Team Lebron defeated Team Giannis at the 69th NBA All-star Game last night in Chicago. The final result was 157-155 for LBJ’s team, who posted a win for the second year in a row over the young Milwaukee Bucks’ leader.
We’ve seen it all last night. LeBron getting blocked, Kawhi and Chris Paul hitting threes, Giannis dunking all the time, and what might be the most surprising of all, the fans had a rare chance to witness James Harden playing defense.
“Offensively, we were just trying to find whoever James Harden was guarding. That’s who we thought we had an opportunity to score on,” Giannis stated at the press conference. Yet, that didn’t turn out that well.
The final period was pretty intense, and even though Team Giannis had nine points of an advantage coming into the fourth, 133-124, Team LeBron managed to rally back and take this one.
Eventually, the crowd favorite, and the local guy, Anthony Davis, brought a win to his side, scoring his second free-throw attempt to make it 157-155.
The new format which honors Kobe Bryant really brought the competitive spirit on the floor, and that was especially noticeable in the final period once both sides started playing tough defenses. After a long time, the fans had a chance to see offensive fouls, missed shots, tremendous blocks, and even video replays at one All-Star Game.
Kawhi Leonard won the MVP award. The Claw had 30 points, and was 11-for-18 from the field, hitting 8 threes and adding 7 boards.
“I came in, and I made my first two shots. … That’s when I told myself, ‘I’m going to go try to get [MVP],'” Kawhi explained.
He and Bryant had a special bond, as Leonard often consulted Kobe about many things, starting with training, mental preparations, up to some personal matters.
“I had a relationship with him. Words can’t explain how happy I am to be able to put that trophy in my room, in my trophy room, and just be able to see Kobe’s name on there,” the Claw said.
Apart from him in Team LeBron, Chris Paul had a good role, delivering 23 points, with 7 threes and six assists, while James himself added the same number of points. The hero of the game Anthony Davis ended the night with 20 buckets and nine boards.
Among Team Giannis, the reigning MVP dropped 25 points with 11 boards and three blocks, one of them on LeBron James. Kemba Walkers had 23, while Joel Embiid added 22 and 10 boards, shooting 8-for-13 from the field. Rudy Gobert had 21 points with 11 rebounds, with the French missing just one of his 11 shots.
Since 2010, when East defeated West 141-139, this was the most interesting All-Star Game. Partially it was because of the new rules, while on the other side, both teams had a massive motive to win in Kobe’s honor.
The NBA championship continues now, and we have a lot of excitement coming up already this Thursday. The first game will take place in Detroit, where the league-leading Bucks visit Pistons.
