Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the NBA daily, even when COVID has ravaged the league.
Damian Lillard shot all the lights out.
Well, that was the All-Star Game.
I think I was more relieved than anything that it was over as they were doing what we all thought was an unnecessary game during a pandemic. But I’m also not going to lie to everyone and say that I didn’t enjoy it because I did. We all need our entertainment at home. And while the game wasn’t close, there were some moments that wowed us.
Giannis Antetokounmpo did NOT miss a single shot and set a record for most field goals made without a miss in ANY NBA game, really. He went 16 for 16, breaking Hal Greer‘s all-star record of 8 for 8 and exceeding Wilt Chamberlain‘s regular season record of 15 for 15. Giannis scored 35 points in 19 minutes and won the All-Star Most Valuable Player award.
There were some neat plays in the game like Chris Paul (who set an All-Star Game record with 16 assists) and Stephen Curry exchanging alley-oops. LeBron James can still get up there but he didn’t play in the second half. Jayson Tatum had some nice dunks.
But it was really a shooting exhibition by Curry and Damian Lillard. These two ridiculous shooters would pull from halfcourt a few times and they made it look so easy. In fact, Lillard pulled from JUST inside halfcourt to end the game. I imagine this would drive coaches crazy but should they really go nuts if these guys are making halfcourt shots consistently?
Again, the game wasn’t too competitive. And yes, they were donating to charities but did they really need an all-star game for that?
But like I said, I think most of us are just glad they pretty much came away unscathed. Now let these players get their rest before they start worrying about this pandemic again starting Wednesday.
Bullet Passes
Once again, the Skills Challenge is not something I look forward to but it’s neat watching it. It’s a race to see who could dribble, make a good pass, convert a lay-up, and then make a 3. I feel like they could do more with this.
Domantas Sabonis defeated Nikola Vucevic in the Finals as the big men continue to rule this event.
The dunk contest was done at halftime of the All-Star Game. Cassius Stanley had a nice between-the-legs dunk that I felt got too low of a score. It made him have to bring out his under-the-legs dunk that he couldn’t execute. In the end, Anfernee Simons defeated Obi Toppin, 3-2, in the Finals. Toppin made a between-the-legs dunk a couple of steps inside the foul line while Simons seemed to kiss the rim on his lob dunk.
Here’s the entire contest:
(VIDEO CREDIT: House of Highlights.)
The 3-point contest hardly disappoints and we had another nail-biter. Mike Conley exploded the nets in the first round with 28 points out of a possible 40 (they brought back the 29-foot green ball Mountain Dew shot). Curry, however, topped that with 31 points.
Conley put up an impressive 27 points in the Final Round. Curry would miss his first four shots but he came back to win with 28 after making the final money ball. Curry is now a two-time three-point shootout champ.
You can check out the first round here. And we’re embedding the Final Round:
(VIDEO CREDIT: House of Highlights.)
In non-All-Star stuff, Blake Griffin is joining the Brooklyn Nets. Man, that team would look incredible in 2015. I mean, it’d still be incredible now if Blake somehow returns to that form but we’ve seen how he’s looked this season. It’s kind of sad. But either way, him coming off the bench and playing 20 minutes would actually be not so bad.
NBA Scoreboard
Mar. 7, 2021
Watch This Play
This is how you end a game. Dame Time!
Damian Lillard ends the game with a deep three!
32 PTS | 8 3PTS
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) March 8, 2021
That is just amazing.
Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the NBA as well.
You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
You can also check out Rey-Rey’s podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental, for more basketball content and, really, whatever else.