Well, here’s why: because before Sting was announced as the halftime act at this year’s All-Star Game, when was the last time he’d been discussed like this?
Advertisement
He’s unlikely to forget it happening Sunday.
The East starters all took turns guarding Bryant in the opening minutes, even though “guarding” is a relative term in an All-Star Game.
“Sure, it was a joy”, Popovich said. “You know, a lot of players don’t understand that responsibility to be able to do that at that level, and he’s done it fiercely for all these years”. “I wasn’t hesitant at all to do that”.
After Magic finished by saying “there will never be another Kobe Bryant” and handed the mic off to the man of the hour, a chant of “KOBE, KOBE, KOBE” broke out, and members of the media stood and clapped. He made 12 of 13 shots, including eight dunks. Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry each earned one. Missed shots, miss handles, but one player capitalized on that.
“This is awesome”, Bryant said at the restaurant, glass in hand.
“Being able to talk to him and get knowledge and just hear him talking about different things he’s done for himself, for the game, his family”. Happy with everything going on surrounding Kobe. “So competitiveness in terms of me trying to establish something or prove something, that’s gone”.
Back in New Orleans, though, a sobering reality awaits. How could Sting, whose performance was mostly met with a shrug, be seen as a victor from All-Star Weekend?
The Thunder now have most of the week off until they return to action Friday, February 19th when they play host to George and his Pacers. The Sacramento Kings center also had four rebounds and an assist. George was limited to six games last season but has regained his form in 2015-16. From charity functions to player appearances, the league pulled out all the stops. At 20-33, the Pelicans could potentially be a team making trades for the long-term future rather than the present. Shooting guard Eric Gordon has been out three weeks with a fractured right ring finger.
“It’s a whole new season for us”, DeRozan said. “We’re dealing with adversity”. Coexisting with O’Neal wasn’t impossible because Bryant wouldn’t share the ball, it had more to do with O’Neal not displaying the fire for the game that Bryant did. Both all-star teams gathered around Johnson to watch the Jumbotron.
“You get away and relax and get your mind off the team and try to look at yourself and see what you can bring to the team when we get back together to help us move forward”, Davis said. Would the East All-Stars put a little defence on him?
There remains the question of whether the Pelicans will try it with their current roster or make adjustments.
The NBA trade deadline is this Thursday. We’re sure Russell is thrilled about that, too.
Zach LaVine called it the best dunk contest ever, a showdown with Aaron Gordon that rivaled what Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins did. He attended a Nike-sponsored event for local youth basketball players.
He caught up with fellow former Kentucky stars and connected with some of his fellow All-Stars and ex-Olympic teammates. The 18-time All-Star attempted some of his trademark turnaround jumpers and even threw up a sky hook that wasn’t close but made Bryant smile.
Advertisement
“It was all fun, that’s what this game was all about”, he said.
