2/13/2014 7:09:46 PM
It’s been five years since I first wrote in this site of
mine a piece of something related to the NBA All-Star event, and it’s been a
year since the last time I have done so. But anyway, let me allow you to take a
trip back to the memory lane; to the setting where I haven’t even got engaged
into this kind of venture.
Before we hit the Big Easy again, here’s a piece of some throwback
chunks during the All-Star Game itself in 2008. I used to remember a busy
Monday for me in Mendiola but still managed to catch everything up on the
internet (aside from an audio league pass and player cam feature from my
NBA.com account then), and managed to replay this on both YouTube and TV
coverage.
The first five field goals made by the Eastern All Stars are
all dunks.
Kobe Bryant did played for the All-Star game, but only for
about 3 minutes. He did not return to the action after being substituted. If
you wondered why, well, blame it to the league policy. He revealed the had a
torn ligament in his right pinky finger just a few days before the showcase
itself.
It was then Jason Kidd’s last All-Star game wearing an East
uniform. Well, he was supposed to be in Dallas that time, but the trade was put
on hold then anyway.
Yao finally played his All-Star again after a year of
absence depite being elected by who else but most of the city’s and his race’s fans
(ain’t a bad thing anyway).
The East features 3 of the 5 big-time ballers of the draft class
of 03. Do I need to name them? (By the way, David West belonged to the same
year when Melo, Wade, LeBron and Bosh entered the NBA)
Boston and Detroit was the perennial powerhouse in the
eastern conference as they had 3 players (including replacements and injured) each.
When the West attempted to rally, the replacement for Caron
Butler who’s by the name of Ray Allen came to the rescue. By the way, he should’ve
got the All-Star MVP award instead of James, if we’re talking about clutch
scoring here (yes, seriously, he topscored for all players with 28 and Bron was
just next to him with 27, but I’m not surprised ‘coz LBJ got the more complete
package to bag the individual trophy anyway).
So many people deserved to win that MVP by the way. What if
the West won? I got two picks: Brandon Roy and who else but the then-hometown
little hero itself Chris Paul.
But aside from James and Allen, who should’ve won the
All-Star MVP for the East? Nah, it’s only just between King James and Jesus
Shuttlesworth.
But on the sidelights, does Dwight Howard really won the
award? Maybe, because on the theatrics. It’s always amusing to jump with that superman
cape though the downside is when you look on the super-ultra-mega-ultimate... err,
phantom (rather) slow mode, it seems he just throw the rock in the hope without
some kind of rim-rattling motion (not even a glimpse of a finger touched that
rim).
But jumping a dunk from 12 feet (the real one) is kinda
impressive. Actually, even Gerald Green and Jamario Moon can even top Howard’s
(sorry, Gay).
On the shoot-out from downtown, it seems it was only the
time when Jason Kapono’s career was in the top spotlight. I wonder what
happened o him afterwards. Say, he hardly earned that title anyway. Now only if
Daniel Gibson’s rims cooperated.
Well, seriously I have nothing to say about the other events
since I never managed to watch them on my neighbor’s TV.
Just except for the rising stars challenge, where a sophie
by the name of then-LeBron’s teammate Daniel Gibson took home the game MVP
award for posting 12 3-point shots on his way to 36 points – a team-high.
Damn sakes. Those, aside from 2007 playoffs, seemed to have
the best in his NBA career.
Fast forward to 2014. After 6 years, the league stages the
mid-season extravaganza here at New Orleans yet again. This time around though,
we had many youngsters in both squads. And sadly, most of those younger peeps
we saw in that ’08 event seem nowhere to be found. Awww.
Anyway, I’ll stay glued on this one this time around.
Author: slickmaster | © 2014 september twenty-eight productions
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