NBA All-Star Weekend Sunday is officially in the books, with all the events taking place on one night in an effort to limit the COVID-19 risk. The celebrations came down to Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis winning the Skills Challenge and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry taking home the 3-point game.
At halftime of the NBA All-Star 2021 game, Anfernee Simons, Guardian of Portland Trail Blazers, won the Slam Dunk game before Team LeBron pulled away for a 170-150 victory over Team Durant to end the night . Overall, it was a fairly successful event considering the limitations.
Let’s now share some winners and losers, both literally and figuratively.
This is usually a good sign that you’ve had a decent game if you do not miss any shots – especially if you take 16 of them. Giannis scored a perfect 16 for 16 from the field, including 3 for 3 from long range (sure, two of them tuned in, but they still count) en route to a game-high 35 points and the All-Star Game MVP honor. Giannis was also the MVP in court because his microphone provided a lot of entertainment.
Antetokounmpo has picked up a lot of hardware over the past few seasons, and now he has one more trophy to add.
LeBron has been using #washedKing for a few years now as a motivator on Twitter, and it’s largely an idea of his own creation. With missed dunks like the ones he had in the first quarter of Sunday’s All-Star Game, it might become more of a reality.
Honestly, he might have missed it on purpose just so he could claim, “everyone said I was over the hill!” after the Lakers won a major playoff series within a few months. That LeBron … always one step ahead.
He scored just four points on 12-for-7 shooting within 12 minutes and decided not to take the court for the second half as his team went on to win. LeBron certainly has nothing to prove to anyone in terms of his basketball career, but Sunday night was definitely a dud.
Winner: Stephen Curry
Everyone knows Stephen Curry is the greatest shooter in NBA history, but it’s still a miracle to see him work. Curry absolutely excelled in both of his rounds in the 3-point game, beating Mike Conley on his last shot of the final round:
People who do not understand art should watch Curry shoot the ball and try to explain why tears are streaming down their face. He continued his absurdity during the All-Star game and struck several times from just inside the halfway line and one from the halfway line in a fight with Damian Lillard, just before halftime.
Oh yes, and he also throws down a two-handed dunk of a lobe, for those who may not know he can still get up.
Curry finished with 28 points on 8-for-16 3-point shooting in 21 minutes. In an up-and-down season for the Warriors, it must have felt good to be able to lift a trophy again and deliver a performance for the fans.
Tough blow for the two 76ers All-Stars, who could not participate on Sunday after their barber apparently tested positive for COVID-19. The 76ers are the Eastern Conference leaders and Embiid is the forerunner for MVP, so both players would probably have showcased their abilities on the national stage. It just shows you how even the most banal activities off the field can endanger players.
Winner: Damian Lillard
One of the best things about the Elam Ending is that there is always a chance to win the game. In last year’s All-Star Game it was an overwhelming free throw, but this time we got the match winner we deserved when Damian Lillard rose from a step inside the halfway line to give Team LeBron the win:
It was an exclamation point in an incredible game in which he scored 32 points on 8-for-16 3-point scores, of which there were well over 30 feet. Dame has an MVP caliber season and showcased all his talents on Sunday.
Loser: Dunk Contest judges
All the judges of the Dunk contest were winners this year, and there was optimism that they would do a better job than other years. Not the case. Cassius Stanley was robbed with his first attempt, given all nine, which is good if you want to set the standard that a 10 is not easy to earn. But then they gave Obi Toppin’s much inferior dunk a multiple of ten, and the kangaroo court was in session.
In the end, Anfernee Simons won with several impressive vertical narratives, but the rating was all over the place. Well, there is always next year.
Winner: Mike Conley
Not only did Conley relinquish the title of “best player to ever make an All-Star team” when he replaced Devin Booker, but he also put in an impressive performance in Booker’s place in the 3-point game offered. Conley went from side to side against Curry, putting him under pressure with 27 points in the final round, before finally losing on Steph’s last shot.
Conley won the HORSE competition last summer during the break (remember that?), And he almost withdrew the epic rugby battle on Sunday.
Winner: Gladys Knight
All-Star Game folk songs have a checkered history, to say the least, so it was refreshing to see live legend Gladys Knight absolutely crush it on Sunday. For anyone to do what she did would be impressive, but if you add that she’s still 76 years old, she deserves even more respect.
Larry Bird. Brent Barry. If you are going to stay warm up during your competition, you better win it. Luka Doncic did the opposite and blew two consecutive simple chest passes en route to an embarrassing Skills Challenge loss to eventual champion Domantas Sabonis.
Apparently he didn’t even warm up for the game, and that may be why he kept his warm-ups during his run.
Luka always has fun on the track, but maybe he should take things a little more seriously next time.
Winner: Versatile big men
Once again, the new kind of big man was on display during the Skills Challenge, as Domantas Sabonis has become the fifth non-keeper to win the competition in the last six seasons.
Nikola Vucevic also performed strongly by beating Robert Covington in the first round and upset Chris Paul before losing in the final to Sabonis. If you need a confirmation that the centers are just as skilled as the other players on the court, you got it on Sunday.