NBA All-Star Game
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The National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. From that year on, the game has matched the best players in the Eastern Conference against the best in the Western Conference.
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[edit] Selection Process
The participants are currently chosen in two ways. The first is via fan ballot, with the leading vote getters at each position starting the game, secondly the reserves are chosen by a vote among the head coaches of the squad's particular conference.[1] Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own players. If a player is injured and cannont participate, the commissioner will select a replacement.
The coaches who currently lead the team with the most wins in their conference through the Sunday two weeks before the game will coach their respective conferences. However, the same coach cannot coach the team in consecutive seasons.[1] This is the so-called "Riley Rule" so named because coach Pat Riley's Lakers teams of the 1980's won so often that he coached the Western Conference team nearly every season in the 1980's. In the event that a coach's team repeats as the best record holder the coach from the team with the next best record will serve as All-Star coach for that conference.
The 2006-2007 selection process was unique due to the rather high number of injured all-stars and snubbed stars. Eddy Curry, Carmelo Anthony, Zach Randolph and several other players (and their coaches) had issues over the process. http://www.ElevationMag.com did extensive NBA All Star coverage and quoted Stephon Marbury from the New York Knicks on how he thought the voting really occurred "I think ultimately at the end of the day it comes down to the NBA. I think the NBA picks the teams." -Stephon Marbury ( http://www.elevationmag.com/basketball/index.php?itemid=228&catid=1 )
[edit] Features of the All-Star Game
The All-Star Game is played under normal NBA rules, but there are notable differences from an average game.
Since the starting All-Stars are selected by fan vote, players often start the game at atypical positions. For instance, in 2007 Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady had the two highest fan vote totals among Western Conference guards. As both players normally play shooting guard, Bryant, who is 6'6" (203 cm), started the game as a point guard, a position usually manned by a much smaller player.
The player introductions are usually accompanied by a significant amount of fanfare, including lighting effects, dance music, and pyrotechnics. Special uniforms are designed for the game each year, usually with a red, white, and blue color scheme. A major recording artist typically sings "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to tipoff. One of the more memorable performances was given by Marvin Gaye during the 1983 game. Gaye was accompanied by a drum machine and used numerous elements of soul music and funk. The entire audience was clapping along as the song reached its last line.
Gameplay usually involves players attempting spectacular slam dunks and alley oops. Defensive effort is limited and the final score of the game is generally much higher than an average NBA game. The coaches also try to give most of the reserve players some time on the court instead of using a limited rotation as they would in a normal game. The fourth quarter of the game is often played in a more competitive fashion if the game is close.
Halftime is also longer than a typical NBA game due to musical performances given by major stars such as Elton John, Destiny's Child, Mariah Carey, and OutKast.
[edit] All-Star Game results
The Eastern Conference All-Stars lead the all-time series 34–22.
| Year | Result | (Arena), City | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | East 111, West 94 | (Boston Garden), Boston, MA | Ed Macauley, Boston Celtics |
| 1952 | East 108, West 91 | (Boston Garden), Boston, MA | Paul Arizin, Philadelphia Warriors |
| 1953 | West 79, East 75 | (Allen County War Memorial Coliseum), Ft. Wayne, IN | George Mikan, Minneapolis Lakers |
| 1954 | East 98, West 93 (OT) | (Madison Square Garden), New York, NY | Bob Cousy, Boston Celtics |
| 1955 | East 100, West 91 | (Madison Square Garden), New York, NY | Bill Sharman, Boston Celtics |
| 1956 | West 108, East 94 | (Rochester War Memorial Coliseum), Rochester, NY | Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks |
| 1957 | East 109, West 97 | (Boston Garden), Boston, MA | Bob Cousy, Boston Celtics |
| 1958 | East 130, West 118 | (Kiel Auditorium), St. Louis, MO | Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks |
| 1959 | West 124, East 108 | (Olympia Stadium), Detroit, MI | Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks; Elgin Baylor, Minneapolis Lakers |
| 1960 | East 125, West 115 | (Convention Hall), Philadelphia, PA | Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia Warriors |
| 1961 | West 153, East 131 | (Onondaga County War Memorial Coliseum), Syracuse, NY | Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals |
| 1962 | West 150, East 130 | (Kiel Auditorium), St. Louis, MO | Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks |
| 1963 | East 115, West 108 | (Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena), Los Angeles, CA | Bill Russell, Boston Celtics |
| 1964 | East 111, West 107 | (Boston Garden), Boston, MA | Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals |
| 1965 | East 124, West 123 | (Kiel Auditorium), St. Louis, MO | Jerry Lucas, Cincinnati Royals |
| 1966 | East 137, West 94 | (Cincinnati Gardens), Cincinnati, OH | Adrian Smith, Cincinnati Royals |
| 1967 | West 135, East 120 | (Cow Palace), San Francisco, CA | Rick Barry, San Francisco Warriors |
| 1968 | East 144, West 124 | (Madison Square Garden), New York, NY | Hal Greer, Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1969 | East 123, West 112 | (Baltimore Civic Center), Baltimore, MD | Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals |
| 1970 | East 142, West 135 | (The Spectrum), Philadelphia, PA | Willis Reed, New York Knicks |
| 1971 | West 108, East 107 | (San Diego Sports Arena), San Diego, CA | Lenny Wilkens, Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1972 | West 112, East 110 | (The Forum), Inglewood, CA | Jerry West, Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1973 | East 104, West 84 | (Chicago Stadium), Chicago, IL | Dave Cowens, Boston Celtics |
| 1974 | West 134, East 123 | (Seattle Center Coliseum), Seattle, WA | Bob Lanier, Detroit Pistons |
| 1975 | East 108, West 102 | (Veterans Memorial Coliseum), Phoenix, AZ | Walt Frazier, New York Knicks |
| 1976 | East 123, West 109 | (The Spectrum), Philadelphia, PA | Dave Bing, Washington Bullets |
| 1977 | West 125, East 124 | (Milwaukee Arena), Milwaukee, WI | Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1978 | East 133, West 125 | (The Omni), Atlanta, GA | Randy Smith, Buffalo Braves |
| 1979 | West 134, East 129 | (Pontiac Silverdome), Pontiac, MI | David Thompson, Denver Nuggets |
| 1980 | East 144, West 136 (OT) | (Capital Centre), Landover, MD | George Gervin, San Antonio Spurs |
| 1981 | East 123, West 120 | (Coliseum at Richfield), Richfield, OH | Nate Archibald, Boston Celtics |
| 1982 | East 120, West 118 | (Continental Airlines Arena at The Meadowlands), East Rutherford, NJ | Larry Bird, Boston Celtics |
| 1983 | East 132, West 123 | (The Forum), Inglewood, CA | Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1984 | East 154, West 145 (OT) | (McNichols Sports Arena), Denver, CO | Isiah Thomas, Detroit Pistons |
| 1985 | West 140, East 129 | (Hoosier Dome), Indianapolis, IN | Ralph Sampson, Houston Rockets |
| 1986 | East 139, West 132 | (Reunion Arena), Dallas, TX | Isiah Thomas, Detroit Pistons |
| 1987 | West 154, East 149 (OT) | (Kingdome), Seattle, WA | Tom Chambers, Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1988 | East 138, West 133 | (Chicago Stadium), Chicago, IL | Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls |
| 1989 | West 143, East 134 | (Astrodome), Houston, TX | Karl Malone, Utah Jazz |
| 1990 | East 130, West 113 | (Miami Arena), Miami, FL | Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1991 | East 116, West 114 | (Charlotte Coliseum), Charlotte, NC | Charles Barkley, Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1992 | West 153, East 113 | (Orlando Arena), Orlando, FL | Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1993 | West 135, East 130 (OT) | (Delta Center), Salt Lake City, UT | Karl Malone, Utah Jazz; John Stockton, Utah Jazz |
| 1994 | East 127, West 118 | (Target Center), Minneapolis, MN | Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls |
| 1995 | West 139, East 112 | (America West Arena), Phoenix, AZ | Mitch Richmond, Sacramento Kings |
| 1996 | East 129, West 118 | (Alamodome), San Antonio, TX | Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls |
| 1997 | East 132, West 120 | (Gund Arena), Cleveland, OH | Glen Rice, Charlotte Hornets |
| 1998 | East 135, West 114 | (Madison Square Garden), New York, NY | Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls |
| 1999 | Canceled–due to lockout; scheduled for (First Union Center), Philadelphia, PA | ||
| 2000 | West 137, East 126 | (Oakland Arena), Oakland, CA | Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers; Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs |
| 2001 | East 111, West 110 | (MCI Center), Washington, D.C. | Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2002 | West 135, East 120 | (First Union Center), Philadelphia, PA | Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2003 | West 155, East 145 (2OT) | (Philips Arena), Atlanta, GA | Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2004 | West 136, East 132 | (Staples Center), Los Angeles, CA | Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2005 | East 125, West 115 | (Pepsi Center), Denver, CO | Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2006 | East 122, West 120 | (Toyota Center), Houston, TX | LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2007 | West 153, East 132 | (Thomas & Mack Center), Las Vegas, NV* | Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2008 | East vs. West | (New Orleans Arena), New Orleans, LA | N/A |
| 2009 | East vs. West | (Air Canada Centre), Toronto, ON, Canada | N/A |
* denotes a city without an NBA team.
Memphis, Portland and Sacramento are the only current NBA cities that have not yet hosted an NBA All-Star Game.
[edit] Other All-Star events
The All-Star Game is the featured event of All-Star Weekend, and it is held on Sunday evening. All-Star Weekend also includes a number of popular exhibition games and competitions featuring NBA players and alumni as well as players from the WNBA and D-League.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b espn.com, Anthony snubbed when All-Star reserves announced (AP report), accessed February 2, 2007
