ORLANDO – For the West, it was the Kevin Durant-Russell Westbrook Show. For the East, it was the LeBron James-Dwyane Wade Show.
Two players from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Two from the Miami Heat. Potential NBA finalists going at it in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game.
Durant, Westbrook and their West teammates got the best of James, Wade and their East teammates 152-149 Sunday, the West's second victory in a row.
Durant won his first All-Star MVP, scoring 36 points and grabbing seven rebounds.
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"It's just exciting to be named an All-Star, but to step it up another level and become MVP, it's only
something that as a kid you dream about," Durant said.
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Durant, who made a run at Wilt Chamberlain's 50-year-old, single-game All-Star scoring record of 42 points, had a tough time containing his joy. "Man, words can't describe it," he said.
Westbrook had 21 points, eight on spectacular dunks that were another highlight of the game.
"They're both great kids that work extremely hard," Thunder coach and West coach Scott Brooks said.
"They're real competitive. They're always about the team. They've taken us to a good level, but we've got a lot of work to do."
James also had 36 points (including a record-tying six three-pointers) and added seven assists and six rebounds. Wade had the All-Star Game's third triple-double: 24 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, who ended up with a fractured nose, scored 27 points, moving ahead of Hall of Famer Michael Jordan as the All-Star Game's all-time leading scorer with 271 points. Bryant started in fourth and passed Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the first half.
The East trailed by 21 points early in the third quarter of a game then lacking defense and competitiveness. But as is sometimes the case with player pride in an exhibition, the contest heated up.
"Being a competitor, no matter All-Star Game or not, you don't want to get blown out," James said.
Wade fouled Bryant hard, bloodying Bryant's nose in the third quarter. Bryant sustained a fractured nose on the play and will be examined by ear, nose and throat specialist Dr. John Rehm when he returns to Los Angeles Monday.
"I obviously didn't try to draw blood, but I took a foul," Wade said.
From the bench late in the fourth quarter, Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce yapped at Bryant, who stared and yapped back.
James, Wade and New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony led the comeback. Down 142-130 with 4:42 left in the fourth quarter, they scored 15 of the East's next 19 points, and Wade's two free throws trimmed the West's lead to 150-149.
The East had a chance to go ahead with less than 20 seconds to play. But Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin, who had 22 points, won it with his defense, picking off James' pass.
James got the ball back after miss by New Jersey Nets guard Deron Williams, and with less than five seconds left, James passed instead of shooting.
"I can't turn the ball over like that," James said. "Definitely wish I could have that one back."
Bryant barked at James. "He was telling me to shoot it," James said.
The points and dunks (45) came fast and forceful. Where has this scoring been during the regular season? Of course, defense is played then.
The teams set a record for most points scored in a non-overtime game, passing last year's mark when the West won 148-143.
The West set an All-Star record for most points in a half with 88 in the first, passing the previous mark of 87 set by the West in 1989. The East and West also tied the record for most points in a half (157) in the first.
East and Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau and his staff don't like to give up 88 points in a regular-season game.
Many of the dunks were better than ones displayed in Saturday's dunk contest. Over the weekend, James explained his regular absence from the event.
"That's not me. I'm not a dunk contest type of guy. I'm an in-game dunker," James said. "I kind of improvise during the game."
Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard played the gracious host All-Star weekend, throwing parties, gushing over the city and directing focus to the event. Howard, who can opt out of his contract after this season and is the subject of trade talks, did his best to make sure the weekend was not about him.
During a timeout in the first quarter, Howard sat down next to Magic owner Rich DeVos. But Howard mostly was irrelevant with nine points and 10 rebounds.
He still enjoyed the weekend.
"Haven't seen the city like this since the (2009) Finals," Howard said.
In a pregame welcome to fans, Howard called Orlando "home" and "our city." He didn't want anyone reading into his words.
"Exactly what I said. Nothing more, nothing less. I said exactly how I feel, from the heart. That came from the heart," Howard said.
Now the focus turns to Howard's future and the rest of the 2011-12 season.
Even though Oklahoma City and Miami have the best records at 27-7, Durant didn't entertain the idea of a possible Finals matchup: "You're taking (that) down the line, man. It's too early for that."
source:http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/story/2012-02-26/west-tops-east-in-all-star-shootout/53262508/1
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