Before we get back to the regular season, let’s take a moment for the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend. With so many highlights, where does one even begin?
Let’s start with Team Giannis. Last night, Giannis Antetokounmpo came into the All-Star Game 0-2, against Team Lebron. Ahead of the game, during the first-time All-Star Draft, you can tell Giannis was on a mission. Looking to build the perfect team to take down Team Lebron, Giannis was strategic with his picks. To start, he called on 7x All-Star Damian Lillard as his first Reserve. After making six more picks, it was time to call on the Starters. Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum was called on first by Giannis, rounding out his team.
Lebron was thinking big for his strategy and chose Sixers big man, Joel Embiid, as his first Starter. His second choice was a no-brainer, given the history between him and Kyrie Irving. Then Luka and Nikola rounded out his team. Check out the overview of each team’s draft picks below.
Team LeBron
Reserve picks (in order)
Anthony Edwards, Jaylen Brown, Paul George, Tyrese Haliburton, Julius Randle, De’Aaron Fox, Jaren Jackson Jr.
Starter picks (in order)
Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic
Team Giannis
Reserve picks (in order)
Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, DeMar DeRozan, Pascal Siakam, Bam Adebayo, Domantas Sabonis
Starter picks (in order)
Jayson Tatum, Ja Morant, Donovan Mitchell, Lauri Markkanen
Once the teams were locked in, and tip-off commenced, it was nothing but dominance on the court- especially from Jayson Tatum. Despite underperforming during Saturday’s Three-Point Contest, Tatum reminded us why he was even invited to join the contest – shooters shoot. Tatum’s jumper couldn’t be stopped, and he finished with 55 points, breaking Anthony Davis’ All-Star Game points record. He would also go on to win the first-ever, NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP Award. Which was quite fitting given Tatum’s admiration and respect for Kobe, and the brotherly relationship they had prior to Kobe’s passing.
Tatum’s teammate, Jaylen Brown, also put on a show, finishing with 35 points. The two Celtics went head-to-head, a few times during the game, and we all enjoyed watching the highly competitive (but friendly) rivalry between teammates. Coach Joe Mazzulla, and his staff, who were there to coach Team Giannis, had to have been beaming with pride, like proud parents, seeing their two stars shine.
While the Jays put on a show, Damian Lillard also reminded us why he’s an All-Star. Lillard finished with 26 points thanks to a flurry of three-point shots he made, including a pull-up trey from half-court, and the game-winning shot. “They was telling me to shoot,” said Lillard, in post-game reports. And that he did.
While Giannis did start, he sat out for most of the game due to his injury, and Lebron would eventually sit himself out after hurting his hand in the first half. Joel Embiid and Kyrie Irving held it down for ‘Bron, finishing with 32 points each. While those numbers were impressive, it wasn’t enough to reach the target score of 182. Team Giannis would reach the score of 184 first and win the game. Team Lebron finished with 175.
