NBA All-Star Weekend Picks
The NBA has by far the best All-Star weekend out of any of the four major sports. They have great skills competitions, which I love (get on this, NFL!). And while the game itself is an offensive fireworks show, the players take it seriously at the end, and the fourth quarter is always full of jaw-dropping basketball. This combination of entertainment and competitiveness between the best players in the world is what makes this game so much better than the Pro Bowl in the NFL. Now that I have my blog, for the first time ever I am going to make my predictions for all the festivities, with Vegas odds, because betting is always the way to go. Before I start, a quick thought about the celebrity game: Kevin Hart always needs to be in it. He makes it fun and entertaining, while being somewhat relatively decent at basketball for his height. Usain Bolt dunking was awesome, even though he took like nine steps before jumping. And a shoutout to Arne Duncan, the US Secretary of Education; this guy is really good and could put up 30 and 15 if he wanted to, but he’s a good sport. Hopefully he heard what Jon Barry said last night, and gets Obama to play in this next year. That would be must-watch basketball. So now, to the picks. Whoever knows me knows I hate taking favorites, so I’m ready for some fun picks. May the best man win.
Skills Competition
I love this one because I’m a fan of point guards. If I play a game of pickup basketball, I will gladly be at point and get everyone else shots, and my favorite player is Steve Nash. There’s basically two easy ways to win this competition: whoever wants it more and hustles, and whoever hits the jumper on the first shot will more often than not come out on top.
THE FAVORITE(S): Tony Parker and Damian Lillard (+300)
THE DARK HORSE: Jeff Teague (+600)
MY PICK: Brandon Knight (+600) - This guy is fast, and I think will be hungry to win this title to bring some national spotlight to him and the Pistons. Still scared of Tony Parker, though; that guy is like a magician, and playing at an MVP level.
Three Point Contest
Love this one, too. Nothing like getting hot from the outside. Three pointers dramatically change momentum in a game, so much so that there’s room for three point specialists in the league on benches, a couple of whom are in this competition.
THE FAVORITE: Stephen Curry. Obviously. (+220)
THE DARK HORSE: Matt Bonner (+600)
MY PICK: Steve Novak (+260) - NOVAKAINE!!!!!! I’m somewhat biased, because I live in New York, but this guy is deadly from beyond the arc. He wins with 23 points. Of course, it’s hard to NOT pick Steph Curry, but will not take favorites in competitions like these. But if you’re going to bet on this, Curry is most likely the way to go; he’s a prolific outside shooter in games, and now he’s not even going to be guarded. But give me Novak or give me death. Not literally.
Slam Dunk
The classic contest of NBA All-Star Weekend. We’ve seen some incredible dunks over the years from guys like Vince Carter and Andre Iguodala, but this year is superstar-less. However, there are some high-flying participants in this competition, so I’m more excited for the Slam Dunk this year than I have been in year’s past. I have no idea what kind of dunks we’re going to see. But I know they’ll be memorable.
THE FAVORITE: James White (+130). You know you’re reputation precedes you when you have two dunks all year but are a good-sized favorite.
THE DARK HORSE: Kenneth Faried (+600). This guy is a beast, which is why he’s nicknamed “The Manimal”. How he’s only at +600 I have no idea, because he’s a force of never-ending energy. He’s favored at #5 out of 6 in the competition. It’s a solid bet.
MY PICK: I honestly have no idea. So I’m going to go with Eric Bledsoe (+500). Projected in the middle of the pack, so he’s a little under the radar. He’s a little guy, so I want him to win, but Bledsoe is a freakish athlete, and can get up with the best of them. Plus, he could have CP3 helping him out a little bit, and he’s from the only good team in LA. I’m taking Bledsoe and running with him.
By the way, there’s been a lot of talk about how LeBron has never competed in a Slam Dunk contest. I agree with the critics. I want him to get off his ass and just participate in one. He could pull off other-worldly slams. It would be must-watch tv, and he would know how to put on a show. He’s too important and great to not try it once. So here’s what my ideal six-man Slam Dunk contest would be: LeBron James; Russell Westbrook; Nate Robinson; Jeff Green; Blake Griffin; Andre Drummond. Epic.
All-Star Game MVP:
THE FAVORITE: LeBron James (+300)
DARK HORSE: James Harden (+1200)
MY PICK: Kevin Durant (+350). I think the West will win, so KD wins MVP.
My Pick:
WEST def EAST, 151-143. Happy watching, NBA fans.
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