Tag: Team LeBron

Tatum Leads Team Giannis To Victory 184-175

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Team Giannis forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives during the first half of the NBA basketball All-Star game Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, in Salt Lake City (AP News photo)

Jayson Tatum Leads Team Giannis To Victory

By Barbara Mason

Sunday evening the NBA All-Star Game took place after an amazing weekend of events. This was the 72nd year that this event has taken place, this year held in Salt Lake City. This game got underway after Mac McClung blew the crowd away on Saturday night winning the Dunk Contest with a run of spotless scores.

This year’s captains based on the number of votes were Giannis Antetokounmpo and the incomparable LeBron James. Team Giannis defeated Team LeBron 184-175.

The two captains for the first time ever, drafted their teams just ahead of the game. They first selected from the reserve pool and then chose from the players named All-Start starters.

Giannis Antetokounmpo took the stage with his very own playbook. The reserve players he chose were Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Shai Gilgeous- Alexander, DeMar Derozen, Pascal Siakam, Bam Adebayo and Domantas Sabonis. His starters were Jason Tatum, Ja Morant, Donovan Mitchell and Lauri Markanen.

LeBron James chose Anthony Edwards, Jaylen Brown, Paul George, Julius Randle, De’Aaron Fox and Jaren Jackson Jr., Tyrese Haliburton as his reserve players. His starters were Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving, Luca Doncic and Nikola Jokic.

“Big Brothers Big Sisters” was the charity chosen by Team LeBron and “Raise the Future” was Team Giannis’ choice.

The first quarter was as close as a game could be. Giannis Antetokounmpo hit the first basket of the game and seconds later “King James” tied up the game. The contest would pivot back and forth with neither team taking more than a three point lead. After the first 12 minutes the game was dead even 46-46 and the two teams would split the cash for the opening quarter. Each of their charities would receive $50,000.

At halftime Team Giannis led 99-92. They won the second quarter 53-46 and along with it the $100,000 going to “Raise the Future”.

The third quarter went to team Giannis 59-49 and they were on a roll leading 158-141. The target score was set in the fourth quarter at 182 with no commercials and no clock. Jayson Tatum tore through the second half of play with 55 points. Damian Lillard hit the winning three, the final 184-175 in favor of Team Giannis. They would earn $550,000 for “Raise the Future” and team LeBron would come away with $200,000 for “Big Brothers Big Sisters.”

The second half was played without their captains. James had sustained a hand issue while dunking in the first half and so the two captains watched from the bench. The MVP award went to Jason Tatum who broke the all-time scoring record. Tatum had a lot of help from Donovan Mitchell with 40 points. On team LeBron the high score was Jaylen Brown off the bench with 35 points. Kyrie Irving and Joel Embiid both came away with 32 points.

It was a great evening for all the fans in person and watching from their living rooms. The greatest names in the world of basketball put on an exciting show as we have seen year after year. It was a great night out for not only the fans but the players as well.

These players will now head back to continue the 2022- 23 season with games resuming this coming Thursday.

Curry’s 50 Points Propels Team LeBron To All-Star Win 163-160

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Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, right, shoots for three as Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant tries to block the shot at Quick and Loans Arena in Cleveland during the NBA All Star Game on Sun Feb 20, 2022 (AP News photo)

Curry’s 50 Points Propels Team LeBron To All-Star Win 163-160

By Barbara Mason

Sunday evening the NBA All-Star game got underway and as always it was a star-studded event. Team Durant and Team LeBron took on each other in Cleveland in this wonderful charity event. Team LeBron is playing for the I Promise Program and team Durant will be playing for the Cleveland Food Bank. On top of that the NBA and State Farm will donate $1900 for every assist made during the game which will be divided between the two team’s charities.

On Team Durant the starters were Andrew Wiggins, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Trae Young and Ja Morant. For Team LeBron Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Demar Derozan, Nikola Jokic and Stephen Curry. Team LeBron is favored by 5.5 points. With lineups like this it doesn’t get any more star-studded than this

It was a first quarter of long balls and crazy dunks by both teams and with 3:49 left in the first 12 minutes the score was 34 points apiece. It was very obvious that both teams were having a lot of fun playing but the fact remained that $100,000 were on the line for the winner of the first quarter.

Team LeBron won the first quarter 47-45 and the $100K for the Kent I Promise Program. High score for Team LeBron was the man himself with nine points and for Team Durant was Joel Embiid with 11 points the only player in the quarter with double digits.

The second quarter went to Team Durant winning 300K for their charity 49-46. The Warriors Curry had finished the half with 24 points and was eight of 11 from downtown. The all-time 3 point shooter certainly was living up to his reputation. The game score at the half was 94-93 in favor of Team Durant.

Halftime was a celebration of 75 years of the NBA. It was a celebration of family, of love and a celebration of all the players who have stepped foot on the court as an NBA player and all they have contributed to the game.

The show highlighted the legends of the past 75 years and it was amazing. A few of the names included of course the late great Kobe Bryant. Michael Jordan, Jerry West, Isaiah Thomas, Steve Nash, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, and Shaq O’Neill and the list goes on and on were present. What an incredible gathering of greats from the world of basketball

Curry took over the third quarter with a flurry of threes. The crowd was going crazy, the commentators were going crazy; it was insane. These shots were long and not just barely outside the arc, they were closer to mid-court than anything else. It was pure magic! His 15 shots were the most scored in an All-Star game in three quarters; seven of them in the third quarter. This guy just continues to break records.

The third quarter ended dead even at 45. The game score was 139-138 in favor of Team Durant. It was the Curry show with 45 points and 15 of 21 from downtown.

The fourth quarter target score was 163 points and the winner would earn an additional $150,000 for their charity. We saw more defense in this final quarter with a number of penalties. This game went down to the wire with Team LeBron winning 163-160. It was James himself who hit the winning shot. Curry would finish with 50 points and 16 from downtown.

The redesigned Kobe Bryant trophy was awarded to Curry this years MVP. There could not have been a more deserving, talented or humble guy to receive this award. This year’s All-Star game was a very special one with the diamond anniversary of the NBA being celebrated. Some very important charities will be on the receiving end of this game as well.

The beautiful Kobe Bryant trophy that went to the MVP was also an incredible highlight. So all in all this years All-Star game was one that we will not see for another 25 years.

Team LeBron comes back in wild fourth quarter to win NBA All-Star game 157-155

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The NBA’s annual All-Star game, this year in Chicago, featured a fantastic array of talented athletes. Team LeBron featured his teammate, Antony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, Luka Doncic, James Harden, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and Ben Simmons. The other team, captained by Giannis Antetokounmpo, starred Boston’s Kemba Walker, Atlanta’s young star, Trae Young, Miami’s Jimmy Butler, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, and Toronto’s Kyl;e Lowry and Pascal Siakam.

The game had a new rule this year. Whatever team won the quarter, a charity represented by either Team LeBron or Team Giannis would receive $100, 000 dollars. If the quarter ended in a tie, the money would be added to the $200,000 prize if their team won.

As is usual in the NBA’s All-Star game, teams did not play defense. They didn’t foul very much, either. In the first quarter, the game appeared to be a track meet. Both teams raced up and down the court. Kawhi Leonard was four for four on three-point tries as he led team LeBron to a 53-41 advantage. The Chicago Scholars charity received $100, 000 dollars. As mentioned earlier, teams didn’t commit too many fouls. There were a lot of lobs and dunks. Players making three-point shots were not contested. The first foul of the game came with just 23 seconds left to play in the period.

Team Giannis took control of the game in the second period. Kawhi Leonard stayed hot as he made three more threes in the quarter. However, Giannis Antetokounmpo got his game going and led his team to a 51-30 victory in the period. Trae Young, the second-year player from the Atlanta Hawks, wowed the crowd as he hit a three-point shot as the buzzer sounded. Team Giannis led 92-83 after the first 24 minutes of play.

The third quarter was a tie. Both teams scored 41 points, so there was no money going to a charity. The $100,000 would be added to the $200,000 going to the winning team’s choice. That meant one charity would go home with $400,000 and the other $100,000. Team LeBron’s Chris Paul got hot and made several threes in the third period. Team Giannis led Team LeBron 133-127 after three periods.

Under the new “Elam Ending Rule,” 24 points (to honor Kobe Bryant) were added to the team that led at the end of the third period. That established a target score of 157. The first team to reach 157 won the game. The new rule eliminated the clock. They would play as long as needed to reach the target.

Team LeBron, trailing by six, decided to play defense. They chose to go with a smaller lineup. Team Giannis, with two seven-footers, Rudy Gobert and Joel Embiid, as well as Giannis, had trouble handling the ball. Kawhi Leonard, who was the Defensive Player of the Year a couple of years ago, helped shut down Team Giannis’ offense. Embiid was double and tripled team. Team LeBron would not let Giannis’ bigs get easy baskets. In the meantime, James Harden, Chris Paul, and LeBron James kept driving to the hoop. Team LeBron regained the lead 152-150. Team Giannis came back and tied it at 152. With Team LeBron leading 156-155, Anthony Davis, who is from the Southside of Chicago, was fouled. Davis had two shots to end the game. He missed the first one. He did not lose the second won to win the game for Team LeBron.

Game Notes and Stats- Kawhi Leonard received the NBA’s Kobe Bryant Trophy for being the MVP. The trophy was named in Kobe’s honor and will be presented as such every year in the future. Kawhi had this to say after receiving the award.”It means a lot to me,” Leonard said. “Words can’t even explain. Just making this the first Kobe Bryant MVP trophy, I wanna thank Kobe for everything he did for me. All the long talks and workouts. Thank you. This one’s for him.”

The leading scorer for Team LeBron was Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi tallied 30 points and knocked down eight threes. He needed to make one more three to tie Paul George’s record of nine. Chris Paul had 23, and he connected on seven threes. Anthony Davis had 20, Ben Simmons 17, and James Harden 11.

Team Giannis had seven players in double figures. Giannis led with 25, Kemba Walker 23, Joel Embiid 22, Rudy Gobert 21, Pascal Siakam 15, Kyle Lowry 13, and Trae Young 10.

It was a fun game to watch. The play in the fourth quarter made the game all the more enjoyable. The NBA probably will continue the format in the future.