NBA All-Star Game, second half Analysis: West 142 – East 135
Leading by 12-point at halftime, the West went out onto the court, shared the basketball and ran all over the East once again. The West, and more specifically Kobe “Black
Mamba” Bryant, did an excellent job defending Amar'e Stoudemire for most of the night at Staples Center.
Third Quarter Recap
Although the West led by 12 at the half, the teams entered the third stanza all tied up in a closely contested battle.
The East began the fourth very active, getting under the skin of the West and got some nice shots from Derrick Rose and Stoudemire to cut the deficit to 11 points. The East
got major jump shots by James and Wade to cut their deficit to 81-76 at the 09:07 mark of the third.
The Black Mamba answered with free throws and a breath-taking 3-pointer to again stretch the West lead to 11 points with 07:21 remaining in the third. The West then went
on a 6-0 run to expand their advantage to 17 points with just two minutes left. The Boston shooting guard Paul “the Truth” Pierce and the 35-year-old Ray Allen hit 3-pointers to make the score a respectable one for the East but the West continued to play tenacious
shots, taking a 117-100 edge into the final stanza.
Fourth Quarter Recap
Trailing by 17-point after three quarters, the East continue to play sloppy basketball as they missed some easily available shots. For as good as Amar'e Stoudemire played
in the third, the Hornets point guard Chris Paul was equally as good, abusing Stoudemire on the offensive end with both his quickness and strength. LeBron “King James” James played well in the fourth as he had few free throws to cut the deficit by 123-112
with nine minutes to go in the final buzzer. The West used a variety of ally-oop dunks to get some clear separation from the East and Durant torched them for 14 final quarter points. The 30-year-old Lakers center Pau Gasol made the ultimate move of the match
when he pumps on an offensive rebound after Kobe missed a jumper and then tipped in the ball for a four-point lead.
The East fought hard by the end of the fourth as they successfully bridged the gap by 146-143 with just ticks to go. However, then comes the sizzling Thunder shooting guard
Kevin Durant with his free throws to seal the victory at 148-143.
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