Tonight marks the beginning of one of my favorite weekends of every year. It's NBA All-Star Weekend. Three nights of the top players competing against each other in various forms of competition. The schedule for the weekend is as follows (all times Eastern):
Friday
7 pm on ESPN
Celebrity All-Star Game
-- This is my least favorite part of the 3 day celebration, but it is still sometimes interesting. I don't know who all is playing in the game this year, but there is usually a collection of retired NBA players, WNBA players, musicians, and actors. Some are obviously better than others, but the quality of the game is usually pretty low.
9 pm on TNT
Rookie - Sophomore Game
-- This is the premier showcase of the young talent currently in the league. It is usually pretty entertaining as some of the lesser-known guys try to make a name for themselves. It pits 12 of the best rookies from this year against 12 of the best 2nd year players in the league. This year, notable players include Blake Griffin (who is competing in events all 3 nights), John Wall, and Stephen Curry.
Saturday
8 pm on TNT
All-Star Saturday Night
-- This night consists of a few different individual competitions. This includes the Slam Dunk Competition, The 3-Point Shootout, and the Skills Challenge. The Slam Dunk contest has not been great the last few years, but this year is must-watch TV because of the previously mentioned Blake Griffin. He is unbelievable. Just search Youtube for his highlights and enjoy. The 3-Point Shootout this year has the new all-time leading 3-point leader, Ray Allen (he recently passed Reggie Miller for that distinction). It also has last year's scoring leader Kevin Durant and Celtics forward Paul Pierce, among others. The Skills Challenge is probably my favorite part of the night. It pits some of the best point guards in the league against each other in an obstacle course filled with basketball tasks like dribbling, shooting, and passing. This year's contestants are Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, John Wall, and Russell Westbrook. It should be a good time.
Sunday
8 pm on TNT
2011 NBA All-Star Game
The best all-star game of any of the major sports. In this game you get to see the leagues best players playing together, having fun, showing off, and towards the end: playing to win. The starting lineups for this game is unbelievable. 10 starters, all who will one day be hall-of-famers. The East is starting Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, and Amare Stoudemire. The West is starting Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Tim Duncan (the greatest power forward of all time), Carmelo Anthony, and Kevin Durant. The backups are no slouches either. They include guys like Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, and Deron Williams, among several others. Please, I beg of you, if you want to like the NBA at all, check out this game. It is amazing.
For any and all of things related to All-Star Weekend, go to ESPN's page here: espn.go.com/nba/allstargame.
