Upon a Las Vegas All-Star Weekend

Over the weekend, the NBA became the first major professional league to test the sports waters in Las Vegas in a big way, hosting their annual All-Star festivities. Here is a quick look back at the events:

The Celebrity Game- Reggie Bush plays his first and last celebrity game, rolling an ankle and prompting horrified gasps from New Orleans fans.

The Shooting Stars- In a sloppy event, the team from Detroit edges the team from Chicago, in an event where a former NBA player, current player, and current WNBA player from the same city compete to hit 6 shots from around the court in the shortest period of time. Chauncey Billups, Swin Cash and Bill Lambier took home the crown this year, after Ben Gordon shot out of order for the chicago team. 41-year old Scottie Pippen participated, shortly after announcing his wishes to rejoin an NBA contender for the stretch run. Lowlights included poor clock management, and former Laker star Michael Cooper bricking shot after shot from the top of the key.

The Skills Competition- Lebron James, Chris Paul, Dywane Wade and Kobe Bryant competed in the Skills Competition, which involves dribbling around some obstacles, completing a few passes, and hitting some shots. In a lackluster affair, Wade edged Kobe, and the world sighed. This even is really maed for PG to shine, and not 3 of the NBA's best players to dog it.

The 3-point Shootout- Competitors this year included, Jason Terry and defending Champ Dirk Nowitzki from the Mavericks, Mike Miller of Memphis, Gilbert Arenas of the Wizards, and 0 Damon Jones of the Cavs. However, the title went to under the radar invitee Jason Kapono of the Miami Heat, who scored 24 of 30 possible points in the final round, setting the high score for that round and easily dispatching Dirk and Arenas. His .560 three-point % on the season is sick, and the win is a nice honor for a complementary player.

The Slam-Dunk Contest- Dwight Howard of the Magic, Tyrus Thomas of the Bulls and Gerald Green of the Celtics challenged defending champ Nate Robinson of the Knicks in a contest where the participants were overshadowed by the judges. This year's panel consisted of Michael Jordan, Dr. J, Dominique Wilkins, Kobe Bryant, and Vince Carter; quite possibly the 5 greatest dunkers the game has seen. Green won in a ho-hum final against Nate, who again struggled to get his dunk down when it mattered. Jordan was a very tough judge for an event which hardly resembles its heyday, giving out 8s regularly. Dwight Howard, who was unsuccessful in getting the NBA to raise the rim to 11' or 12' for his dunks provided the best moment by slapping a sticker of his face at the 12'6 mark of the backboard, before throwing it down. Maybe Vince and Kobe should be out there against Jason Richardson, LeBron, Josh Smith...etc.

A disappointing snub was the spectacular James "Flight" White, currently a call-up with the Spurs. Just look...




I will be back later with a look at the game itself.