All eyes of NBA fans will be on the NBA All-Star Weekend that is to be held from February 17 to February 19 at New Orleans. Although this might be a time that players take it easy and not exert themselves too much in order to prevent any kind of injury, it will be a thrilling time for fans to watch many of their favourites wear the same jersey and produce some entertainment.
While the entire NBA fraternity gathers at New Orleans, you can support your favourite stars by wearing their jerseys that are exclusively available on Jabong.
Five contests run across the three days of the All-Star Weekend that will start with the All-Star Celebrity game and the Rising Stars Challenge on the 17th. On the second day, fans will witness the Skills Challenge, the Three-Point Contest and the Slam Dunk contest. The last contest, which is on the 19th will be the All-Star Game, the one that every NBA fan will eagerly look forward to.
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Here are some of the things to watch out for at the All-Star Weekend.
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#5 Klay Thompson to win the 3-point contest again
After winning the 2016 Three-Point Contest, Warriors’ guard, Klay Thompson will be intent on retaining the title, especially with his teammate, Steph Curry sitting out this time. Of the top ten three-point shooters in the NBA so far this season, Thompson has the best three-point shooting percentage with 42.2.
His closest contender is Toronto Raptors’ Kyle Lowry with a shooting percentage of 41.7 who will also be taking part in the Three-Point contest. Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker are the other All-Stars in the contest while the other contenders - CJ McCollum, Eric Gordon, Nick Young and Wesley Matthews - are no pushovers.
#4 Skills Challenge to go up another notch
In the 2016 season, the Skills Challenge exceeded most people’s expectations as the NBA’s idea of playing the guards (the small guys) against the centers (the big guys) paid off and added flavour to the contest. Minnesota Timberwolves’ big center Karl-Anthony Towns outshone Boston Celtics’ Isaiah Thomas in the final of last year’s contest.
The bigs boast a line-up that has the likes of Anthony Davis, Kristaps Porzingis, DeMarcus Cousins and Nikola Jokic. Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid, who has been one of the best rookies of the year, will be a definite miss for them. Thomas, Devin Booker, Gordon Hayward and John Wall will be looking to get revenge for the guards and win the contest this time around.
#3 Giannis Antetokounmpo – the X-factor for the East
There are four players in the All-Star Game rosters who will be featuring for the first times in their careers. Of the four, only one of them was chosen by fans to be a part of the starters, Giannis “Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo. The 6’11” Milwaukee Bucks player might be deemed too tall to be a forward/guard but the agility the 22-year-old shows on the court is nothing short of admirable.
Giannis averages 23.4 Points per Game, 8.6 Rebounds PG, 5.5 Assists PG, 2 Blocks PG and 1.8 Steals PG, a truly all-round showing. In LeBron James, the East have the most experienced campaigner in the entire roster, however, it might very well be Giannis who steals the show. With the All-Star game rarely being close to defensive, the offensive freedom could display the Greek youngster at his best.
#2 Another high-scoring All-Star game
Last season’s All-Star Game ended up being the highest-ever scoring All-Star game in the NBA with 369 points – the West won 196-173. Both West and East surpassed the team record of 163 that was set in 2015 by the West.
With players taking no risks to push themselves to the limit, a similar game can be expected on Sunday night too. The defensive work in last season’s game was nil as both teams only focused on the offense. It remains to be seen how Steve Kerr (West Head Coach) and Brad Stevens (East Head Coach) set their teams up. Maybe, this season we will be able to see one of the teams crossing the 200-mark!
#1 – The reunion of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant
Since Kevin Durant made his move to the Golden State Warriors from the Oklahoma City Thunder, the rivalry between the two sides has been mouth-watering for the fan to watch. Russell Westbrook and Durant were at each other in their most recent fixture last Saturday when the Warriors were at the Chesapeake Arena.
Westbrook, who has been averaging a triple double all season, is also aiming to win his third straight All-Star MVP award. Whether Kerr will take the risk of playing both Westbrook and Durant at the same time is one thing that remains to be seen, but if he does, there are sure to be fireworks!
Whatever be the case, NBA fans can be assured of an enthralling weekend following the various All-Star contests, especially the Game on Sunday night (Monday 0630 AM IST). Fans in India can show their support for their beloved players by buying all kinds of NBA All-Star merchandise, exclusively available on Jabong.
