An All-Star Game fit for the times
Even in the strangest NBA All-Star Game of them all, LeBron James was still the perfect captain.
Team LeBron showed off its high-flying and long-range skills during a dominating run to close out the first half, setting up a 170-150 romp over Team Durant in the league’s 70th midseason showcase Sunday night.
This one sure was different than the previous 69 All-Star contests.
Determined to pull off an exhibition that is huge for TV revenue and the league’s worldwide brand, the NBA staged the game in a mostly empty arena in downtown Atlanta, a made-for-TV extravaganza that was symbolic of the coronavirus era.
Even with intense safety protocols in place, two players didn’t even make it to tipoff. 76ers stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were ruled out because they got haircuts from a barber who tested positive for COVID-19.
But once the game began, it fell right in line with the three previous All-Star outings with the captain format. The top vote-getters in each conference pick the teams, a duty that James has earned all four years.
He’s now 4-0, having defeated Stephen Curry’s squad in 2018 and teams selected by the Bucks’ two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo the last two years.
This time, James drafted his two former adversaries to assemble a dominant squad that blew away Kevin Durant’s team.
Antetokounmpo was the game MVP after shooting 16 of 16 for 35 points.
Curry chipped in with 28 points, while Damian Lillard had 32. James spent most of the night admiring his drafting skill, playing less than 13 minutes and finishing with four points.
On a night highlighting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Team LeBron swept the first three quarters and was first to reach the final target score, earning a total of $750,000 for its charity, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
The atmosphere at State Farm Arena was downright eerie compared to a normal All-Star Game.
Instead of a packed house, this game was attended by a smattering of hand-picked guests. Curry tops from 3: Curry won the 3-point title, Domantas Sabonis the Skills Challenge and Anfernee Simons the dunk contest.
Curry, the Warriors star, provided a dramatic preview for his seventh All-Star Game appearance when he sank his final 3 to edge the Jazz’s Mike Conley for the title on Sunday night. Curry also won the contest in 2015.
After a runner-up finish in the 2020 Skills Challenge to fellow big man Bam Adebayo of the Heat, the Pacers’ Sabonis returned to win the title.
The Trail Blazers’ Simons showed off his leaping ability and creativity to beat the Knicks’ Obi Toppin and Pacers Cassius Stanley.
Griffin to Nets: Vertan big man Blake Griffin agreed to a deal to join the Nets for the rest of the season.
Griffin, 31, became a free agent Friday when he completed a buyout agreement with the Pistons. He cleared waivers Sunday.
The six-time All-Star is averaging only 12.3 points in 20 games this season.