It was obvious Kobe Bryant was going hard after the MVP three minutes into the game.
That’s when, with the score tied just 6-6, Kobe got the ball in the right corner, drove baseline on Derrick Rose, the help defense was late and he went up-and-under for the kind of reverse jam he probably hasn’t done in a game in years. Many years.
“You could tell he started out from the start, he wanted to get the MVP,” Amar’e Stoudemire said of Kobe. “He was not passing the ball at all.”
Kobe looked energized — he had five dunks in the game and good luck remembering the last time he did that — and admitted later he wanted to put on a show for the hometown fans. He finished with 37 and flirted with the record for most All-Star Game points (44 by Wilt Chamberlain).
Elsewhere LeBron James had a triple double (29 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists — the only other guy to do that in the All-Star Game was Michael Jordan). Amar’e Stoudemire was flying in and throwing it down to the tune of 29 points. Everybody was looking to lob to Blake Griffin. Kevin Durant dropped 34 including the dagger three late (on an actual Kobe pass in the clutch, so you knew it was an exhibition).
The West won the 2011 All-Star Game 148-143, but nobody will remember the score. They will remember Kobe got his fourth All-Star MVP award (tied for most ever). They’ll remember his dunks. They’ll remember LeBron’s all-around game and Stoudemire’s dunks. They’ll remember Rihanna and Kanye at halftime. They’ll remember it was close at the end.
They’ll remember it was fun.
Which is exactly what it should be — an entertaining exhibition with some fond memories for later.
That drives some people crazy. They want it to feel like a regular season game — you know, with defense. Maybe some set plays in the half court rather than transition and isolation. A little teamwork. Some off the ball movement. They want to change the All-Star Game to make it mean something.
Why?
There are plenty of games that matter. There are plenty of meals, we need a little dessert. There should be a time and a place for the best athletes go just have fun and show their skills off. There’s a time to let them pretend they are on the playground and show off a little.
Some have suggested the NBA do what baseball does — have the conference that wins the All-Star Game get to be home team for the Finals.
“And just discount the 82 regular season games an just base it all on one game?” Kobe asked about that idea. “No, I think it’s fine the way it is. You can’t take it over the top with seriousness and all that.”
Same thing with the idea the NHL went with this season — name a couple captains and let them pick their team from the guys lined up on the wall. While that certainly is playground I’m not sure that works as well in basketball (especially when you think of the influence that agents and shoe companies and the like would try to exert over the process).
Don’t mess with what works. The game got a little competitive in the fourth quarter, and that added to the fun. The game was not clean, but energetic through the end. Well, Kobe wasn’t energetic at the end — “Those dunks took my legs from me” — but Durant was knocking down threes and they were able to get enough stops on LeBron and Stoudemire for the West to win.
Is the NBA All-Star Game some cotton candy in the middle of the season? Yes. So what? Sometimes cotton candy is pretty damn tasty.
