NBA All-Star blog – Page 28 – NBA Blog

Rasheed speaks on being named All-Star

Detroit Pistons forward/center Rasheed Wallace, who was named to the All-Star team as an injury replacement:

Q: What was your reaction when you heard you were selected for the All-Star Game?

Rasheed Wallace: Hot. But my wife was more hot than me. You know, she tried to act a little surprised or whatever, but hey, we had to come here. When I told her that, I thought she was going to beat me up.

Q: What are your thoughts now that you’re here?

Rasheed Wallace: I mean, it’s cool, seeing all these young boys out here being able to do their thing. It ain’t nothing new though.

Q: Did you miss Media Day yesterday on purpose or by accident?

Rasheed Wallace: No, no, no, it was a real [delay]. Yeah, it was a real [delay]. I wouldn’t have done that. I would have not come at all if I didn’t come yesterday. It was strictly an accident.

Q: What are the Pistons looking to do during the second half of the season?

Rasheed Wallace: Just to lock it down, buckle it up, and get ready for the playoffs. Let’s get into the transition where we can run everything smooth without really thinking, make it our second nature. Just go out there and do it ‘ keep doing what we’ve been doing these last couple weeks.

Jamison talks offense, Rasheed, and New Orleans

Q: Which kind of style do you prefer? Sometimes it seems you have a running game, sometimes not.

Antawn Jamison: With our offense, the Princeton offense, and Eddie kind of tweaked it a little bit, with our personnel, we can play both styles. Of course, you’d like to get up and run up the court a lot more, but we’re also a team that can slow the ball down, read what the defense has given us, and make an assessment that way. When Gilbert is out there, he gets the ball in the zone, and he’s just running and things like that. And I think when he comes back, you still can have that type of offense. I think when he comes back defensively, he still needs to be in the middle of the pack and still get some stops as well. Any time you have to run up and down the court, it’s always fun to be part of that.

Q: How does it feel to be here?

Antawn Jamison: It’s unbelievable. It’s unbelievable. As a kid, for me, seeing Michael and David and Scottie and all those guys. When I first got into the league one of my good friends Vince Carter was participating every year. I finally got my call a couple years ago. It doesn’t get old. You know, it’s history. It’s fun to be a part of these festivities. To enjoy it with my family and friends makes it even more sweeter. But I can never get used to it. I can never get done with it. It brings out the kid in me. As a kid you’ve seen it. I’m 31 now, but every time I walk in and see the All Star logo, and you get bags every day. It brings the kid out in you. Like I said, these moments never get old, you always enjoy it.

Q: Do you think there is some misperception as to Rasheed Wallace and the emotion he plays with, and the person he is?

Antawn Jamison: I certainly do. I know his family and things like that. But when Rasheed is away from the game of basketball, his personality is more low key than mine. I mean, laid back. He’s a family man and things like that. During the course of basketball, emotions take over. I don’t want to say like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but it’s definitely two totally different personalities. When he’s playing basketball, that’s the personality you need. That is the personality that’s gotten him to the point he is in his career. So I definitely think there is a misconception as far as the type of person that he is; because away from the game of basketball you couldn’t find a more humble guy. I think Rasheed is one of those guys that it doesn’t bother him. He tries to please everybody all the time. But he’s definitely a good guy. He’s a guy I would love to have in my corner, and love to play with.

Q: You guys just missed each other at UNC.

Antawn Jamison: Yeah, we just missed each other. That’s his fault. We could have had a ring that year. But I won’t hold it against him. You know, when I came in he was just leaving, him and Stackhouse. But when I was in Carolina, he used to come back every summer and take me under his wings and show me the ropes and things like that. That’s how I got to know Rasheed.

Chris Bosh mini-interview

Toronto Raptors All-Star Chris Bosh is in New Orleans for 2008 All-Star Weekend. Here’s what he had to say during media availability:

Q: Can you talk about the community effort here in New Orleans?

Chris Bosh: I think with the Day of Service they’re showing they are really committed to being serious about trying to help out rebuilding the city since a couple years back. I think it’s really showing commitment, because I know we have an opportunity to help out in a couple hours too, so we’ll see how it goes.

Q: With your video, were you just trying to connect with fans like how Gilbert Arenas does with his blog?

Chris Bosh: Yeah, I think connecting to the fans in this day and age with the internet and TV the way it is, I think it’s very important because you can connect to fans that are out there and probably didn’t know very much about you, and then you can gain fans, too. So, I think putting yourself out there in a positive way is good.

Q: Were you surprised at the reaction your video got?

Chris Bosh: I was surprised at the reaction. I was expecting a reaction, but not as big. I think it really exceeded my expectations. I was trying to do something pretty funny and the minute it got out, a lot of people got a hold of it and they really played it.

Caron Butler speaks on All-Star Weekend

Washington Wizards star Caron Butler is an All-Star this year but not participating due to injury. Here’s what he had to say about the weekend:

Q: How are you dealing with being here but not participating in the All-Star Game?

Caron Butler: I’m truly enjoying it; I’m living through Antawn [Jamison] right now. We’re just bonding and I can’t wait to go out there and just see him. I’m the biggest fan and biggest supporter of Antawn right now. Obviously, it was something I really wanted to do, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to, but I did what was best for myself and the team by sitting out and just resting my body and healing and being 100 percent. I’m just going to enjoy the weekend. I have my family out here and will do as much as I can since I’m not playing.

Q: How do you feel about the coming to New Orleans and playing a role in the revitalization of the city?

Caron Butler: It’s just great. You witness everything that the city went through and obviously it was televised and you witnessed from afar but it felt like you were right there. It was real heartfelt. I was watching TNT last night and I saw Charles Barkley with a young lady, and hearing some of the things she was saying … and it was really heartfelt and my mother and I got really teary-eyed and I was just like, “Man, it’s great that the league brought this game here.” And to be a part of the recovery process and enlighten this city … it’s amazing what basketball can do to bring excitement to people’s lives and help with the recovery.

Q: Where you out there with the hammer and nails?

Caron Butler: I mean, they don’t want me doing to much out there like lifting and doing stuff like that, but I’m going to be doing as much as possible. Every little bit helps. I’m going to be out there and do my treatment. Whatever they want me to do, I’m free and open to anything.

Bosh named East starter in Garnett’s place

SportsTicker reports: Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh will start in place of Kevin Garnett in Sunday’s All-Star Game. Bosh has averaged a team-high 22.7 points and 9.1 rebounds for the Raptors and is making his third consecutive All-Star appearance and second straight start.

The Toronto Sun (Mike Ganter) reports: Rivers was asked what made Bosh his choice. “Because of the Canadian dollar — you know, it’s grown in value, and so we figure we’d go with that,” Rivers said to much laughter. “No — I think he deserves it, I really do. I think he’s terrific, a terrific player, and I think he deserves more attention than he’s getting, so I think he should start.”

David West gives New Orleans hood advice

The Orlando Sentinel (Brian Schmitz) reports: Hornets forward David West admits that fellow all-stars have asked him what parts of town to avoid. “Guys have been asking me about security and safety, and all those other things,” he said. “I just tell them, some places you can go and some places you shouldn’t go. But you can’t let that overtake your mind and prohibit you from having a good time.” All-star weekend, with its celebrities and big spenders, is expected to have an economic impact estimated between $80 million to $90 million on New Orleans. “It just means more to have the game here,” Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers said. “The city needs it. It brings in more money.”

Dwight Howard dunk contest interview

After Dwight Howard shocked the world, he spoke for a long time about the amazing dunk contest.

Here’s a piece of it:

Q. Can you take us through the three dunks. The first one, obviously from behind the backboard, Superman, and then that self alley-oop.

DWIGHT HOWARD: Well, the first one I’ve been working on it for about two years. And I could never really get it done. I saw Iguodala did it, and I was working on it after that, coming up with my own little thing. I had my legs under me tonight and I got that one down. And the second one, the Superman dunk, I really wanted to get the crowd into it and try to show a little bit of my personality. You know, putting the cape on, and Superman. I thought everybody liked it. I enjoyed it. And then to make the dunk to finish it, it was unbelievable. And the third dunk, the self alley, I didn’t think I was going to do that dunk tonight in the Dunk Contest. But I was getting a lot of calls and text messages from my friends. And they said I’ve got to do that dunk, I’ve got to let the world see it, and I had to do it.

Q. I thought you were going to bust out with the telephone booth. Was that part of the plan? Or you just kind of invented that, the cape?

DWIGHT HOWARD: The telephone booth? Oh, I didn’t have time to get the telephone booth and all that. But I think the cape and the Superman, and the outfit, I think it worked.

The full-length Q&A session is here. You absolutely have to read the whole thing.

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Peja Stojakovic interview after 3-point shootout

Peja Stojakovic, a great outside shooter, didn’t fare too well in the 2008 NBA Three-Point Shootout, not reaching the second/final round. He shot pretty well, but it wasn’t good enough tonight. Here’s what he said afterwards:

Q: Were you disappointed in how you finished?

Peja Stojakovic: No, no, I just wanted to enjoy myself and enjoy the weekend and that’s about it. It’s a tough competition and Jason Kapono deserved it, he shot the ball and congrats.

Q: What was going through your mind watching Kapono shoot the way he did?

Stojakovic: I knew that the way I started I didn’t have a chance. As I said yesterday, it’s different than playing a game — you can’t come right from the warm-up and step into the competition, you have to wait and once they call your name you got to be ready. It’s different, but its fun, and I haven’t done it in a long time and it’s a good experience.

Q: Is it better to go early or go late in the competition?

Stojakovic: It’s better to go early, right after the warm-up — you step into the competition and you’re ready to go. As I said, it’s different than shooting by yourself in practice and obviously, 60 seconds shooting 25 shots is tough.

Chris Paul interview after Skills Challenge

Chris Paul lost to Deron Williams in the final round of the 2008 Skills Challenge. Here’s what CP3 said after the event:

Q: What are your thoughts on your rivalry with Deron Williams?

Chris Paul: Always, always. But it was fun. That was my first time getting to the second round. You know, I thought I had a shot going second, but then he got 25.8 and I can’t mess up. He set the bar real high but it was fun.

Q: What do you remember the most from watching All-Star Weekend when you were a kid?

Paul: Just all the excitement behind this and seeing all the glitz and glamor and flashing lights – and now to be a part of it is something that I would have never imagined.

Q: Is there one player you always looked up to and were amazed by?

Paul: MJ, all day long. It seems like he won MVP every year or the dunk contest or something like that. To actually know him on a personal basis now makes it even crazier.

Q: If you could add an event or change something about this weekend, what would it be?

Paul: Probably “Horse.” I play “Horse” just about every day with one of my teammates, Jannero Pargo, so we have a lot of crazy shots we do.

Dwight Howard wins Slam Dunk contest

By InsideHoops.com

It’s 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend, and the hottest Saturday night event is up: the Slam Dunk contest.

Jamario Moon went first, started from the right side, lobbed it high, lept, 360-jumped, caught it just as he was completing the 360, and slammed. Beautiful. He has huge extension and great hang-time. Judges gave him a 46 out of 50.

Rudy Gay is next. He started from the right side, ran at the rim without dribbling, rocked it back and forth, and missed. And then did it again, slamming with the left hand. It was sweet but not mind-boggling, and he got a 37.

Big Dwight Howard is third. And he’s starting from out of bounds, behind back of the right side of the basket. He bounced it off the back of the backboard, caught it, soared from behind the basket to the front side of it, and missed — but the attempt itself was awesome. And then did it again, this time putting it down, almost hitting his head on the rim. He caught it off the back of the backboard with two hands, swung it around, and put it down with the left hand. Absolutely beautiful. Judges gave him a perfect 50.

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Defending champion Gerald Green is last but not least. Assistant Rashad McCants is holding a cupcake with a candle in it, and using a ladder climbs up, puts the cupcake on the back of the rim, on the support that connects it to the backboard. McCants then lit the candle. Green is apparently going to dunk, while blowing the candle out! This seems both dangerous and impossible. Yet – bam! – he got it! Insane! He caught the lob, put it down with two hands dunking on the left side of the rim and successfully blew the candle out! Judges gave him a mere 46. I thought he got robbed.

And now, the second set of dunks.

First up is Rudy Gay, assisted by Kyle Lowry. They both started from the deep left corner, with Lowry dribbling, Gay following. Lowry then bounced the ball off the back of the basket support, and Gay caught it on his left side and wrapped it around to his right side, dunking it nicely. It was impressive and creative but not quite as awesome as what Dwight Howard did. Judges gave it a 48, which may have been a point or two high.

Next is Jamario Moon, assisted by Jason Kapono. They’re putting white tape on the ground, almost a foot behind the free throw line. It would be mind-boggling if he really takes off from there. And now it appears Kapono is going to be near the basket and bounce the ball high up in the paint. And misses the first attempt. Moon did hit the second, but the tape on the ground was pointless — Moon took off about a foot inside the free throw line, which is still absolutely incredible. Judges gave him a 48.

Gerald Green is third. A ladder is in the paint again, with MCants climbing it and sitting on the top. The ladder is positioned slightly to the right of the rim. McCants is holding the ball in one arm, which is extended so he’s holding the ball in front o the rim. Just as Green launched himself up, Mccants flipped it up so Green could grab it with two hands, windmill it and slam it down. Awesome. He got a 48.

And now, Dwight Howard, assisted by Jameer Nelson. More white tape. And then Nelson reveals a red Superman cape. Then Howard, smiling, pulls off his away magic jersey to reveal a sleeveless Superman top. Howard then puts the cape on (everyone who reads the InsideHoops.com nba rumors page knew he was going to do this). The crowd loves it. Howard then stands at the baseline, center-court, right side, runs in, catches a pass, leaps from the dotted circle, soars high in the air and is up so high that rather than dunk it, he literally throws it down. A throw-dunk. Like how you might throw a crumpled up piece of paper down into a garbage can. That is possibly the most awesome dunk I’ve ever seen, aside maybe from some stuff Vince Carter did years ago. He got another perfect 50.

Total points at the end of the first round: Howard 100, Green 91, Moon 90, Gay 85.

We’re in the second and final round, with Howard against defending champion Green.

Green is up first, starting from the left elbow in three-point range, McCants, standing behind the basket on the right, is lobbing it over the top of the backboard. After some imperfect passes, and then one miss, Green came in, caught with two hands, windmilled it through his legs and slammed it down with one hand. Awesome.

No scores are being reported. It’s just picking one of the finalists or the other, after the dunks are over. Each judge has one vote, and the collective fan world, voting on the league’s official site or through text message, combine to have one vote.

Howard is up. He started from the right side, halfcourt, lobbed it, so it bounced in the paint, ran, jumped, and in mid air tapped it with his left hand against the backboard, then caught it off the glass with his right hand and dunked it. That is one of the most amazing dunks ever, second only to stuff InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner does in secret gyms against NBA players during the off-season.

Green, trying to be creative, took his shoes off, autographed them, put them on the judges table, and did a through-the-legs windmill. It was a slightly lesser version of his earlier dunk, minus the shoes.

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For the final dunk, Howard’s assistant, Jameer Nelson, has put a little Nerf-looking mini-hoop on the lower right corner of the front of the backboard, and then rested a full-sized basketball on it. Howard is starting from the right side of the court, outside the three-point elbow. He runs in, jumps, takes the ball off the little rim and tires to slam, but misses. And then runs in, takes it off the little rim, windmills it and slams it in. It was the least impressive of his dunks tonight, and the only one he did that didn’t truly wow the crowd, but it was still very good.

And now, the voting.

The judges picked Dwight Howard. So, he’s going to win, regardless of what the fan voting says. That’s assuming I understand how the voting works this year. And the fan vote is in: 70% voted for Dwight Howard.

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