Okay, so maybe I was wrong about Duke pulling off the win against the deeply talented Tar Heels. No, it wasn't Tyler Hansbrough who took center stage as the top player on the floor that night. Ty Lawson picked made some noise as he put up 17 of his 21 total points in the second half as he rallied his Heels in a comeback win that eventually turned into a double digit victory as the crowd in Cameron Indoors became silent.The entire week was full of surprises and breath takers, as college hoops was at its best. With less than a month of the regular season remaining, there have been five different teams that took hold of the top spot in the AP polls as the #1 ranked team in the nation. Other than UNC, non of the other top teams have managed to hold on to that #1 spot for too long. (Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, Duke) Currently, UConn stands alone as the best team in the nation and faced its own challenge today as Seton Hall tried to pull an upset on the Huskies. For now, UConn will stay on top of the polls for one more week when the new updated rankings come up on Monday.
With conference play nearing its end, teams and faithful fans are looking forward to their respective tournaments in a last ditch effort to make the big dance for some teams. Look forward to a complete analysis of the major and even some mid major conferences. ACC fans and Big East fans, prepare for a tournament to remember as there are endless possibilities of these two conference champions. Also, Big 12 fans, Big 10 fans, and SEC fans, if you're team is struggling big time, don't lose hope as these conference tournaments will be full of upsets and cinderella teams. (Recall last year's SEC champs, the Georgia Bulldogs) Though there is plenty more to be said about the current news and updates in college hoops, let's go towards the most exciting event for this weekend, the NBA All-Star game.
It's that time of the year when the best in the NBA meet together to have a weekend of competition and fun. So who would you want on your All Star team? Kobe or LeBron?
It all started last night as celebrities and former NBA players geared up in a friendly match before the Rookies and Sophomores took the spotlight for the main even of the night. I guess I went 0 for 2 in my last entry as I incorrectly predicted Duke to win and confidently said that the Rookies would take the first W in the last 8 meetings. As I walked in late to a sports bar to watch the final 9 minutes of the game, the Sophomores had a small lead and never let go of it for the rest of the night as they won 122-116. As I admitted to my inaccuracy, I noticed that a key player was missing. Mr. Greg Oden. He might not be the most game changing player but a 7 foot monster down low makes a huge difference on defense so that's my excuse for getting the prediction wrong. Sounding foolish about now? No excuses, the Sophomores won fair and square as Kevin Durant lit the floor on fire with 46 points, crushing the former Rookie Sophomore game record of 36 points. I'm sorry for doubting you Kevin.
Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2009 Rookie Sophomore game MVP.
Moving on to the rest of the events for this fun filled weekend, I will try to get at least on prediction right here. Saturday Night, the excitement starts at 8 pm when the Shooting Stars Competition, Playstation Skills challenge, Foot Locker Three Point Shootout, and Sprite Dunk Competition take place. Not to mention, for the first time since Pistol Pete was in the NBA, the All-Star game is bringing you a game of H.O.R.S.E.
Starting with the Shooting Stars, San Antonio will return to try and defend their 2008 championship as Los Angeles, Detroit, and Phoenix will do whatever they can to be on top this year.
San Antonio will have Tim Duncan and David Robinson from the 2001 NBA world champions as well as WNBA's very own gorgeous Becky Hammon.
Detroit will be represented by Pistons guard Aaron Afflalo, former NBA bad boy Bill Laimbeer, and Shock veteran Katie Smith.
Los Angeles will be led by current Laker Derek Fisher, former NBA player and current Sparks coach Michael Cooper, and lastly future hall of famer Lisa Leslie.
The hometown squad and crowd favorite will have the Brazilian blur Leandro Barbosa, former NBA star Dan Majerle, and Mercury center Tangela Smith.
This one can easily go to any of the four squads, but I will have to go with the home team, Phoenix. You got a premier shooter in Dan Majerle, one of the most accurate shooters currently in the NBA in Leandro Barbosa, and the 6'4" Tangela Smith is bound to knock down that half court shot.
Next up, it's the skills challenge which will feature Devin harris, Tony Parker, Derrick Rose, and Mo Williams.
While Devin Harris has greatly improved his game over this past off season, Derrick Rose has shined as a rookie point guard with extraordinary speed and explosion. The older guys, Tony Parker and Mo Williams have worked long and hard to be known as two of the top point guards in the league. To win this competition, you must have quickness, accurate passing, and confidence. This year's skills champion...
And the field of six for the Three point shootout will be defending three point champion Jason Kapono, Daequan Cook, Danny Granger, Mike Bibby, Rashard Lewis, and Roger Mason. Not much needed to observe and analyze in this competition. All are great shooters in their own style but the best fit for this competition is Kapono. He did win last year's for a reason and he will win again to claim bragging rights for a back to back as the three point shootout champion.
As for the special event of H.O.R.S.E, Kevin Durant, OJ Mayo, and Joe Johnson will face off. No dunking is allowed in this one so this one is basically a coin toss. My instincts will go with the Atlanta Hawks' very own Joe Johnson. Favoritism? Yes... Do I care? No... GO JOE
Lastly, the fan favorite event of the night, the Sprite Dunk contest. Superman, Dwight Howard will do whatever crazy dunk humanly possible in order to win another dunk contest trophy. Spaniard Rudy Fernandez, who made Dwight a dunk victim in the 2008 olympics, will try to dethrone Superman himself. Nate Robinson, who also won the dunk competition, will take another shot at it this year as the smallest participant. (Don't count on it Nate) J.R. Smith will replace Rudy Gay as the fourth member of the competition and expect him to have a grudge as he finished second in his prior appearance in the dunk contest. Creativity is key in this competition but creativity won't get you 50 inches off the ground. Ask for creativity, Dwight will give you creativity. (Recall the sticker dunk a few years back) Ask for 50 inches, Dwight will give you 60. There will be plenty of jaw dropping dunks tonight but Mr. Howard will once again put on his red cape as he soars through the air and defies gravity as this year's dunk competition champion.
What will Superman have in stored for us this year. Bring your popcorn and snacks and prepare yourself for a flight you will never forget. Bring it home Big Dwight.
The final showcase of the weekend will take place tomorrow night at 8 pm as the NBA's best active players will dominate the floor with "out of this world" dunks, crossovers, and passes.
For the first three quarters, there won't be much defense involved as most of the guys will goof around and try to do things that their coaches would normally bench them for doing in a regular season or playoff game. There are no limitations here and the opportunities are beyond the stars' reach. The East took the W in last year's All-Star game and the Eastern Conference Champion Celtics eventually ended up winning the NBA title. This year, the ______________ Conference will win and your All-Star MVP for 2009 will be...
No... I give you, your 2009 All-Star Game MVP...
Kobe Bryant will show why he won last year's regular season MVP award and tomorrow night, he will display why he is the best current basketball player in the NBA. The West takes the W in this one and I'm not trying to send any sort of subliminal message or foreshadowing but this year's World Champions will probably be from the same conference. (Recall my post about a month back when I discussed this year's road to the NBA championship) I'm just saying.
Seeing my luck so far this week, I won't be surprised if I go 0 for 10 in my picks but either way, I am going to enjoy myself as I see all the action packed fun being held in Phoenix and I advise that you do the same. Until the next one,
-Jason C
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