All-Star Predictions

Apologies for not posting yesterday, I'm currently working on a season review so far and it's taking a long time to prepare. Whilst I'm writing that, I thought I'd do a quick post choosing and explaining my picks for the All-Star Weekend events.

All-Star Game: West - Why? Because just look at the squads. The starting line-ups may be evenly matched - even with the East starting LeBron at centre - but the depth the West have in their squad is incomparable. I mean, you're looking at Tony Parker being a 5th or 6th choice guard. The East may storm into a lead at the start of the game, thanks to LeBron, PG24 and Melo, but they will struggle when substitutions are made.


All-Star Game MVP: Kevin Durant - LeBron will probably have a comparable, or even better, game than Durant, but the West winning the game will help elevate the Durantula into the minds of voters. A dark horse in this could be Blake Griffin. A mix of his high-flying antics and his developing ability as an all-round player could win him the award.

3 Point Shootout: Stephen Curry- They don't call him a splash brother for nothing. Curry is having a great time shooting the 3-ball and I don't expect that to stop in the shootout. He is .409 from behind the line, not the highest in the competition, but he's still my favourite to win. Arron Afflalo and former winner, Kevin Love, provide serious opposition.

Dunk Contest: East - The Dunk Contest will this year, go to a conference rather than an individual player (there is a Dunker of the night accolade, see below). I think the East will be the victorious side. Paul George is throwing down 360s in-game, meanwhile Terrence Ross is rumoured to be working with YouTube sensations, The Flight Brothers, to do something never seen in a Dunk Contest before.

"Dunker of the Night" - Paul George - As I mentioned before, he is doing crazy stuff in-game, so I can't even imagine what he'll do during the Dunk Contest. Terrence Ross is also a contender, and in the West, Harrison Barnes is probably considered the underdog.

Rising Stars Challenge: Team Hill -  #TeamHill all the way. Looking down the roster, it's a tough call to split them. But, I think that the experience that Team Hill has - all but one of the roster is a sophomore - will elevate them above the Webber Team, mainly made up of rookies.

Rising Stars MVP: - Anthony Davis - He is the "hometown hero" after all. The centre has impressed all season and he was the first pick for Chris Webber. In the All-Star Game, I know I predicted the MVP to be on the winning side, but I'm expecting Davis to have a big game in front of his home fans.

Skills Challenge: Goran Dragic and Reggie Jackson - Dragic has been fantastic this season, and must have been close to gaining a spot on the All-Star roster (he should have been in it if you ask me). Jackson has also been good, making himself an apt replacement for the injured Russell Westbrook. I think they'll face off against MCW and Oladipo in the final, my two favourite rookies this season. It will be interesting to see how Giannis Anteto... Antetu... (yeah, you know who I mean) will do, considering he is listed as a Power Forward

So, there are my predictions. I just realised, when reading it back, that I haven't picked Damian Lillard to win anything, despite being the first man to compete in all five All-Star Weekend events. Oh well Damian... Better luck next time.

Three Point Shootout Is A Certain Swish In My Book

The 8 contestants for this year’s Three Point Shootout have been released and this could be the best line-up we’ve seen in years. In addition to last year’s champion Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers) the East includes Arron Affalo (Orlando Magic) gets his spot in the All-Star Weekend after his possible snub for the All-Star Game (discuss amongst yourselves). Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards) and “unworthy all-star” (another discussion point) Joe Johnson (Brooklyn Nets) complete the conference's shooters.

In the West, Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) makes his 3rd appearance in the competition where as Marco Belinelli (San Antonio Spurs) makes his debut. One of my favourite players in the league, Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves), hopes to win back his crown he gained in 2011. Damian Lillard fills out the cast, and his packed All-Star Weekend.

Personally, I’ve been left cold by the Three Point Shootout in recent years. No disrespect to previous contenders such as Antony Morrow and Steve Novak, but I struggle to get excited by 3rd or 4th choice guards. This year, there are 5 All-Stars competing, and with the average 3pt FG% being 40%, it looks like it could be a cracker.

Some fans have been complaining that the All-Star Weekend has been lacking the past few years, and the NBA has replied with some changes. Usually, the last ball of each rack is the money ball, worth two points. However, this year, there will be a rack of money balls, placed wherever the contestant choose. This, to me, is an interesting change and could be a pivotal factor in deciding the result.

Kyrie Irving retaining his title is looking like a forever decreasing possibilty. Not only has he been drawn with possibly the best group in a long time, he is also having his worst season ever whilst shooting the three ball. Arron Affalo could be a dark horse in this competition, and Kevin Love has a very good chance as well. However, my pick would be Steph Curry, just because he has looking unstoppable from downtown at some points this season.

 
But, whoever the winner, this could be the highlight of the weekend.

Steph Curry is the hot favourite to walk away with the title