NBA Feast: The Arrival of All-Star Weekend
The 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend took place in Orlando, marking the 61st edition of the All-Star Game in league history. As a traditional basketball entertainment event, the main events included six activities: Rookie Challenge, Shooting Stars Competition, Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest, Slam Dunk Contest, and the East vs. West All-Star Game. Not all NBA All-Star activities take place on the court; there are also many interactive basketball activities for fans off the field.
Rookie Challenge
The NBA All-Star competition began on Friday with the Rookie Challenge. This year's rookie game was different from previous years, no longer pitting first-year players against second-year players, but instead mixing players from both classes into two teams. TNT commentators Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal served as managers of the two teams, each selecting nine players from an 18-player roster to form two teams for the match.
More notably, after the list was finalized, [Linsanity] swept the globe in a short time. To ensure Jeremy Lin's inclusion, the league made an exception by adding Kendall Marshall to bring the final roster to 20. As fans expected, Lin was selected third by O'Neal to join forces with Blake Griffin of the Clippers and Ricky Rubio of the Timberwolves to face off against Barkley's team featuring Kyrie Irving of the Cavaliers and John Wall of the Wizards, two No. 1 overall picks. With such a glamorous lineup, the excitement is expected to surpass that of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade's golden generation.
Jeremy Lin's popularity soared, leading to his exceptional selection for the Rookie Challenge.
Shooting Stars
On Saturday, the Shooting Stars competition commenced, featuring a shooting contest between NBA, WNBA, and NBA All-Star legends. The host Magic team fielded one squad, while the other three teams were the New York Knicks, Texas Team, and the defending champions, the Atlanta Hawks.
Skills Challenge
Next up was the Skills Challenge, where standout guards completed a series of passes, long-range shots, and agility tests in the shortest possible time. Players participating in this year's All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge included Stephen Curry of the Warriors seeking to defend his title, Kyrie Irving, the top pick of the Cavaliers, Tony Parker of the Spurs, known as the "French Ferrari," John Wall of the Wizards, Russell Westbrook of the Thunder, and Deron Williams of the Nets, one of the league's top point guards. There was one more participant than last year. Unfortunately, the "Spanish Golden Boy" Ricky Rubio did not participate in this event.
Three-Point Contest
The three-point competition featured six of the NBA's best shooters competing for accuracy within a set timeframe. Defending champion James Jones of the Miami Heat will defend his title, having defeated Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics and teammate Ray Allen last year.
Slam Dunk Contest
The evening's grand finale was the Slam Dunk Contest, which followed different rules compared to previous years, consisting of only one round, with the winner decided by fan voting. Regrettably, reigning champion Blake Griffin, who performed the "Dunk of the Century," opted to rest and declined the invitation, as did LeBron James. Participants Chase Budinger of the Rockets reportedly planned to leap over Yao Ming, while Evan Turner claimed his car dunk would outshine Griffin's.
East vs. West All-Star Game
The grand finale of the entire All-Star Weekend was the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, watched by audiences from over 200 countries worldwide. The starting lineups for the All-Star teams were chosen by fan votes. Since 1951, in 60 All-Star games, the Western Conference has been at a disadvantage with a record of 27 wins and 33 losses. This year, the East and West teams are led by the highest vote-getters, "Superman" Dwight Howard and four-time All-Star MVP "Little Flyingä¾ " Kobe Bryant, with little change in members. Compared to last year's All-Star game, Carmelo Anthony replaced teammate Amar'e Stoudemire as the starting power forward for the East, while Rajon Rondo substituted for "Hawk King" Joe Johnson at the last moment. In the West, Blake Griffin, who performed the "Dunk of the Century" this season, secured his position as starting power forward, and Lakers center Andrew Bynum made his All-Star debut as the starting center.
LeBron James is considered a strong contender for MVP of this All-Star game.
Kobe Bryant's total points in this All-Star game are likely to surpass Michael Jordan's, making him the top scorer in NBA All-Star history. Last year, LeBron James became the second player after Jordan to achieve a triple-double in an All-Star game, scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter to nearly overturn the West. This year, he will return stronger, seen as a candidate for the All-Star MVP.
Yao Ming Reflects on Chinese Basketball Model Amid Linsanity
Chinese basketball star Yao Ming told Reuters that the breakout of Jeremy Lin, a Taiwanese-American NBA rookie with the New York Knicks, might prompt China's sports world to rethink its model for selecting and nurturing athletes.
According to reports, Yao said that Lin's remarkable performance prompts us to reflect on our methods of selecting and cultivating basketball players over the past 10 to 20 years.
The 23-year-old Harvard graduate was not selected in the NBA draft and later cut by his hometown team, the Golden State Warriors. Until December last year, he was a bench player for the Knicks with few opportunities to play. However, in early February, when the Knicks' starting players were injured, Lin came off the bench and scored a game-high 25 points, sparking a phenomenon known as "Linsanity" across America and the Chinese-speaking world.
Yao said he knew Lin was a good player but was surprised by his outstanding performance. He thought Lin might get more playing time after a good game but never expected Lin's performance to be so eye-catching.
Due to their different personal backgrounds and the cultural and stylistic differences between New York and Houston and their respective teams, Yao did not offer too much advice to Lin, as it might put too much pressure on him.
Lin has expressed that he often communicates with Yao and considers him a role model.
Standing at 7'1", Yao Ming was the top pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, playing center for the Houston Rockets and being selected eight times to the NBA All-Star game, igniting a wave of "China fever" in the U.S. Due to long-term injuries, Yao retired in July last year. He is currently the owner of the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese professional basketball league and engages in various public welfare activities.