All-Star Game Notes & USA Basketball

How about this for size -- some 108,713 people watched the NBA All-Star Game. That's an incredible number for a basketball match. I immediately thought of the first NHL Winter Classic played at Orchard Park, New York in January 1, 2008 in a match between the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins that the latter won 2-1. A total of 71, 217 people saw that outdoor match making it an NHL record. The number may pale vis a vis the NBA All-Star Game but that's missing the point. That's a huge number to watch an ice hockey game and it's outdoors with no heating! Anyone who doesn't know what that means has never experienced being outdoors during winter. And in my opinion, hockey games are best watched in small rinks so you can better appreciate the action.

Back to the NBA All-Star Game. At the new Cowboys Stadium no less? Big crowd. Big stadium. Big game. Everything in Texas is indeed big. And I loved the halftime show with Shakira (hubba hubba) and Alicia Keys.

But you gotta hand it to Dwyane Wade. I figured that LeBron James would win the MVP Award but the Miami Heat guard turned in a great performance 28 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists, and 5 steals! That bounce pass in the lane for a cutting Bron who reverse slammed it – wooo! Put that on the highlight reel.

Having Wade, Lebron, and Dwight Howard on the floor at the same time reminded me of the Redeem Team the way the sped up the game with steals, bocks, and fastbreaks. They just beat you with superior size, speed, athleticism, and talent. And Melo Anthony was on the West team.

The East scored 56 fastbreak points to the 24 of the West. They also had 19 steals and 5 blocked shots as opposed to the West’s 13 and 1.

They won playing USA Basketball style and ground it out with two Chris Bosh free throws (in typical international play style) as the marginal points.

And speaking of USA Basketball, equally exciting was the introduction at half time of the returning vets of the Beijing Gold Medal squad to the USA National Team for 2010-12: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets); Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz); Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors); Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers); Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic); LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers); Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets); Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat); and Deron Williams (Utah Jazz). Rounding out the list of Olympians on the national squad roster are 2004 Olympic bronze medalists Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers) and Amar’e Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns).

Completing the list of National Team players are LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trail Blazers); Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder); Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies); Eric Gordon (Los Angeles Clippers); Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers); Al Jefferson (Minnesota Timberwolves); David Lee (New York Knicks); Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets); Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves); O.J. Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies); Kendrick Perkins (Boston Celtics); Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls); Gerald Wallace (Charlotte Bobcats) and Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder).

And then there's this pic of past and present Dallas Mavericks Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, and Dirk Nowitski in the team bus on their way to Cowboys Stadium. Cool!