NBA All-Star Game: West Defeats East As Kobe Bryant Says Farewell
The first NBA All-Star Game in Canada lived up to the hype as Russell Westbrook took the MVP award in Kobe Bryant’s final appearance
The NBA’s first trip outside of the United States for the All-Star game was both electric and nostalgic as the the league celebrated its biggest night.
Before the contest even began, there were two video tributes to Kobe Bryant who was playing in his 18th and final All-Star game.
The first one was a tribute to his historic career with the Lakers; It re-visited his most dramatic game-winners, the 81 point game, and his five championships.
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The second looked as if it might push the stoic Black Mamba to tears as Magic Johnson setup a clip where Bryant’s fellow All-Stars spoke about how he inspired them and paid their respect to his career.
As usual, the game was a high scoring affair. At halftime, the West had 92 points which was a record for points in a half for the All-Star game. The West’s final total of 196 is also an All-Star game record, as are the 369 combined points from both teams.
Throughout the night, the contest seemed played out like a replay of Bryant’s greatest hits. He jumped for the tip-off against LeBron James and spent plenty of time going up against the two-time champion. James, in emphatic fashion, went right back at Bryant with energy that excited the crowd.
Bryant also found himself up against Pau Gasol. In the fourth quarter he challenged his friend and former teammate and Gasol indulged him by contesting his shots.
Once again, the NBA’s biggest night didn’t disappoint
It wasn’t only the Kobe Bryant show, however, as Paul George had a huge night for the Eastern Conference. The Palmdale native had 41 points, only one behind Wilt Chamberlain‘s all-time record for the event.
With under a minute to go, West coach Greg Popovich complicated things for the Pacers star by putting Draymond Green and Kawhi Leonard to defend him. The West stars denied the chance at history as George never got a clean look before time expired.
George did however break Carmelo Anthony‘s record for most three-pointers in the All-Star game with nine.
Other players who had an impact were Kevin Durant with 23 points and Stephen Curry with 26. Curry hit the final shot of the game in emphatic fashion with a half-court shot he had promised during practice.
Despite George’s fierce performance, it was 2015 MVP Russell Westbrook who stole the show with 31 points. The dynamic guard left his imprint on the game in nearly every facet with shots beyond the arc, dunks, and lobs to-and-from teammate Durant.
At the end of the contest, Westbrook was named the All-Star Game MVP for the second consecutive year. He is the first player to win the award back-to-back since Bob Pettit in 1958.
The All-Star game punctuates an amazing weekend for the entire NBA. Friday saw a fun slate of games as Team Canada defeated Team USA in the Celebrity Game, then the American team defeated the World team in the Rising Stars Challenge.
Next: NBA Power Rankings: Where every team stands after the NBA All-Star Break
Saturday night was one of the most exciting in NBA history as big man Karl-Anthony Towns won the Skills Challenge. Klay Thompson got revenge on teammate Steph Curry in winning the Three-Point Contest. And Zach LaVine triumphed over Aaron Gordon in a Dunk Contest that has raised the bar for every competitor for years to come.