LeBron James finally closed the bag with the last shot. Together with MVP Stephen Curry, he decided the NBA’s All-Star Game in his home state of Ohio against Team Durant.
“I couldn’t have dreamed of a better moment,” James said of his two-pointer to make it 163-160 for Team LeBron against Team Durant. Sunday’s All-Star Game was in Cleveland, making it a home game for James. He grew up only about a half-hour from the gym and played a big part in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ only championship to date in 2016.
The Most Valuable Player of the game, however, was Steph Curry, also from Akron, who scored 50 points, just missing the record by two points in an All-Star Game.
“It’s special to be here in Ohio and play with the best,” said Curry, who received the trophy named after the injured NBA legend Kobe Bryant and hit some of his 16 three-pointers (!), sometimes from the middle of the court. That was a record for converted three-pointers, he was one basket short of Anthony Davis’ point best (2017): “I tried. “
James, by the way, has never lost an All-Star Game with his teams since the players with the most votes in the Eastern and Western Conference are captains respectively. It was his 18th All-Star Game overall, he is now tied with the late Bryant, just one participation short of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record.
Captain Durant missing – Wagner shines for Rising Stars
Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets did not attend the game, his grandmother having passed away shortly before on Sunday. He missed an entertaining game with little defence and plenty of showmanship on the offensive end. Probably the most spectacular dunk of the night came from Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies, who sank an alley oop with his back to the basket.
At half-time, the NBA honoured the 75 best players in its history. The fans in the hall therefore got to see numerous legends who are no longer active, including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Dirk Nowitzki, who also made a guest appearance as a co-commentator on TV.
Also part of the All-Star Weekend was the Rising Stars Tournament for young professionals. German rookie Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic won the final with a free throw for his team.
