The NBA All-Star 2019 is here, which means it’s time to take some days off from the regular season games and start enjoying pure entertainment with the league’s biggest stars!
Charlotte is this year’s host, and the city will be witness to what could be another historic and memorable moment in the league.
SBOBET is here to give you a preview of the notable events of the All-Star weekend. And as a treat, we will provide the best (and uhmm, not so best) about the annual affair.
NBA All-Star Celebrity Game
Okay, the idea here is to let celebrities who are not good at playing hoops, well, play basketball. Surely, there’s something fun in that!
Fans can’t expect high-quality basketball—one is better off watching a high school ball game as compared to this one. However, these are celebrities we’re talking about, and most people are willing to pay to see them.
Besides, there’s the bonus of laughing (or being impressed) at them while they play!
What to Love: Quavo is back, and ever the competitive hooper he is, the 2018 Celebrity All-Star MVP is expected to show off his skills once again. Also, who’s not excited to see Ronnie 2K play a game of actual basketball?
Oh, there’s also Ray Allen.
What Not: Come on, the celebrity game won’t ever be the same again without comedian Kevin Hart! The league should have done everything to force him out of “retirement.” And while they are it, they should have called Mark Cuban and LaVar ball to go at it on the hard court.
Mountain Dew Ice Rising Stars
Now here’s an interesting bunch. The game’s best young stars duke it out in a game designed to display the next generation of superstars and future of the NBA.
As it has been in the past four years, a group of 10 USA players (Team USA) matches up against 10 players from other parts of the world. The format already sets up an intriguing storyline, especially with some rivalries starting to develop.
What to Love: Ben Simmons versus Donovan Mitchell. Luka Doncic versus Trae Young. These two match-ups alone are enough reasons to watch the Rising Stars challenge.
Mitchell’s rivalry with Simmons is well documented, starting from their Rookie of the Year race last year when Mitchell famously campaigned that Simmons was not an actual rookie. Meanwhile, a draft-day trade that sent Doncic to the Dallas Mavericks and Young to the Atlanta Hawks will forever link the two.
What Not: It’s a pity Dennis Smith Jr. wasn’t included as a member of Team USA. It would have been great to see him play against his former Mavs teammate, Doncic, just a little over a week after he was traded to the New York Knicks—essentially because of the rapid development of the Slovenian wonderboy.
Lonzo Ball’s absence due to injury is also quite a bummer.
Taco Bell Skills Challenge
All-Star Saturday night (in the US) pits All-Stars, near All-Stars and future All-Stars in a competition that is, obviously, about skills.
The eight participants square off against each other in three rounds on an obstacle course that will test their dribbling, passing, speed and shooting. Memphis Grizzlies star Mike Conley, who has never been an All-Star, headlines the event that also includes Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic and Orlando Magic centre Nikola Vucevic.
What to Love: The Joker is a must-watch here. Known as the best passing big man in the league, Jokic is made for the skills challenge—that is if you don’t take into account his speed, of course.
It’s also interesting to watch how Jokic and Vucevic will fare against each other. And how about another showdown between Luka and Trae (which could be even more exciting depending on the results of the Rising Stars challenge).
What Not: Spencer Dinwiddie won’t be able to defend his Skill Challenge title, so Brooklyn Nets fans and everyone following the rise of the 25-year-old playmaker won’t be happy about that.
Three-Point Contest
With the NBA turning into a small-ball league, the emphasis on 3-point shooters has been greater than ever. That is why the excitement about this competition is also at an all-time high.
The game’s best sharpshooters this season, headed by Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry and Sacramento Kings’ Buddy Hield, will prepare to compete in the event. Phoenix Suns Devin Booker is also back to defend his crown.
What to Love: Dirk Nowitzki, 2006 Three-Point shootout champ, will join the contest in what could be his final season in the league.
To add more drama (and some brotherly competition), Steph Curry will be up against his brother, Seth Curry, in Charlotte where their father Dell Curry spent the majority of his career.
It’s worth mentioning as well that the number of participants increased to 10 from eight in the past seasons.
What Not: Hey, if the NBA can add two more slots, why didn’t they select Davis Bertans? The San Antonio Spurs big man is second in the league in 3-point percentage, but he is the only one absent among the top five in that list. SNUUUUUB!
AT&T Slam Dunk
Unarguably one—if not the most—exciting competition, the Slam Dunk showdown deserves to be the main event of the day. While there have been plenty of disappointments over the years, it’s hard to abandon it as it can turn out to be an instant classic (case in point: the 2016 Aaron Gordon-Zach LaVine dunk classic).
It is guaranteed to provide some of the best NBA All-Star 2019 highlights. And in the fight, the four participants will get two dunks each, with the top two scorers moving to the final round.
What to Love: Knicks guard DSJ has some serious hops, and following his performance last year when he should have won, he’s back to take another shot err dunk at it.
What Not: Don’t get me wrong, John Collins, Miles Bridges and Hamidou Diallo are all fantastic players who can throw down the ball with force. They have all the physical tools to do it, anyway. However, they seem not flashy enough and lack the explosive power to send the crowd to their feet, something which is beneficial in the affair.
… or maybe it’s just me missing Gordon and LaVine.
NBA All-Star Game
Last year, it was Team LeBron versus Team Stephen. With LeBron bolting to the West, though, the landscape of the NBA changed. And so is the All-Star selection.
This season, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is the new king of the East while LeBron took over the throne from Steph out West.
The two have made their picks in the All-Star draft, and here’s the result:
Team LeBron and Team Giannis have named their choices. Which All-Star team will win? #NBAAllStar #NBAAllStarDraft #LeBronJames #GiannisAntetokounmpo #TeamLeBron #TeamGiannis pic.twitter.com/3i7YzgTQvS
— SBOBET (@SBOBET) February 8, 2019
Team LeBron is the clear favourites based on the early NBA All-Star 2019 odds; but make no mistake, Team Giannis has four first-time All-Stars in his team which he believes will play harder than everyone else.
What to Love: There’s plenty to love in the All-Star Game, so we’re just listing it out!
- James and Antetokounmpo made the first ever All-Star trade, with the former sending Russell Westbrook to Team Giannis for Ben Simmons. Their reason? For Joel Embiid and Westbrook to team up and mend their not-so-good relationship. Will it turn out to be a good trade?
- D’Angelo Russell is a first-time All-Star, and after a whirlwind career that saw him traded to the Brooklyn Nets from the Los Angeles Lakers, he has proven his former team wrong. Sorry Magic Johnson!
- Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone, who will coach Team LeBron, hoped and wished that LeBron would draft his player Nikola Jokic. Unfortunately, Jokic went to Team Giannis, setting up a showdown between the coach and his star player.
- The starting lineup of Team LeBron composed of LeBron, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kahwi Leonard and James Harden is just scary.
- Should LeBron play Anthony Davis? Because the New Orleans Pelicans star might get hurt and affect his free agency plans.
- Paul George and James Harden are the front-runners for the NBA MVP award. As they play for different teams, it’s worth watching if they will fight for the All-Star MVP.
- Kemba Walker finally gets the respect he deserves, and Charlotte will be stoked to have a representative in the ASG.
What Not: Seriously, we have Dirk and Dwyane Wade as special All-Stars, but where’s Vince Carter?
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