It was “Back To The Future” night in Phoenix Sunday evening as former teammates Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal were both handed the 2009 NBA All-Star Game MVP Award, as the duo led the squad from the Western Conference past the East 146-119. The Los Angeles Lakers guard Bryant led all players with 27 points, and the “Big Cactus” now playing center for the Phoenix Suns put on a show from his introduction, to scoring 17 points off the bench for the West to win Co-MVP honors with Kobe. New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul also had a big night for the West with a double-double, 14 points, and dishing off 14 assists.
The fun started in the introductions of the players as Shaq came out wearing a white mask and dancing! As with all NBA All-Star contests, defense was an after thought, this was all about scoring and making the crowd react. The Western squad shot a red-hot 61.3% (65-106) from the floor, while the East could only muster 47% (47-100) shooting for the game (I think the last time both teams shot 100 shots each in a regular season NBA game was 1985!)
Kobe led the West with 27 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds, while Amare Stoudemire had 19 points, and 6 rebounds. Shaquille O’Neal pleased his home crowd with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block, Chris Paul recorded a double-double, 14 points, 14 assists, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals. Brandon West, Tony Parker, and Pau Gasol all came off the bench for the West and scored 14 points each.
LeBron James led the Eastern Conference team with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, in the loss. Dwyane Wade dropped 18 points, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 2 rebounds, while Paul Pierce came off the pine with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Dwight Howard scored 13 points, 9 boards, 3 blocks, and 1 steal, Kevin Garnett added 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Mo Williams the last player to be selected as an All-Star also had 12 points, 5 assists, and 2 rebounds.