NBA All-Star MVP Goes to Kevin Durant
The NBA All Star game usually puts more emphasis on players' skill of showmanship than a team's ability to win, however that was not the case in Sunday's All Star game as the game drew towards a conclusion.
The NBA All-Star game consists of the best players from the East and West and usually includes players employing spectacular slam-dunks or alley oops. The game typically depends on a lot of fan fare to amp up the excitement, including things like dance music and lighting effects.
This year's game featured Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James. By the fourth quarter, fans weren't much in need of special effects. It was uncertain who would take the win until the very last few moments, with the game coming down to a defensive play. The game was high scoring, the West Conference barely taking pulling through by a score of 152-149.
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"You know, you have some of the best competitors out on the floor at the same time," James said. "Not only me and Kobe, but D-Wade and Durant and (Carmelo Anthony) and (Chris Paul), and all the rest of the guys. We all wanted to win, and it came down to the last minute or last seconds."
Kevin Durant was named MVP of the game. "It was fun," Durant said. "That's the type of All-Star game you want to see."
Kobe Bryant also beat out Michael Jordan for the highest scoring record.
Bryant took the record with 4:57 seconds left in the game, by scoring on a slam-dunk. Jordan, who held the previous record of 262 points, was beaten out by Bryant's new career total of 271.
"That record he got tonight, with KD in the league, I don't know how long it's going to last," Dwayne Wade said adding his skepticism.
James admitted that the All-Star game took on a competitive edge. "Being a competitor, no matter All-Star game or not, you don't want to get blown out," James said. "Of course not, when you're going against your peers and you're going against great players and you're playing with great players. I just wanted to try to pick it up and see if we could make a run at it, and we did."
