It’s actually too late, the coaches have already voted and we will find out who the NBA All-Star Game reserves are Thursday evening. But two guys on the bubble made statements and showed why they should be in. Oh, and LeBron had a triple double.
Third Star: Stephen Curry (31 points, 7 assists)
The Warriors have now beaten the Clippers and the Thunder in one week — you have any other questions about if they are for real? Stephen Curry leads Golden State and it showed Wednesday night — yes, he put up numbers but this was a night where maybe the best three point shooter in the NBA was off his game (3-of-14 from beyond the arc) yet he still found ways to contribute. The best sign of that was how, after missing a late three that would have sealed the Warriors win, Curry’s help defense did seal the game — when two teammates doubled Kevin Durant Curry slid down, stole the pass intended for Kendrick Perkins and and that was it. Well, he was fouled and hit some free throws and that sealed it, but you get the point. Curry is doing it all. Just like an All-Star would.
Second Star: LeBron James (31 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists)
LeBron kind of summed up the Heat on this night — the numbers are impressive and he was key to the win, but it wasn’t as impressive as it sounds. As a team the Heat’s defense was sloppy. With LeBron there was a pass to nobody (save the guy in the first row) in the final minute of regulation that could have really hurt the Heat. He followed that up with a hero-ball missed jumper as time expired that was not him attacking or running a play but settling. Of course, there are only a couple players where we would nit-pick what someone did wrong on the night they had a triple-double, but such are the standards for LeBron James now.
First Star: Josh Smith (30 points, 13 rebounds 8 assists)
Al Horford was out and the Hawks needed a lift — and up stepped Josh Smith. He showed up ready to play and had 10 points in the first quarter to help spark the Hawks to a lead they would never surrender. This was a night where Smith was not settling for jumpers (only 10 of his 24 shots came from outside the paint) and when he is aggressive good things usually happen.
It may be too late for Smith’s All-Star hopes, but it’s not to late for games like this to boost his trade value. In the last year of his contract, entering his peak at age 27, capable of games like this one, Smith is going to draw trade interest. We’ll see what the Hawks do with that, but Smith can be a beast when he attacks. And he was attacking against the Bobcats.
