Highlights of the 2014 NBA All-Star game

Carmelo Anthony slam dunks during the All-Star game

The NBA All-Star Game is one of the most exciting matches of the new season as it pitches the league’s star players from Eastern and Western conference against each other. It is an exhibition match organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is a featured event of the NBA All-Star Weekend.

The starting line-up is selected by a fan ballot and the reserves are selected by the coaches. The head coach of the team with the best record from two conferences are selected as the head coach of the All-Star teams. This All-Star game is a sporting extravaganza as it is accompanied by famous international artists,recently featuring Shakira,Elton John,Rihanna,Kendrick Lamr etc. The game is also played in a more spirited fashion with players mainly making spectacular efforts at slam dunks and ally oops.

And the latest edition of the NBA All-Star Game was held at the Smoothie King Centre, New Orleans,Louisiana, home to the New Orleans Pelicans. This was the 63rd edition of the All-Star Game and was played in the 2013-2014 season. Frank Vogel, coach of the Indiana Pacers, and Scott Brooks, coach of the Oklahoma City Thunders, were selected as the East and West head coach, respectively.

The Eastern Conference All-Star Team consisted of Kyrie Irving, LeBron James(leading vote-getter), Paul George, Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony in the starting line-up, while the reserves consisted of Joakim Noah, Roy Hibbert, CHris Bosh, Paul Millsap, John Wall, Joe Johnson and DeMar DeRozan.

The Western Conference All-Star team had in their ranks Stephen Curry, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Dwight Howard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Paul, James Harden, Tony Parker, Damian Lilliar and Anthony Davis. Much to the fans disappointment, Kobe Bryant could not play due to an injury and had to be replaced by Anthony Davis.

The game was won by the Eastern Conference 163-155.

Scoring by quarter: 42–44, 34–45, 47–37, 40–29
Pts: Irving 31 Rebs: James 7 Asts: Irving 14				Pts: Durant, Griffin 38 each Rebs: Howard 11 Asts: Paul 13

Irving scored 31 points and had 14 assists, and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) to help the East stop a three-game losing streak and win 163–155 in the highest-scoring game in All-Star history. Carmelo Anthony added 30 points for the East and made a record eight three-pointers, one of 11 All-Star records that were broken in the game. The West was led by Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin, who both finished with 38 points.

While this season is over, all we can hope for is another exciting All-Star Game in the next season which will be held at the Madison Square Garden in New York City,the home of New York Knicks on February 15,2015.