More like a reality show
Giannis shines in competitive 148-145 All-Star Game loss
LOS ANGELES - After catching flak for lackluster effort — mostly on the defensive end — in past NBA All-Star Games, the league got the dramatic, down-to-the-wire thriller it was hoping for on Sunday night at the Staples Center.
At crunch time, players lobbied for a review of an out-of-bounds call. There were timeouts to strategize, clutch plays and high intensity.
A glorified dunk show in the past, this iteration — at least at the end — played out like a real game. And everyone on the court clearly wanted to win.
Team Stephen, picked by Golden State's Stephen Curry and including Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, led for much of the night, owning an advantage as large as 15 points. But down the stretch, Team LeBron captain LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers refused to let his team stay down.
The two teams stuck within a basket of each other for the final four minutes, with Team LeBron coming up with clutch plays — including a last-second stop — to claim a 148-145 victory. James had 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists and was named the game's MVP.
Antetokounmpo finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes. He made his bigger
impact in the second quarter, contributing nine of his points in that period.
In the fourth, he capped his scoring with an emphatic dunk that put Team Stephen up by three with 2:48 on the clock. He hoped to add to that, but was part of a key missed opportunity with under a minute left.
With Team LeBron ahead by one and under 20 seconds remaining, Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan drove the lane and looked to have a good look for a layup. He instead opted to fire off a pass to Antetokounmpo, who was cutting toward the hoop along the baseline.
That pass didn't connect and flew out of bounds. Team LeBron guard Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder then deposited a layup, setting up a final chance for Team Stephen.
With the game on the line, it was Team LeBron's defense that won the day. They swarmed each of Team Curry's many three-point shooters, eventually trapping Curry and DeRozan in the corner, with DeRozan hoisting his attempt after the buzzer had sounded.
"The chances are very slim at an AllStar Game, that's for sure," James said when asked about it being decided by a defensive stop.
While there was plenty of excitement and drama in the final moments, it wasn't that way most of the night.
The annual spectacle started with a bewildering pre-game show and player introductions by comedian Kevin Hart that didn't hit with the audience at Staples Center or sharing their opinions from elsewhere via social media.
When it came the time for Hart to introduce Antetokounmpo, who said he had been practicing his pronunciation of the 23-year-old MVP contender before trying twice and giving up — a lame joke that lost its legs at least a year ago.
Following the rambling pre-game show, Fergie, formerly of the Black Eyed Peas, brought forth an unorthodox attempt at singing the national anthem that drew smirks and eye rolls from players, including Golden State's Draymond Green, and was widely panned.
Those sideshows out of the way, everyone watching seemed grateful to have basketball to watch, but the lack of highlight-reel dunks and noteworthy plays made for a subdued watching experience. The emphasis on players providing a higher level of effort was certainly obvious — starting with Antetokounmpo ripping down two rebounds shortly after the jump, battling opponents and teammates alike for the ball.
But with each team playing some level of defense, that made for more quicktrigger three-pointers that didn't fall. The teams combined to go 7 of 31 in the first quarter and 36 of 123 on the night from long range.