Kobe’s West Hammers Bosh’s East In NBA All-Star Game
Posted February 18, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The NBA all-star game’s already known throughout the world of sports as an extremely gaudy spectacle, both on the court and off.
Add to that the fact that the 2007 edition was held in Las Vegas, and the gaudiness was almost assured to hit new heights.
For that reason alone Chris Bosh’s first all-star game as a starter will likely be memorable for the Toronto Raptors big man, but his on court performance: not so much.
The man who led a surprise Raptors team to a 4.5-game lead in the Atlantic Division was held to 11 points and seven rebounds for an overmatched Eastern Conference, but was hardly the lone East player to struggle as the Western Conference cruised to a 153-132 victory Sunday night.
Kobe Bryant led the way for the West pouring in 31 points and was rewarded with MVP honours for the second time in his career.
Canada’s two-time league MVP Steve Nash was missing in action with a shoulder injury, but his teammate Amare Stoudemire represented the Phoenix Suns well, adding 29 points in the lopsided win.
Last year’s MVP LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the top vote-getter for the game with over 2.5 million votes, topped the East with 28 points.
The game itself was never particularly close, and the west led by 20 at the half and took a 119-88 lead into a boring fourth quarter, snapping a two-year drought in the 56th annual game.
But now the fun stuff is over.
Bosh’s second all-star appearance may not have been one of statistics as extravagant as the courtside jewels sported by many of the players and celebrities on hand, but his team is outshining much of the eastern Conference right now and he’s the biggest reason why.
The Raps get the second half of their season underway Wednesday, when they host James and his Cleveland Cavaliers at the Air Canada Centre.
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