Around the NBA: All-Star 2021 recap

In case you missed it: we are dropping a quick recap of the 2021 NBA All-Star events because it was… well, quick.

Instead of the usual full weekend of festivities, the 2021 NBA All-Star events took place in one wild night of elite skill and hoops. The Skills Competition and 3-Point Contest took place first, followed immediately by the All-Star game itself. The Dunk Contest was held at halftime.

The Skills Competition only featured six competitors with two getting a first-round bye. One was Luka Doncic because he was an All-Star starter and expected to log big minutes. The other was Chris Paul because… he’s old. Despite the byes, Luka and CP3 fell to rolling big men, Domantas Sabonis and Nikola Vucevic. Pacers forward Sabonis would go on to take the title.

Next up was the 3-Point Contest, which wound up being one of the best parts of the night. There was a great field of competitors as usual and multiple shooters brought their A-game.

Mike Conley filled in admirably for the injured Devin Booker, putting up great scores in both rounds. However, it would be the unreal shooting of Steph Curry that would take the night. It came down to Curry’s final shot to overtake Conley, which he drained in classic Chef Curry fashion.

As we mentioned, the Dunk Contest was sandwiched between halves of the All-Star game. The contest featured rookies Cassius Stanley and Obi Toppin as well as second-year guard, Anfernee Simons of the Trailblazers.

Not much star-power to be had here, but plenty of bounce. Unfortunately, the dunk contest can be hit-or-miss and this one was a bit more in the miss column. Cassius Stanley looked impressive but played it safe. Toppin and Simons jumped high but did not get the (limited) crowd out of their seats. In the end, Simons won the judge’s favor with his (almost) kissing the rim slam.

Anyone who stopped and took much stock of the Team LeBron and Team Durant rosters had a feeling that it may be a bit lopsided. During the draft of the players, Durant admitted he had no plan and that may have cost his team. Team LeBron won every quarter, racking up big bucks for their charity.

Philadelphia 76ers stars, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were forced to miss the contest due to last-minute COVID contact tracing. Team Durant could have used MVP candidate Embiid (and Durant himself, who is injured). Team LeBron featured starters: Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic. Unstoppable.

For those that cannot watch the video highlights - the first half featured high flying and deep-bomb fun. Damian Lillard, Steph Curry, and Chris Paul each caught consecutive alley-oop slams and Curry and Lillard also unleashed barrages of deep, deep threes for Team LeBron. First-time All-Star, Zion Williamson mysteriously started the game 0 for 4 on dunks for Team Durant.

The second half featured less exciting sequences and Curry no-look follow-throughs but rounded out the night nicely. Giannis Antetokounmpo went 16 for 16 from the field (including two banked-in threes) en route to MVP honors.

Historically black colleges and universities were recipients of most of the charity and were highlighted all night. The condensed style of the contests was refreshing, though it is up for debate whether or not it was an improvement. The Rising Stars game was certainly missed.

That is a quick rundown! The NBA and basketball organizations at all levels continue to navigate unprecedented circumstances and hopefully, the light at the end of the tunnel is growing near. For more Around the NBA action as well as all things hoops - keep it locked right here!

Around the NBA: All-Star 2021 preview

The Basketball Movement previews the unique 2021 NBA All-Star “weekend.”

As you may expect, the 2021 version of NBA All-Star weekend is unique compared to previous years. The game format remains roughly the same and will encourage the competitive style we saw at the last event. There will still be a Skill Challenge, Three-Point Competition, and Dunk Contest, though everything will be taking place in one wild night.

All-Star 2021 was announced as canceled last November in anticipation of the worsening pandemic. The league and NBA Players Association met and decided that the event could still be held if conducted properly. The event will take place in Atlanta.

In order to minimize exposure, what is normally a three-night event is being crammed into one - Sunday, March 7th on TNT. The Taco Bell Skills Competition and MTN Dew 3-Point Competition will take place right before the game, with the Slam Dunk Contest happening during halftime. You may need to pop two bags of popcorn for this jam-packed evening.

Missing this year is the Rising Stars Game made up of rookie and sophomore players, which always provides a fun look at the league’s future. Less of a bummer is the lack of a celebrity game and NBA Legends Brunch. Our condolences to big fans of those.

The format of the All-Star Game itself will be similar to last year, encouraging healthy competition each quarter. It can be a bit complicated to spell out, so check the below tweet for a breakdown:

Shoutout to the NBA for continuing to honor the legacy of Kobe Bryant, who was an inspiration to so many of the evening’s participants and was taken far too soon.

Another parallel from previous years is the playground-style method of picking teams. Top Western Conference vote-getter, LeBron James will be a team captain and Kevin Durant will represent the East. The captains will take turns selecting first from the pool of starters and then the reserves. See the selections below based on fan voting, player and media votes, and coaches:

Devin Booker has since been selected to replace the injured Anthony Davis and Domantas Sabonis will replace the banged-up Durant.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had been captain representative from the East the last few seasons but Durant takes the throne this year. The draft always makes for interesting TV - you can tune in Thursday, March 4th at 7:00 pm Central on TNT.

UPDATE: Check the below tweets to see who LeBron and Durant selected for their teams. Devin Booker has since sustained an injury and will be replaced by Mike Conley of the Utah Jazz.

Slam Dunk, Three-Point, and Skill Competition participants should be announced soon. The whole league still gets a four-day break, though they are restricted on travel and such per league and NBPA agreed-upon protocols.

UPDATE: Check the below tweets to see the participants in the Dunk, Three-Point, and Skills Competition. Mike Conley will be replacing Booker in the Three-Point Contest as well:

The Basketball Movement will be updating you on Twitter as the fields fill out. We will also be recapping the big night, so keep an eye out right here down the road. This is lined up to be a great evening of hoops - we hope you tune in with us!

NBA All-Star Weekend 2021: Game on?

After announcing the cancellation of the 2021 NBA All-Star Weekend back in November, will the NBA stick to its guns?

Though nothing is officially confirmed, it is looking more and more like the NBA is going to go ahead with its annual All-Star game. The event was announced as canceled back in November, as the league was in the midst of its shortest offseason in history. The bubble experiment worked, but it made for some difficult scheduling for the following (current) season.

Now, we have several postponed games per week as some teams struggle to consistently meet the requirements for an 8-man roster as the pandemic rages on. Though there is hope on the horizon with the rollout of vaccines and smarter precautions, there is still plenty of cause for concern.

Voting for NBA All-Star 2021 players is underway in a relatively small window - January 28th through February 16th (Vote here). The original assumption was that the All-Star titles would be an honor only, with no actual game. The thinking was that bringing players from all different teams together unnecessarily could make COVID containment difficult.

Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA and NBPA are finalizing an agreement on an All-Star game in Atlanta and the protocols that will be enacted. March 7th is the proposed date for the event, which would see all skill competitions as well. The full break would be March 5th-10th.

Apparently, the health and safety protocols are the only holdup, as both sides are trying to determine the best way to minimize the risk to what will be many of the league’s top players. Additionally, other players on the break will not be allowed to travel overseas in addition to other protocols and suggestions.

Players and executives alike have been a bit resistant to the idea. LeBron James noted that he would attend, but may not be enthused about it. De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings bluntly called having the game “stupid.” Luckily for Fox, he will probably not be invited despite his All-Star level salary.

Whether or not having a game is a good idea, it appears to be in the pipeline. Fans will likely not attend, making it one more strange-looking event for pandemic sports. The Basketball Movement will continue to monitor news about the All-Star events, NBA, and hoops in general, so keep checking back!

NBA All-Star Weekend 2020 recap

The 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend was one of the most competitive in recent memory.

A perennial knock on the NBA All-Star game is that the players do not try hard enough. Big men jack threes, no one plays defense, and those jerks all have too much fun. This year there was plenty of fun, but also underlying competitiveness that we have not seen in almost all of the major events. Maybe it was the Mamba Mentality coming out.

Things kicked off on Friday night with the Rising Stars Challenge. Rookie and sophomore players were pitted against each other in the USA vs. The World format again, with both rosters looking pretty stacked. This is about the only event that did not come down to the wire, with Team USA comfortably ahead to end the fourth quarter.

A comeback was necessary though, with the energy of team USA led by Miles Bridges powering a third-quarter push to seize control. Bridges, a second-year player from the Charlotte Hornets would be named MVP for his efforts.

All-Star Saturday night is when things really began to heat up. The Skills Challenge, a mini obstacle course designed to show ball-handling, speed, passing, and shooting prowess was up first. Some favorites to win, including former winners Spencer Dinwiddie and Jayson Tatum, were knocked out immediately, with big men standing out from start to finish.

The final round featured two first-time All-Stars in Pacers forward Domantis Sabonis and Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo. It came down to who could make the final three-point shot. After a few attempts apiece, Bam drained his shot to take home the trophy.

In the second event of All-Star Saturday night, the Three-Point Contest would also come down to a photo finish. From top-to-bottom, all eight competitors shot the ball well, which does not always happen. Despite strong shooting all around, three players stood out and moved on: Devin Booker, Buddy Hield, and Davis Bertans.

The Wizards sweet-shooting big man, Bertans continued his impressive display, but it was not enough to hang with Booker or Hield. Booker surpassed Bertans score by going on multiple streaks and hitting money balls when he needed them most. Even with the intimidating score though, the Sacramento Kings’ Buddy Hield would not be denied. Down to the wire, Hield needed his very last shot to pass Booker and… splash. Buddy is the first King to win since Peja Stojakovic in 2002.

Always fun if also a bit hit-or-miss, the Slam Dunk Competition was perhaps the most memorable we have had since the 2016 showdown between Zach Lavine and Aaron Gordon. Despite his arguably superior creativity in 2016, the Orlando Magic’s Aaron Gordon was runner up. This year, he had an unfortunate bit of déjà vu.

After a decade away, Dwight Howard made his fourth appearance in the dunk contest. His hops may be a bit diminished, but he put on a nice display with a nice nod to Kobe Bryant and his own superman dunk all in one. Pat Connaughton of the Bucks had a nice showing also, going full White Men can’t Jump with his outfit and dunking over teammate, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The stars of the show were Derrick Jones Jr. of the Miami Heat and Aaron Gordon. Gordon’s creativity was on display again this year with varied dunks that pushed Jones Jr. into a dunk-off to finish. Gordon amassed a staggering five 50 point jams, including a crazy one-handed alley-oop 360 windmill off the side of the glass.

Jones Jr. impressed throughout as well, mostly relying on variations of between-the-legs jams. The judges could not give out 50s forever, so they eventually knocked a couple of points off what would be Jones Jr’s final dunk. That allowed them to make a final decision based on Gordon’s following dunk. Air Gordon brought out the 7’5” center of the Boston Celtics, Tacko Fall, dunked over him and was awarded one less point than Jones Jr., falling shy of the trophy once again in an epic battle.

A Saturday night filled with close, competitive action set the stage nicely for the big game on Sunday.

The format of the game was loaded with unique twists. Essentially, whichever team scored the most in a quarter got $100K towards the captain’s chosen Chicago charity. Both charities were for the education and betterment of kids, so one baseline area was loaded with the kids that would benefit, adding a fun element. There was no game clock in the fourth quarter. The high score was taken and had 24 points added to it (to honor Kobe Bryant) to create a goal score. The team that reached the goal score first won the game.

Team LeBron won the first quarter, Team Giannis the second, and the third was a tie, pushing that $100K prize into the winning pool.

The new format was entertaining and certainly seemed to add to the competitiveness of the game. There were still plenty of alley-oops and long bombs flying around, especially early. Chris Paul even dropped in a two-handed alley-oop slam for Team LeBron.

By the end, James Harden was jawing at the referees, Kyle Lowry was taking charges, and the preferred lineups were not exiting the game. What does this mean? The game was competitive and everyone was loving it.

Giannis was dunking essentially the entire game and Trae Young casually closed the half with a halfcourt bucket. Chris Paul led a second-half charge for Team LeBron, who eventually won the game 157-155 with Chicago native, Anthony Davis dropping in a clutch free throw to reach the goal.

Kawhi Leonard had 30 points including eight three-pointers to take the newly named Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP trophy home.

It was a weekend of fun, competitive hoops, and remembrance of David Stern and Kobe Bryant. For more coverage of the NBA as well as the basketball world as a whole, remember to keep it locked to The Basketball Movement!