All-Star in Orlando: 20 Years Later

As we are in the middle of All-Star Weekend in Orlando, I would like to reflect on a very special moment in NBA All-Star Game History 20 years ago in this same city. In 1992, the basketball world was still devastated from the bombshell that NBA Icon Earvin "Magic" Johnson dropped when he announced before the world that he was HIV-Positive. There was an unbelievable level of uncertainty at the time, because they were not sure if the beloved NBA legend was going to live longer. HIV was considered a death sentence for Magic. However, the NBA and its fans decided to pay tribute to its greatest ambassador at the time, by giving him the most votes among all players, making him the starter for the West in the ASG over Warriors star point guard Tim Hardaway. Hardaway willingly showed his true class and respect by letting Magic start over him without complaints. Initially, many of the players were unsure of how to handle the situation. As Magic recalls in his book w/Larry Bird "When the Game Was Ours" his teammates in the locker room were initially silent towards him. That all changed once David Robinson approached him with a handshake to welcome him back. Fellow teammates such as Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon, Chris Mullin, etc. followed suit. As the teams were introduced, East All-Stars Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Patrick Ewing, Joe Dumars, and Dennis Rodman came to embrace Magic as well. The game was a Who's Who of the NBA's best and brightest of their time. Charles Barkley even wore Magic's #32, for both the game and the entire season to pay tribute to him. The game itself was terrific, in spite of the 40 point blowout by the West. At the end of the day, it was pure fun and celebration for Magic. Magic won the game's MVP Award with the best ASG performance of his career (25 points, 9 assists). As I go back to Youtube and watch that year's game, I had to immediately rank this game among my Top 5, if not #1 All-Star Game of all-time. Drexler put up an MVP-level performance of his own, with 22 points, and 9 rebounds, followed by Spurs All-Star David Robinson with 19 points and 5 rebounds. Magic went on to win Olympic Gold as a member of the 1992 USA Dream Team in Barcelona that year, with '80s archrival Larry Bird and the King of the '90s, Michael Jordan. The man that many people at the time thought was a walking death sentence would turn out to be a walking miracle as well as an inspiration to many around the world. Magic continues to live strong, 20 years later.

Rolling Thunder: Kevin Durant's 51 Special

Last night, Kevin Durant & The Oklahoma City Thunder put the NBA on further notice with the biggest statement game of KD's career! This was Durant's first 50 point game of his career, as he dropped a 51 point bomb on the Denver Nuggets in last night's 124-118 overtime win at home! This game had many twists and turns. Facing a halftime deficit, the Thunder roared loud and strong with a 20-0 run at the end of the second half cutting the lead down to 58-53 at the half. With KD's 20 points heading into the second half, and the way that he scored, I knew that he was going to have a stellar game. Westbrook started the third by making three straight field goals giving The Thunder a 59-58 lead. Westbrook & Durant connect for a great alley-oop giving KD 22. Durant goes on to score 30 by the end of the quarter along with Russell's 27. OKC outscored Denver 30-25 in the third quarter, which tied the game 83-83. There was a stretch in the game where the Nuggets looked like they hit a wall. Neither team went down without a fight, as the Nuggets mounted a comeback of their own to begin the 4th. The quarter starts with James Harden going 1-of-2 from the free throw line, which slightly slowed down the Thunder's momentum. Denver goes on a 10-0 run which included an Andre Miller layup, an alley-oop to Chris Andersen, and two 3-pointers from Al Harrington to give them a 93-84 lead. The fourth quarter was not only a back and forth battle, but it is also where Durant went on a rampage and ripped the Nuggets to pieces like a lion with 45 points to end the quarter. Durant also made smart shot selections, which also included making all of his 3-point shots in the 4th. KD also commanded his teammates to take on bigger roles. Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka followed the lead with 40 points, 9 assists for Westbrook and a Triple Double from Ibaka (14 pts, 15 rebounds, 11 blocks)!! Fans had signs saying "Welcome to the BLOKC Party!" Ibaka has been a blocking machine, and Westbrook put up another crazy performance, but developed better team chemistry with his All-Star teammate as well as James Harden, by creating better shots for them. The rush of momentum that Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka gave the Thunder at the end of the 4th quarter was spectacular. OKC ran the court like gang-busters, with Kevin Durant not running out of breath at all! Each key moment this quarter,  from Westbrook's jump shots, Ibaka's clutch defense and KD's drives to the basket tied the game 118-118 to go into overtime, and gave the fans an extra surge of confidence! Oklahoma City fired on all cylinders, because of the brilliant play of their tag-team of KD & Westbrook. Kevin Durant delivered a Pantheon-level performance, and gave himself a stronger case for MVP. Oklahoma City outscored Denver 13-7 to win the game 124-118, which included Durant going 6-8 from the line and Westbrook's clutch 3 pointers and jumpers to put the final nail in the coffin! I have made it my choice to follow Kevin Durant even closer this season by highlighting him even more. During this time, I have been waiting for Durant to finally explode with a statement game, and I finally got it. Iceman 2.0 did not disappoint, and the way that he is developing as a player, he could surpass Gervin quickly. Oklahoma City are the hands down, "Kings of the West" at this point, but they have the fire and energy of an underdog! They have shown great leaps of progress during the pass two seasons, by taking the last two champs to the limit. In 2010, they were the Lakers' biggest threat and left me on the edge of my seat. Last season, they were the strongest opponent for the Mavericks, by taking them to 7 games. Now, there sights are set even higher: an NBA Crown. With Kevin Durant leading the way, the sky is the limit!!

NBA Top 7 MVP Race

1. LeBron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Derrick Rose
4. LaMarcus Aldridge
5. Dwight Howard
6. Kobe Bryant
7. Chris Paul
There has been a slight shift in this year's NBA Top 7 Power Ranking for MVP. KD, LeBron, and D-Rose are still among the top half of the list, while Howard, and Kobe round out the second half of the list. However, there has been a dark horse that has crept into the race and he is none other than newly acquired Clippers Point Guard Chris Paul. CP3 has been a great addition to the team with his excellent playmaking and passing skills, which help improve the play of fellow All-Star Blake Griffin and others around him. Paul is averaging 18.5 ppg while shooting a career high field goal pct. (.505), 3rd in apg (9.0), 8th in total assists (190), 7th in steals (49), with an Efficiency Rating of +24.14. CP3 has a higher Efficiency Rating than both Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose. Chris Paul's added value has helped the Clippers reach 3rd place in the Western Conference with a 17-9 record. Blazers Power Forward LaMarcus Aldridge has been another dark horse in this race as well.




As far as the top 2 Players on my list are concerned, there is no question that both Kevin Durant and LeBron James are by far playing at the highest level while helping their teams be the best in the league. LeBron is up to his usual stellar performance, ranking 2nd in ppg (28.0), with 8.2 rpg, 2nd in apg (7.0) 2nd in total points (754), 2nd in field goals made (269) 5th attempted (500), and 5th with a career high pct. of .538. James is also 2nd in free throws made/attempted (198/262) along with an Efficiency Rating of +30.56 (1st). LeBron has also been the largest reason why Miami is 2nd in the East at 21-7, as he ranks 1st in Win Shares (6.18), Win Shares Per 48 Minutes (.304), and Offensive Win Shares (4.53). LeBron is on a mission to reclaim the MVP and with his 23 points, 13 boards, and 6 assists in Sunday night's 107-87 thrashing of the Hawks, he continues to make his case stronger.



On the other side, Oklahoma City All-Star Kevin Durant has continued to raise both his level of play as well as his teams while ranking 3rd in ppg (27.0), 3rd in total points (728), with 8.2 rpg, 4th in field goals made, 2nd in field goals attempted (264/523), with a .505 fg %, 4th in free throws made, fifth in attempts (159/195) with a .815 ft %, and 4th in Efficiency Rating (+26.48). Durant's production for his team has also placed him 5th in Win Shares (4.60), 9th in Win Shares Per 48 Minutes (.215), and 8th in Offensive Win Shares (3.22) while leading the Thunder to a record of 21-6, placing them 1st in the Western Conference and 2nd in the league behind the Chicago Bulls. KD's increase in field goal percentage, rebounds, assists, and blocks per game are a very good indicator of his boost in playmaking ability as an all-around player. These are only signs of great things to come from the Durantula. As we approach the All-Star break, the race will become only stronger.