NBA ROCK

Whew! That was amazing. I thought for a second that the West’s run in the 4th quarter was going to be the end of the East’s chances of winning the 2008 All-Star game and put my prediction to shame. But then my boy Ray Allen turned it on with three 3-pointers, bringing his game total to five 3-pointers – one shy of the All-Star record of six set by Mark Price.

Allen, puts up the shot…SPLASH! Nothing new.  Like he was going to miss anyway. If it weren’t for Ray Allen’s heroics in the 4th quarter, the East wouldn’t have won. It’s because of this that I’ve decided to dub Ray Allen “The Sniper”. But don’t get me wrong, the game wasn’t all about Ray Allen. If it weren’t for Lebron James’ heroics and killer instinct (yes, I believe he’s slowly getting there — it’s only a matter of time) all game long, the East wouldn’t have won. It was these heroics and killer instinct that bagged Lebron All-Star MVP. He totally deserved the award, too.

I feel bad that Kobe didn’t get to play as much as he should have. But at the same time I’m glad — it’s nice to see the East win after being spanked as if they were a step child last year. Kobe definitely would’ve given the East problems had his pinky been in good shape. It should also be noted that Chris Paul is an absolute killer…because he was killing me during that 9-0 run the West had in the 4th. If the West had come out on top I would’ve put my vote in for Chris Paul as All-Star MVP.

One thing I noticed right off the bat was the chemistry between Jason Kidd and Lebron James. It made the thought of Jason Kidd coming to Cleveland resurface in my mind and got me excited like Kenny Smith during a dunk contest. It was so fun to watch those two run the court together — their games just meshed. Perhaps the Cavs will attempt to swing a deal to bring Jason Kidd to Cleveland given the complications that have arisen in the Nets - Mavericks trade. Cross your fingers! I really think this would give the Cavs a major boost towards getting deep into the playoffs this year. I don’t think they can–nor should they–rely on James putting on the performance he did in game 5. Not that he’s not capable of doing so, but even King James can only do so much.

Gotta love this time of year. Last minute trades abound, the annual All-Star game, and all of the little things in between. Little things like the Playstation Skills Challenge. Last year Dwayne Wade took it home. This year, he’s gonna try to repeat.

2008 Playstation Skills Challenge Participants

• Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat
• Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets
• Jason Kidd of the (maybe not for long!) New Jersey Nets
• Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz

Dunno about you folks, but I’m certainly excited to see this year’s skills challenge. I’m gonna go ahead and put my money on Dwayne Wade to uphold his title. My only doubts about Wade not getting it this year would be his long-range jumper. I’m more than confident in his mid-range jumper, his passing, and his ball handling. But it’s his long-range jumper that worries me. My rankings for the skills challenge:

1. Dwayne Wade
2. Deron Williams
3. Chris Paul
4. Jason Kidd

3-point shootout! Jason Kapono defends his title! He’s holding the highest 3p% of all the participants this year, too:

• Jason Kapono - 51%
• Daniel Gibson - 47%
• Richard Hamilton - 47%
• Steve Nash - 47%
• Dirk Nowitzki - 30%
• Peja Stojakovic - 46%

Who’s going to win? I’m going with Daniel Gibson — just because I love him so much. Yeah, sorry about the Cavs bias! No, wait, I’m not! But honestly, I think it’s a toss-up this year. Sure Dirk’s 3P% is dismal in comparison to the other participants this year, but he could always turn that around during the competition.

The T-Mobile Rookie Challenge goes to…Err, I mean: The T-Mobile Kevin Durant + Al Horford vs. Brandon Roy + LaMarcus Aldridge goes to the SOPHS. I didn’t have a doubt in my mind last year that the sophomores would wipe the floor with the rooks (which they did). But this year, even though I’m a bit more timid about it, I’m still going for the sophomores. They do, after all, have a year’s-worth (well 1.5 years or something) of experience under their belts!

Slam Dunk Contest! Always fun…always. Right when I thought it was starting to get a little mundane and uncreative, Dwight Howard puts a sticker on the backboard and slams it home — THEN PROCEEDS TO GET ROBBED BY THE JUDGES! 8, 8, 8, 9, UGH! My vote for this year’s slam dunk contest winner is Dwight Howard. Though I’m looking forward to seeing what Rudy Gay throws down.

dwight4prezz kindly linked us to this YouTube video of Dwight Howard’s dunks which gives us a fantastic sneak peak.