A Few All-Star Thoughts

Here are just a few quick thoughts I had after watching the All-Star festivities this weekend. And by festivities, I mean the game and the dunk contest. Everything else is worthless. Everyone knows this, even if we all pretend otherwise.

• The most impressive dunk was DeMar DeRozan's second dunk. I believe he called it the "Show Stopper." It literally elicited an unconscious "whoa!" from me. His first dunk was good, too, but I've seen him do it before. It might have been most satisfying because he did it on his first try.
• None of Blake Griffin's dunks were overly impressive. His first attempts at his first and second dunks were rather spectacular though.
• I liked the double dunk from McGee. Good stuff.
• Ibaka's "sketch" was just plain awful. The dunk wasn't bad, but that skit with the horrible child actor with the horrible haircut and the horrible actress pretending to be a sideline reporter... Oh, wait... That was just a horrible sideline reporter? Either way, that skit just sunk the whole thing.
• On to the game: I think the little stars on the back of the jerseys next to the player's name signified how many All-Star selections he's had. If so, it's a cool idea, but I have absolutely no proof that's what they meant. I may have missed the part if/when Marv explained it.
• Marv referred to Stevie Wonder as "Stevie Wonders." Good stuff.
• My girlfriend wanted to know why Stevie Wonder would attend a basketball game. Or any sporting event for that matter. Good question.
• I didn't like the West's red/gold jerseys. Reminded me too much of China. And Yao wasn't even playing.
• I did like red against blue jerseys though. I always find it kind of interesting when neither team wears white. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I think it worked this time.
• Kobe had a pretty spectacular three and a half quarters. Which is very odd considering his rep as the league's greatest closer. The West was lucky they had Durant to step it up in the clutch.
• I would've given co-MVP's to both Bryant and Durant if it'd been up to me. (And if we still have to follow the tradition of awarding a player from the winning team.)
• Griffin's dunks look much cooler in an actual game than in a contest.
• I liked how Pop and Doc had absolutely no inclination to play their own players. Good stuff. I hope we see this as the new incentive to do the best in the first half of the season - so you can rest your own best players and wear out your primary competition's best players.
• LeBron had a hell of a game. I just don't know if I like where basketball is going when the best player in the game's best/most unstoppable move is "sprint, take two steps from the three point line, and dunk."