64th NBA All-Star game tips Sunday
By Freddy Wander
NBA ALL-STAR GAME
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
Tip-off: Sunday, 8:05 p.m. EDT
Line: West -2.0, Total: 295.5
The 2015 All-Star game heads to the “Big Apple” in its 64th edition as the West looks to avenge an eight-point loss last year.
The All-Star game always brings out the best players for a game that is mainly all about entertainment. While the players clearly are all competitive and want to win, there are some that go above-and-beyond even in games like this. Last year, it was the SF LeBron James-led Eastern Conference team that was able to end a three-year losing streak in a 163-155 victory. It wasn’t LeBron who took home the MVP honors though, which he has done twice before (2006, 2008), but rather his current teammate, PG Kyrie Irving, who made 14-of-17 shots for 31 points as he added 14 assists and five rebounds. There will be five players who were voted in this year that have been to double-digit All-Star contests, but two of them (SGs Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant) will not play due to injuries. The other three are PF Tim Duncan (15), LeBron James (11) and PF Chris Bosh (10). Besides Wade and Bryant, PF Blake Griffin will also be absent with an injury and was replaced by Damian Lillard as C DeMarcus Cousins and SG Kyle Korver are the other replacements for the injured veterans. Both Cousins and Korver will be making their first All-Star game appearances and be joined by four other first-timers with PG Kyle Lowry getting a starting nod. PF Anthony Davis is also out for this game, allowing PF Dirk Nowitzki to play in his 13th All-Star game.
The West had three players (Curry, Davis, Bryant) who earned over a million votes for this game, but Bryant is not playing and Davis isn’t either. PG Stephen Curry (23.6 PPG, 7.9 APG, 4.7 RPG) has led the Warriors to the best record through the first half of the year and will hope to improve on his 2-of-11 shooting for 12 points as he added 11 assists in his All-Star game debut last year. He will be leading an amazing group of guards that can both get to the rim and shoot. PG Russell Westbrook (25.8 PPG, 7.6 APG, 2.2 SPG) is maybe the most explosive of this group and he is playing in his fourth All-Star contest after ranking third in the league in scoring. PGs Chris Paul (17.7 PPG, 9.7 APG, 4.9 RPG, 1.9 SPG) and Damian Lillard (21.5 PPG, 6.3 APG, 4.6 RPG) will join Westbrook to round off the point guards and were both also reserves in last year’s game as Paul earned the most minutes off the bench (24) and scored 11 points with 13 assists and three steals. The fun continues with SG James Harden (27.4 PPG, 6.8 APG, 5.7 RPG, 2.0 SPG) who is the top scorer in the NBA and is a threat to go for a triple-double on any given night. He was a starter last year but played poorly with just eight points and five rebounds in 24 minutes on the court. SG Klay Thompson (22.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.2 SPG) will join Curry and head coach Steve Kerr to represent the Warriors and ranks 10th in the league in scoring and is one of the most deadly three-point shooters (44% 3PM, 5th in league). PF LaMarcus Aldridge (23.7 PPG, 10.3 RPG), PF Tim Duncan (14.6 PPG, 10.1 RPG) and SF Kevin Durant (25.9 PPG, 66 RPG, 4.0 APG) will boost the forward position as both Aldridge and Duncan are averaging double-doubles on the year. The starting center position will be manned by the versatile Marc Gasol (18.3 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.7 BPG) who made it here for the first time back in the 2011-12 campaign and played just 14 minutes. C DeMarcus Cousins (23.6 PPG, 12.3 RPG) rightfully made it into this game as an injury replacement and should provide a dominating presence in the middle. PF Dirk Nowizki (18.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG) was also a late addition to this team. He has as good a chance as anybody to light it up in this one.
The Eastern Conference team will be led by SF LeBron James (26.0 PPG, 7.4 APG, 5.5 RPG, 1.5 SPG) once again and he will be going into his 11th All-Star appearance as he ranks second in the league in scoring and always fills up the stat sheet in other areas. He came up big in last year’s game with 22 points, seven assists and seven rebounds, but was cold (0-for-7) from behind the arc. Joining him at the forward position will be the ambassador for this one as SF Carmelo Anthony (24.2 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 3.1 APG) makes his eighth appearance in this game with the fewest votes (647,005) among all starters. He has continued to be a scoring despite his poor team play and netted 30 points as he hit 8-of-13 threes last year. The guard position will be manned by a couple of driving aficionados with PG John Wall (17.4 PPG, 10.1 APG, 1.9 SPG) getting his second All-Star nod and PG Kyle Lowry (18.6 PPG, 7.2 APG, 1.6 SPG) earning his first trip here. Both are on top Eastern Conference teams and Wall is currently the NBA’s assist leader. Finishing off the starting rotation will be PF Pau Gasol (18.4 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 2.1 BPG) who has rejuvenated his career with the Chicago Bulls. The bench this year is basically the Atlanta Hawks’ starting lineup as C Al Horford (15.6 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.4 BPG), PF Paul Millsap (16.8 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.8 SPG), PG Jeff Teague (17.0 PPG, 7.5 APG, 1.7 SPG) and SG Kyle Korver (12.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.7 APG) all made it in. Horford (3) and Millsap (2) are the only ones of the four to have been here before and Korver made it in as an injury replacement as they couldn’t ignore his absurd shooting performance (52% FG, 53% 3PM, 92% FT). PF Chris Bosh (21.1 PPG, 7.0 RPG) frequents this game nearly every year but has done little (6.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG) in the past three installments. Rounding out the team will be SG Jimmy Butler (20.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.8 SPG) who has came out of nowhere to add an offensive game to an already elite defense as he heads to his first All-Star game.
