2014 NBA All
We should have a pretty fun Sunday on our hands in New Orleans. (USATSI)The 63rd NBA All-Star Game tips off at 8 p.m. ET Sunday, when we'll have one of the best celebrations of the sport of basketball. The playoffs and the NBA Finals are when the game of basketball are at its best, but there is always so much riding on the line, narratives being weaved, and careers being defined that we don't truly get a chance to sit back and enjoy the spectacle of the sport.
That's what the All-Star Game is: It's a spectacle, a celebration of the game with the biggest stars on the court. There will be very little defense played, which probably is as it should be. A relaxed environment for the 24 All-Star players chosen allows them to show off a particularly spectacular set of skills. If we're lucky enough, it will randomly be a close game when the final six minutes of the fourth quarter arrive and we'll get to see them ratchet up the intensity for a memorable finish.
As we prepare for the latest incarnation of the All-Star Game, let's take a look at some of the factoids surrounding this year's game, the games of the past and this edition's players.
NBA All-Star Game Factoids
-- Seven of the past 10 All-Star games have been decided by six points or fewer. The past four All-Star games have been decided by a grand total of 15 points. This era of NBA players are giving us the close contests we hope for when the biggest, most relaxed celebration of basketball hits the stage.
-- LeBron James needs 21 points to pass Oscar Robertson for fourth most points in All-Star Games. He needs 26 to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for third most points. He needs 37 points to pass Michael Jordan for second all-time. If he manages to drop 55 points, he'll pass Kobe Bryant and become the all-time leader in All-Star Game points.
-- The All-Star Game scoring record is 42 points by Wilt Chamberlain, so LeBron would really have to set some history in this game to become the all-time scorer. Five players have scored at least 37 points in the game before and James had 36 points back in 2012 when Kevin Durant scored 36 as well to secure the All-Star Game MVP over James. Jordan's second place all-time is certainly within reach for James.
-- Durant needs 165 points to pass Bryant for No. 1 scorer in All-Star Game history. Considering the last month and a half he's had, he should have that by halftime. Durant has the highest scoring average at 28.8.
-- Blake Griffin has the second-highest field goal percentage (75.9 percent) in ASG history. Brandon Roy (83.3 percent) has the highest percentage and now we're all sad about Roy.
-- Chris Paul's 62 All-Star assist total is 12 away from leapfrogging Bryant (63), Jason Kidd (69), John Stockton (71), and Gary Payton (73) for fifth all-time in ASG assists. He would need 20 to pass Oscar Robertson for fourth all-time, and Paul's career-high for assists in an All-Star Game is 15.
-- James has the most 3-point field goals made in ASG history with 23. He's a career 39.7 percent shooter from downtown in these games, which is good for eighth all-time.
-- Tracy McGrady leads all All-Stars with passes to himself off the backboard in All-Star Games. There's nothing relevant about that stat now but it gives me a reason to embed the clip here.
He's done it a few times, but it's time that Griffin joins in on the action. He's a good enough ball-handler to dribble the ball up the court and deliver the lob off the glass to himself. Let's make it happen in traffic even.
-- The battle for MVP could be as fierce as ever. James has two MVPs, Durant has one MVP, and Paul is the reigning MVP. James and Durant are starting to kick a little dirt on each other's shoes with Durant challenging James for MVP of the NBA this season alongside the popular notion that Durant's historic play has him challenging James as the world's best player. With Paul back in New Orleans, he could be looking to put on a show in his former city.
On top of that, Paul George is becoming a superstar, Griffin could very easily throw enough highlights and easy dunks in there to score a lot of points and steal the MVP, Carmelo Anthony has never won the award and could want to re-establish himself on the big stage, and Kyrie Irving and John Wall will have the ball in their hands a lot while wanting to show they belong with the top players.
-- We've had co-MVP of the game four times. Bob Petit and Elgin Baylor shared the honors in 1959, John Stockton and Karl Malone teamed up in 1993 to win the award, Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal in 2000, and Shaq again with Kobe in 2009. Could this be the first year in which two players from opposing teams share the award?
-- The NBA put out its top 10 plays in All-Star Game history:
The East All-Stars
LeBron James, Miami Heat: James has had quite the decorated All-Star experience and is set to end up with some of the best numbers in NBA All-Star Game history. He'll be playing in and starting his 10th All-Star Game. While he's had many highlights, it would be great to see him go on one-on-one with Durant for an extended stretch and throw in something like this:
Paul George, Indiana Pacers: George is starting his first All-Star Game and participating in his second. Last year, he scored 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting off the bench. He also had four assists, three rebounds, and two steals. This year, he's a bona fide superstar and could really put his imprint on the weekend after Saturday night's dunk performance. He rose to the moment last year in late moments to make sure it remained a good, close game.
Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks: Anthony will be starting in his sixth All-Star Game and playing in his seventh. He had 26 points and 12 rebounds in last year's game and his career-high in the exhibition is 27 points (2010). He may take this game as seriously as anybody out there, as proven by the fact that he played some pretty good defense once against Bryant in last year's game.
Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat: Wade is also playing in his 10th All-Star Game and starting his ninth straight. He was the MVP of the 2010 game when he racked up 28 points, 12 assists, six rebounds, and five steals. His career field goal percentage (63.2 percent) in these games is almost as high as his free throw percentage (69.6 percent). Just make sure to stay clear of any swipedowns he may do if you drive against him.
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers: This is Irving's second game and first start. In his first ASG last season, he had 15 points, four assists and three rebounds. With his handle and creative scoring ability, he's a prime candidate to steal the show for a few possessions and get jaws to drop in the crowd.
Chris Bosh, Miami Heat: This is the ninth All-Star selection for Bosh and the eighth game he's played in (selected but didn't play in 2009). His best game came as a member of the Raptors in 2010 when he had 23 points and 10 rebounds for the East. Considering he's coming off the adrenaline of winning a second straight Shooting Stars Competition, he should be pretty pumped. Let's just hope he protects the five-hole this time.
Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers: This is Hibbert's second All-Star selection. He previously played in the 2012 game, scoring three points, grabbing three rebounds, and dishing out an assist. He's also never missed a free throw in All-Star Game history (1-of-1). He said that because he made one bucket and one free throw in his last ASG, his goal is to score two buckets in this appearance. It's great when an NBA player publicly states a goal and puts that kind of pressure on himself.
Paul Millsap, Atlanta Hawks: Amazingly, this is Millsap's first All-Star selection in any conference. Despite a pretty good career with the Utah Jazz, he never managed to crack the top 12 in any season.
John Wall, Washington Wizards: Wall is making his first All-Star appearance, as he's putting together the best season of his young career. He has career-highs in points (19.8), assists (8.5), steals (2.0), 3-point percentage (32.1 percent), and free-throw percentage (83.6 percent). In this type of exhibition environment, he's been known to put on quite the show.
The West All-Stars
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder: I mentioned above a few of the highlight moments of Durant's All-Star career. He'll be playing in his fifth game and starting his fourth. He's scored at least 30 points in each of his last three appearances. His 36-point effort in 2012 when he won the MVP is tied for fifth all-time.
Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers: Griffin is pretty much built for this game. Making his fourth straight game and getting his third straight start, Griffin will be a human highlight reel. The 'all he does is dunk' crowd should be hoping that this terribly outdated scouting report on him is true tonight.
Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers: Will the homecoming of sorts be enough for Paul to activate his awesomeness and go for game MVP? He's done it before but with just coming off a shoulder injury, he could just be looking to relax Sunday. This is his sixth ASG, seventh selection, and he's had at least 12 assists in four of his five games. He's had 15 once and 14 twice.
This is the third straight All-Star game for Aldridge. He went scoreless in just over 11 minutes in last year's game, but did manage four rebounds and two blocks. He scored four points in his first All-Star appearance.
Dwight Howard, Houston Rockets:
This is the eighth straight All-Star Game for Howard but the first one he isn't starting since his first selection in 2007. His first game was also his best game, scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He's failed to crack double digits in the previous three All-Star games.
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers: Lillard is also making his first appearance in just his second season. He's averaging an impressive 20.7 points and is shooting 40.4 percent from 3-point range. After participating in the Rising Stars Game, winning the Skills Challenge, and trying his hand in the 3-point Shootout and Dunk Contest, Lillard will be capping off the busiest weekend in All-Star history.
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