All-Star Musings

RotoEvil has come to Phoenix for the 2009 NBA All-Star game. I’ll be giving you updates from the trenches all weekend long…

I’d love to say that Sports Illustrated flew me out here and hooked me up with a VIP All-Access pass for everything, but I haven’t reached that level just yet.

Instead I decided to come out here on my own accord. I have a friend who lives in Phoenix who I’ve been meaning to visit, and with the All-Star game in town, I couldn’t think of a better reason to visit.

CP3 for MVP?

I guess it was fitting for Kobe and Shaq to be named Co-MVPs, but I hope that Chris Paul was a very close 3rd. The dominant point guard dished out 14 assists to just 1 turnover, and he could have easily scored more than 14 points if he wanted to. Seeing him diagram the give-and-go play with Shaq and then following it up with the receiving end of an alley-oop was a thing of beauty.

How cool was Shaq’s intro dance with the Jabbawockeez? We all knew the big man could move, but considering that could have been his 15th and last All-Star appearance it was something special. And 17 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, and a block in just 11 minutes is pretty impressive.

Tamia Hill (Grant’s wife) sang the Canadian National Anthem, and I still can’t hear her name without thinking of Stranger in my House, which has to be one of the sexiest music videos of all-time.

Anti-Climactic Dunk Contest

I wouldn’t say that the Slam Dunk competition was a major disappointment, but I wasn’t really impressed with any of the dunks. The anti-climactic event began with Rudy Fernandez’s tribute to Fernando Martin. I give Rudy props for paying homage to the 1st Spaniard to play in the NBA, but when most die-hard fans don’t even know who said player is, you’re not going to get much support from the general public. At least it made me look Fernando up: he scored just 22 points and grabbed 28 rebounds in 146 NBA minutes, but was named one of FIBA’s 50 Greatest Players in 1991. Died tragically in a car accident at the age of 27. Believe it or not, my favorite dunk of the night would have been Rudy’s 2nd dunk where he caught it with one hand and threw it down on the other side IF he had made it on the 1st attempt. Too bad Pau screwed it up.

JR Smith’s dunks were solid but unspectacular. As for Dwight Howard, I don’t think his first 2 jams deserved perfect scores at all. Bringing out the 12-foot rim and the Superman cape was a brilliant move that got everyone really hyped up, but the dunk itself was rather forgettable: a simple 2-hand catch and throwdown. Yes, the 12′ rim was impressive, but I thought he could have easily done either a reverse dunk or a tomahawk power jam. THAT would have got me out of my seat, but instead I was bummed. As a result, my favorite Howard dunk was his 3rd one, where he caught it one-handed with a full extension (Nate’s reaction was priceless). However, his decision to jump from the free throw line for his final dunk was a poor one. Aesthetically, it didn’t look nearly as good as Jordan’s or Erving’s, or even Brent Barry’s for that matter.

So did Nate Robinson deserve to win it? His 1st windmill jam was very nice, but jumping off of Wilson Chandler’s back wasn’t impressive at all. Switching to the kryptonite green outfit for Round 2 was a nice move, but was his reverse double-clutch dunk wasn’t as smooth as when Spud Webb did it back in ‘86. However, Nate’s final jam where he jumped over the Man-Beast was extremely entertaining, so I have no problem with him winning it. But as a whole, the Dunk contest didn’t really do it for me.

LeBron in 2010!

Perhaps the most exciting news of the weekend was LeBron James throwing his name into the 2010 Slam Dunk contest. If you love watching dunks (and who doesn’t?), this is something you’ve been eagerly waiting for. Ever since he came into the league we’ve been spoiled with LeBron’s jaw-dropping athleticism, but the types of dunks that he throws down on a nightly basis are so incredible that we’ve gotten used to it. That’s going to change a year from now, because Bron-Bron is going to put on one of the most spectacular shows of all-time. I can’t wait.

Horrendous 3-point Shooting

What was with the terrible 3-point shooting over the weekend? In an incredibly boring 3-point shootout, Daequan Cook defeated Rashard Lewis 19-7 in the final round. 19 is a very solid number, but Cook was the only contestant to score more than 17 points. I can’t remember the last time no one dropped scored 20 or more points in the shootout. It wasn’t any better in the All-Star game, when the 2 teams combined to shoot just 12-for-48 from beyond the arc (25%).

Majerle’s

Thunder Dan Majerle has his own Sports Grill, and it’s a pretty cool spot to go for drinks and apps. It’s not that big so the place was packed every time I went in, and I saw Thaddeus Young and Bill Cartwright leaving from Majerle’s. Thunder Dan himself was there, but I missed out on a photo op. The drinks were pricey, but I recommend going there if you’re in PHX.

ESPN Bus

The NBA on ESPN bus was in town and you could go inside and take photos with cutouts of Mike Tirico, Bill Walton, and Steven A. Smith. I thought they turned out pretty good.

US Airways Center

In case you don’t know, the US Airways Center is where the Suns play. It’s located in downtown Phoenix, and from what I’ve seen is a pretty nice place. I didn’t take any photos of Chase Field (where the Diamondbacks play), but it’s right down the street and is perhaps the nicest ballpark I’ve ever seen (altho PacBell Park and Camden Yards are money). There’s a Friday’s “Front Row” restaurant that overlooks the outfield, and I highly recommend going there to catch a baseball game. Anyway, here are some photos outside of the arena.

Block Party!

Right across the street from the arena is the outdoor “Block Party.” I checked it out yesterday and it sounds like there’s going to be a bunch of games to play, players to meet, and stuff to check out. Everything is free, which is pretty cool. This is where the H-O-R-S-E competition is going to be on Saturday, so I’ll be definitely be there for that. More photos surely to come…

Player Intro Rehearsals

You didn’t think they prepared for the actual All-Star game without doing rehearsals, did you? Of course not. But since it’s too much to ask of the actual players to show up for that, they look for volunteers to act as “stand-ins.” Somehow I got on the list, and I showed up on Thursday not knowing what to expect.

I was given a special pass that let me into the back of the arena, and moments later I walking onto the court. Soon after, somebody started handing out names of all of the players, coaches, and trainers who will be announced before the game. At first I got Assistant Coach Kurt Rambis, but I managed to trade that in for East Starter Dwyane Wade! This meant I was playing the part of D. Wade, and I got to go backstage and then stand exactly where he’s going to stand when they announce his name.

The dance group Jabbawokeez was there for rehearsals, as was a certain Suns player who is making his 15th All-Star appearance. That’s right, while I was standing in for D. Wade on stage, Shaq was just 10 feet in front of me. A few seconds after Shaq left the stage, they called out Dwyane Wade, the lights shined on me, and my face was staring back at me on the Jumbotron (no pic unfortunately). It was a pretty surreal moment that was cool the first couple of times, but after the 8th time walking thru, I was pretty bored and ready to leave. At least I got a free t-shirt for it, and if I get lucky tomorrow, I’ll get to actually shoot around on the court for the “skills and dunk” rehearsals.

My Picks

H-O-R-S-E = Kevin Durant

I’m loving the fact that the classic game of HORSE is back for the All-Star game! In case you didn’t know, the NBA used to have HORSE competitions like this one featuring Pete Maravich vs. George Gervin. This year’s contestants are Joe Johnson, OJ Mayo, and Kevin Durant. I’m tempted to go with the sweet-shooting Joe Johnson, but instead I’ll go with the lanky Kevin Durant. The “Iceman-esque” player has been red hot over the last couple of months, and I get the feeling that he can make a bunch of crazy shots (not that Mayo and Johnson can’t).

Rookies vs. Sophomores game = Sophs

I really don’t care who wins it. All I know is that I’ll be at this game and there will be at least 139 dunks. Looking forward to seeing Aaron Brooks, Stuckey, Durant, Jeff Green, Thaddeus Young, Horford, and Scola for the sophomores, and it will be interesting to see if the rookies can hold their own.

Skills Challenge = Devin Harris

You know the Skills Competition. Players (usually point guards) dribble, pass, and shoot and see who can get the fastest time. Dwyane Wade is the only 2-time winner, and this year’s event features Jameer Nelson (injured), Mo Williams (Jameer’s replacement), Tony Parker, Derrick Rose, and Devin Harris. If I get a chance to do the skills challenge “run-thru” I may change my opinion, but right now I’m feeling Devin Harris. The New Jersey star is having a breakout season, and I think Rose could get too nervous while Parker may struggle with the 20-footer.

3-Point Shootout = Rashard Lewis

This year’s contestants are: Mike Bibby, Daequan Cook, Danny Granger, Jason Kapono, Rashard Lewis, and Roger Mason. Kapono has won the contest 2 years in a row and is tied for the most points in a single round with 25. It wouldn’t be surprising if Kapono won it for the 3rd year in a row, but I’m going with Lewis. I think Rashard has one of the sweetest shots in the league, and it seems like he doesn’t expend much energy so he should be able to go several rounds. My 2nd pick will be Granger. Daequan Cook is my wild card pick, since I’ve used him as a cheap source of threes several times this season.

Dunk Contest = Dwight Howard

This is what the All-Star game is all about. If it wasn’t for me watching Jordan, Dominique, and Spud Webb go at it when I was a little kid, I wouldn’t be here today. Dwight Howard stole the show last year, and I’m picking the Man-Beast to repeat because I think he has plenty more tricks left in the bag and he knows how to get the crowd into it. My sleeper pick is JR Smith, who is feeling in for Rudy Gay. Smith can glide thru the air a la JR Rider, and it’s nice to see him get some TV time since George Karl doesn’t like playing him. I’d love to pick Nate Robinson, but I think he’s already shown most of what he can do, while Rudy Fernandez might not have enough non-alley-oops.

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