Thompson, one of four players to crack 50 points this season, and DeMarcus Cousins, the league's only player to average at least 22 points and 11 rebounds both this season and last.
If you're going by names alone, you're going with the West.
"Kerr's second unit might be better, on paper, than Budenholzer's starters," wrote Sports Illustrated's Ben Golliver.
If the prediction is being made based off statistics, it's still likely to side with the team closest to the Pacific Coast.
The West has six of the NBA's top 10 scoring leaders. The East has two. Three of the top four players in win shares will suit up for the West. The only one who doesn't is on the team's injury report (Davis). In player efficiency rating, the West has five of the top seven, and Davis is again one of the omissions.
The East has talent, but its opponents simply have more.
No matter where Kerr turns in his huddle, he's likely to bump into a go-to scorer. There are 12 players in the entire league averaging 22-plus points. Kerr will be coaching seven of them: LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMarcus Cousins, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Klay Thompson and Russell Westbrook.
Budenholzer has two such players within his ranks: LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. The latter has battled a knee injury all season, which will likely require surgical attention sooner rather than later. Anthony is still planning to suit up for this contest, but he may not play for long.
"Even if I come out and just play a couple minutes and just wave," Anthony said of honoring the fans that selected him to start, per ESPN.com's Ian Begley. "... They voted me in for a reason, so at least I can show them that I appreciate that by just participating in the game."
It's a noble gesture—but also an admission that Budenholzer may have to spend the majority of the game without one of his top guns. And Chicago Bulls swingman Jimmy Butler, a 20.4 points-per-game scorer, simply "[hopes] to play in the game" after missing the Chicago Bulls' 113-98 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, per ESPN.com's Nick Friedell.
The injury report, for the players actually participating, looks much more promising for Kerr's squad. Durant, who's only played 26 games this season, said he doesn't plan to play much, per ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Aldridge has a torn ligament in his left thumb, but he's been playing through the pain and will start in place of the injured Davis.
The West has more firepower, more depth and fewer health limitations. On paper, this team holds a sizable advantage over its counterparts.
The Intangibles
Competitive juices are often on short supply during the All-Star Game, at least outside of the closing minutes.
But the East could have a few chips on its shoulder entering this contest.
These players know who the fans—and the statistics—say is the NBA's better half. Its No. 8 seed, the Miami Heat, have a .423 winning percentage. Out West, the eighth-seeded Phoenix Suns boast a .537 winning percentage.
The numbers speak for themselves. The East should get run out of Madison Square Garden.
However, the conference splits looked even worse last season. But the East prevailed with a 163-155 win behind Irving's 31-point, 14-assist MVP performance.
There's a certain freedom in being the underdog. The only expectations on the East's side come from within its own locker room. The East will still need to overcome the talent gap, but all of the pressure falls on the West.
And that could be an issue, as the East seems better equipped to carry that type of burden.
Its entire roster is built from only seven teams. Four of Budenholzer's players come from his own squad: Teague, Korver, Paul Millsap and Al Horford. And all four are well-versed in the delicate art of sharing the spotlight.
"We might not shoot the ball, we might be the guy who scores, but we're going to at least set a screen, we're going to make a pass," Korver explained, per Mark Herrmann of Newsday. "We feel like we're involved in what's happening. Just doing that, it keeps your energy levels up."
There are two other sets of teammates on the roster: James and Irving, and Butler and Pau Gasol.
Granted, the game isn't likely to feature the most intricate offensive sets or demand the most defensive discipline. But simply having the knowledge of where players are likely to be and where they're most effective could help maximize the offensive production.
The West stars aren't strangers to one another. Kerr has two of his players in the starting lineup with the Splash Brothers. Aldridge and Durant both have their point guards on the roster in Lillard and Westbrook, respectively.
But of the eight players taking the floor without a teammate, five play for the West. There's hardly any practice time to prepare for this game, so familiarity could be a factor. If it is, it's a badly needed lift for the East.
Plus, the team's relative lack of experience could actually be a good thing. As nice as it is to have established stars, there's a different type of motivation for a player who could be introducing himself to the casual fan.
"There'll be no shortage of players looking to make a statement," noted Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.
However, the West could be chasing a more powerful goal. The legacy narratives run deep through that locker room.
This could be the last go-round for battle-scarred veterans Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki. Or a chance for either Curry or Harden to get a leg up on the other in their MVP race. Or the opportunity for Chris Paul to prove he's still the point god, for Thompson and Westbrook to step out of the shadows of their more high-profile teammates.
Cousins is out to show the basketball world it read him all wrong. Lillard's motor is running hot after he was left off the initial All-Star roster, then passed over again for the first injury replacement.
"I'm definitely going to take it personal," Lillard said of his initial snub, per Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. "I said I'd be pissed off about it. And I am. I just feel disrespected."
A regular Damian Lillard is good for 21.5 points, 6.3 assists and 2.5 threes a night. A heated Damian Lillard is equal parts intriguing, exhilarating and terrifying, a combination that should shock no one if it produces an MVP nod Sunday.
The abstract categories feel like a toss-up between the teams, or a narrow win for the East at most. They could boost Budenholzer's team, but likely not high enough.
The Prediction
If you've been paying close attention, you already know where this is headed. If not, the following picture will peel back our transparent curtains.
You have to go with the West, right?
Hughes did in a 161-153 victory. Golliver went West in a 168-158 triumph, and in the same piece, his colleague Rob Mahoney also chose the West by a 163-157 margin.
There aren't any contrarians here.
The West looks like the better team under regular circumstances. The fact the All-Star Game wouldn't qualify as such only strengthens that position. In a contest defined by breakneck pace, threes flying at a ridiculous rate and dunks arriving by the busload, it's best to go with the group that packs the most punch on the perimeter.
Want six good reasons to pick the West? Curry, Harden, Lillard, Thompson, Paul and Westbrook. Try to pick a point total for those six that seems outlandish. It isn't easy.
Overall, the West has too much shooting, too much athleticism and simply too much talent for the East to keep up.
Final Score: West 166, East 155
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference and NBA.com.
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