Moving on to the game itself, this year’s NBA All-Star game broke a lot of records.
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“This is the best game with the best players – finally in the best city in the world”, the rapper and Raptors’ global ambassador told the giddy Air Canada Centre crowd.
The Western Conference dismantled the Eastern Conference in a record-setting offensive barrage, 196-173, in Toronto on Valentine’s Day.
The game is headed to the fourth quarter, the only time players usually put any effort into stopping anyone in this spectacle that otherwise is all offense, all the time. “I wish I could have hit a couple of more shots but it was fun out there”.
Sting, the former frontman of the Police sang at halftime, while Cirque du Soleil, the acrobatic group founded in Montreal, performed a pre-game act that was part basketball, part parkour. It’s everything I dreamed of.
Just prior to the close of the game, the host city Toronto passed on the mantle to Charlotte, North Carolina, where Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Hornets will host the 2017 All-Star Weekend. “Hopefully I can have some more weekends like this”.
Russell Westbrook scored 31 points, becoming the first player to win outright back-to-back MVP awards. The team also set the most field goals at the half with 41.
Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant, who has announced he will retire at the end of the season, joined in the party by scoring 10 points in his final appearance in the NBA’s mid-season showcase.
Bryant even exuded joy still during his postgame news conference. And, you know, I got a chance to stop Pau (Gasol) in a post, redeem myself from what he did to me when Chicago came to town. All those things are just fun. “I had a great, great time”. Toronto got a nice show (and another from Sting!), but it’s hard to say that anyone will remember much of this game in the years to come. Embrace it all.’ He said, ‘You would have never thought that at Michigan State.
Bryant said this weekend that he wouldn’t jack up shots to vie for the MVP award. Anthony Davis had 24 on 12-for-13 shooting, and Kevin Durant chipped in 23.
Gregg Popovich wasn’t impressed by the lack of defense on display. That was followed by a video from Bryant himself bidding adieu to the game he loves most. The 53 points of the Western selections in the third quarter, 104 points in the second half and 196 points in the game were all records for points by a team in a quarter, half and game.
Westbrook led nine West players in double figures.
However, George’s sparkling performance for the East wasn’t enough to quell the tide of the plethora of superstars in the West team.
The All-Star Game drew 7.2 million viewers last season. “It was cool to learn things from him, and now to be here is special”, said Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat guard.
“Of course, I’d be lying to you if I didn’t think about it”, James said.
“It was ust a very upward climb”, George said. When I hear those kind of stories, man, that makes me feel real good. LeBron slapped the floor on defense in front of him as the crowd cheered, but Bryant missed a tough fallaway jumper.
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Russell Westbrook led the scoring for the West with 31 points, which included seven three-pointers as well as totalling eight rebounds and five assists.
