NBA All-Star Game 2018: Team LeBron vs. Team Steph Rosters and Players to Watch

Everyone will know in a few days.

They'll know if the NBA was able to fix it.

Were they able to revamp the All-Star Game enough that the fans will care again?

Will the players step it up and play basketball? Will they play a semblance of defense so there won't be a repeat of 2017, which saw the West beat the East 192-182?

That's an insane number of points.

Insane.

Sure, fans want to see jukes, crossovers, step-backs, dipsy-dos, behind-the-backs, alley-oops and posters, but no one wants to see another debacle like last year.

So with this new format, maybe they've fixed it.

Maybe now that the teams were chosen like how teams are picked on the playground, the players will take it more personal and put on a competitive show.

The league didn't allow the fans to see the team draft, which was disappointing because it's apparent there were some must-see TV moments.

Despite that gaffe, the revealed matchups are already more interesting. Team LeBron James is filled with frenemies: LeBron and Kyrie Irving; Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. How will they play together? Will they dab each other up after a good play? Will there be elaborate handshake routines between them?

The same goes for Stephen Curry and James Harden on Team Steph.

Before the 67th annual midseason classic lands at the Staples Center this coming Sunday, Feb. 18 (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT), let's take a quick look at the players from both squads and highlight the players to watch.

Team LeBron

Players	Team	All-Star Appearance
Kyrie Irving	Boston Celtics	5th
Anthony Davis	New Orleans Pelicans	5th
LeBron James	Cleveland Cavaliers	14th
Kevin Durant	Golden State Warriors	9th
DeMarcus Cousins' replacement**	TBD	TBD

Players	Team	All-Star Appearance
Bradley Beal	Washington Wizards	1st
Goran Dragic	Miami Heat	1st
Andre Drummond	Detroit Pistons	2nd
Victor Oladipo	Indiana Pacers	1st
Paul George	Oklahoma City Thunder	5th
Russell Westbrook	Oklahoma City Thunder	6th
Kemba Walker	Charlotte Hornets	2nd
LaMarcus Aldridge	San Antonio Spurs	6th

Bill Baptist/Getty Images

Team Steph

Players	Team	All-Star Appearance
Stephen Curry	Golden State Warriors	5th
James Harden	Houston Rockets	6th
DeMar DeRozan	Toronto Raptors	4th
Giannis Antetokounmpo	Milwaukee Bucks	2nd
Joel Embiid	Philadelphia 76ers	1st

Players	Team	All-Star Appearance
Jimmy Butler	Minnesota Timberwolves	4th
Draymond Green	Golden State Warriors	3rd
Al Horford	Boston Celtics	5th
Damian Lillard	Portland Trailblazers	3rd
Kyle Lowry	Toronto Raptors	4th
Klay Thompson	Golden State Warriors	4th
Karl-Anthony Towns	Minnesota Timberwolves	1st

Players to Watch

All eyes will be on LeBron and Kyrie. Once a winning duo like Batman and Robin, these two will be on the same team again going for the win.

They've faced each other three times already this season and have been cordial and even hugged it out. But there's still lots of drama there, and we're all here for it.

Then there's Durant and Westbrook. Their enmity runs deep. Together for years, Durant left without so much as a goodbye. Not only that, he won the chip that next year without Westbrook.

Westbrook tried to downplay the rift, but he took trolling to a new level last season.

They'll have to play together and even see time on the floor at the same time.

There's no hometown player to highlight this year like Anthony Davis, who pumped in 52 points and took home the MVP trophy last year, so it's a free-for-all.

It goes without saying that Westbrook will go for it. He's from southern California, so he'll look to jack 'em up. James Harden will also go for it. He's also from the area and will want to put on a good show for his people.

Since Durant is on Team LeBron, Curry will look to establish himself as the man. He'll most likely drain threes like they were layups and be the one that gets the MVP.

Prediction

With all of the injuries to Team LeBron, his calculated advantage is gone.

Injuries and commissioner Adam Silver threw a monkey wrench in LeBron's selection process.

But this matchup will still come down to old-school basketball versus new school.

This will be big man, slowed-down offense versus spread floor, ball-movement offense. Team LeBron will try to bang and use its size, while Team Steph will light it up from behind the arc and move the ball until they find the open man.

Both teams will play hard because they've heard all the rumblings and complaints from fans, and they would much rather pocket $100,000 for the win than the $25,000 for the loss.

Then there's the money that goes to their favorite charity: $350,000 to the winning team's cause and $150,000 to the losing team's.

With pride and money on the table, Team LeBron and Team Steph will put on a show, bringing the score back down to earth, with Team Steph pulling out the 130-124 victory.