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West beats East 146-119. LeBron scores 20, Williams adds 12
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Monday, Feb 16, 2009
PHOENIX: LeBron James closed out his fifth NBA All-Star Game with a soaring, two-handed dunk as players from both sides cleared the court for the king's exclamation point.
James denied it was a preview for his participation in next year's All-Star Slam Dunk contest, which he hinted at Saturday.
''No, I wanted to show the fans a little something,'' James said.
But for most of Sunday night, the Cavaliers' contingent of James, Mo Williams and coach Mike Brown watched a Los Angeles Lakers' reunion party.
Shaquille O'Neal, the lovable 7-footer from the Phoenix Suns whose most memorable years came with the Lakers, livened up the game at the U.S. Airways Center from the moment he stepped onstage for a pregame dance number wearing a white mask.
Absent last year, O'Neal turned it on during his 11 minutes, scoring 17 points. Back on the court with former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant, the pair stole the show as the West All-Stars ran off with a 146-119 victory.
Bryant turned in 27 points, four rebounds and four assists and was named co-Most Valuable Player with O'Neal. All but one of Bryant's assists went to O'Neal. The Lakers' Please see All-Star, C4
Continued from Page C1
Phil Jackson was the winning coach.
O'Neal said afterward it was probably his final All-Star Game.
''Whenever he decides to unlace the shoes, the game will miss the big fellow,'' James said of O'Neal. ''He brings showmanship, sportsmanship, laughter.
''The game doesn't look back on a lot of players who come through the league, but Shaq is definitely one of those guys you always look back on and wish he were still around.''
Two-time all-star MVP James totaled 20 points, five rebounds and three assists, playing nearly 27 minutes. He provided a few other clips for the highlights, including a 360-spin for a layup in the fourth quarter and a backward layup in the third.
First-time participant Williams added 12 points and five assists in 17 minutes.
As for what happened in the blowout, James said, ''The West played a zone on us all night.''
James was named the All-Star Game's Most Valuable Player in 2006 and 2008.
At halftime, James and his U.S. Olympic teammates Chris Bosh, Bryant, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard and Dwyane Wade received their Olympic rings for winning the gold medal in Beijing. James also took part in a third-quarter Valentine's Day video shown on the scoreboard and proved singing will never be his forte with a brief rendition of My Girl. O'Neal (Caribbean Queen and Amare Stoudamire (That's Amore, which he changed to his name) drew huge applause.
Among the stars seated courtside were John and Cindy McCain, Spike Lee (in a top hat), Muhammad Ali, Eva Longoria (in at least 5-inch stilettos), Maria Shriver, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Ludacris and Akon.
Brown directed the East, the second man in Cavs' franchise history to coach in the All-Star Game and the first since Lenny Wilkens in 1989. Legendary center Bill Russell occupied the first seat on the East's bench, while Brown's sons Elijah (almost 14) and Cameron (11) sat at the end next to the injured Bosh.
Brown didn't play favorites. Williams was the last man off the East bench, entering at the start of the second quarter. It was the first all-star appearance for Williams, a late injury replacement for Toronto's Bosh (sprained right knee).
Williams hit his first basket, a 3-pointer from the top of the key, with 5:36 left in the second quarter, which may have settled him down after he missed his first two attempts. Williams insisted Friday he never gets nervous, but James figured that would change when the bright lights came on. After Williams broke the ice, he followed with a layup after his crossover dribble avoided Stoudamire, and a jumper from the key.
''Once I got my first shot to go down, I Ioosened up real quick,'' Williams said. ''It was fun. I could get used to it.''
The East jumped out to a 20-8 lead, with James hitting two layups and a 3-pointer. But the West came roaring back behind Bryant and O'Neal, who combined for 11 points as the West forged ahead 21-20. The West used a 19-0 run to build a 27-20 edge with 2:03 left in the quarter before Rashard Lewis of Orlando ended the surge with a 3-pointer.
The West led 32-25 at the end of the period as Bryant popped in 11 and O'Neal, six, on a tip-in and two slams.
Asked at halftime how he felt to be reunited with O'Neal, Bryant said: ''He's a great dancer. It was fun out there with him again.'' Bryant was referring to O'Neal's pregame number.
Boston's Paul Pierce awakened the East in the second quarter, scoring 12 points, including eight in a 12-2 surge that cut the deficit to 46-45. But the West held on to a 72-67 lead at halftime. Pierce led the East at intermission with 14, while James contributed 10 (hitting 4-of-9 from the field) and Williams, seven. Bryant paced the West with 13, while the Suns' Stoudamire and the LA Lakers' Pau Gasol had 10 apiece.
The East hit just 8-of-34 3-pointers for the game and the West had a 96-58 edge in points in the paint.
The West took command in the third quarter, when it opened up a 110-91 lead behind O'Neal's 11 points. The highlight was his driving dunk from the left wing. Some of O'Neal's slams made a few wonder whether the backboard would hold up to the 325-pounder's weight.
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her Browns blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/browns/.
PHOENIX: LeBron James closed out his fifth NBA All-Star Game with a soaring, two-handed dunk as players from both sides cleared the court for the king's exclamation point.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Kent, OH
Posted 11:07 AM, 02/16/2009
CP3 had a double-double, should have gotten MVP
Barberton, OH
Posted 02:01 PM, 02/16/2009
The NBA is a strange fixed sport...
