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RETRIEVING CONTENT...PLEASE WAIT
Carnival of the NBA #41 - All Star Edition
Monday, February 12, 2007
by FLCeltsFan 8:59 AM
February 12, 2007
Welcome to Carnival of the NBA #41 All Star Edition! For those not familiar with the carnival, it is a look around the blogging community that allows you to check out links to the many fine NBA blogs available on a daily basis. This being the All Star edition of the Carnival, we start with a bit of history of the All Star event itself.
The NBA All-Star Game has morphed into an entire weekend of events that every NBA fan looks forward to. The all star game gives NBA players a chance to throw away the team concept and go ahead and show off with no remorse. Of course, some stars are more used to already doing that than others. The NBA All-Star Game is a great show, and with little defense and plenty of fast breaks, there's plenty of scoring and fun.
Boston Celtics owner Walter Brown offered the use of Boston Garden at no charge for the first All star game which was played in Boston on March 2, 1951. It drew 10,094 fans. In 1984, a slam-dunk competition was added the day before the game and a three-point shooting competition was added in 1986.
From 1984 to 1993, the All-Star Weekend also held an NBA Legends game for retired players. Like in the All-Star Game there were two teams, East and West. These legends opened the Saturday program before the dunk and 3 point shooting contests. This game combined the excellent physique of some players (the youngest retired) with other legends that could barely run. The NBA cancelled the NBA Legends Game after 1994 due to the players' frequent injuries from the game.
In 1994, the Rookies Challenge game was instituted to replace the legend's game. The game is now a face-off between first and second year players, but started as an East vs. West showcase for rookies only. The first season it was the Phenoms versus the Sensations. In its second year it was billed as White versus Green. Then from 1996 to 1998 it became East versus West. There was no game in 1999 due to the lock out. Then from 2000 until present, it has been the Rookies vs Sophomores.
In 2003 yet another event was added - the Skills Challenge where the contestants have to complete a circuit of dribbling, shooting and passing. Jason Kidd won the inaugural event.
Las Vegas, Nevada has been selected to host the 2007 All-Star Weekend. This is historic in that it is the first time the event will be held in a city that does not presently host an NBA team. By the mandate of NBA commissioner David Stern, all Las Vegas casinos have agreed to not place any betting on the 2007 NBA All-Star events.
Now that we have covered the history of the All Star Weekend, let the All Star Carnival begin...
It is only right to start this Carnival with the Celtics. Not only because this is a Celtics blog, but because Boston hosted first All Star Game in 1951 that was won 111-94 by the East The Celtics have a lot of Blogs starting with their own All Star, Celtics Blog. Jeff submits 5 reasons that the Celtics should do nothing at the trade deadline. Also reporting on the Celtics is Red's Army who sent Matty G to the game against the Heat and shares his impressions of the game with us. You have to check out Red's for his photoshopped pictures. They make my day! Suldog-O-Rama sends an open letter to the Celtics and reminds them that they still have Celtics Pride. Great piece that everyone involved with the Celtics should read. Alex over on Celtics 24/7 attempts to answer 5 most asked questions about the Celtics. Alex and TJ have built a nice site so check it out. And finally, if you haven't checked out CelticsStuff Live, you need to. They have a weekly live call in show with such esteemed guests as Mike Gorman, Eric Weiss, Mike Fine, Scott Souza and more. Last night's show was with Eric Weiss from Draft Express and you can listen to it here. You can also listen to past shows on their website and you will agree that these guys are great!!
The Raptors have never hosted the All Star Game but Vince Carter won the Dunk contest in 2000 when he was a Raptor. They had no 3 point contest winners but Chris Bosh is an All Star this season and they are headed for great things in the future, building with many talented international players. The NBA has been moving more and more toward becoming an international league and in that spirit the Carnival is going with an international flavor with, Raptors HQ's Spanish translation of the midseason grades.
Charlotte hosted the All Star Game in 1991 but have never had a 3 point or dunk champion. Bobcats Bonfire has their mid-season review out. Stop by and have a look.
The Washington Wizards/Bullets hosted the All Star game in 1969, 1980, and 2001. Tim Legler won the 3 point contest in 1996 when he was with the Bullets. Bullets Forever presents us with an essay on the Wizards offensive genius. They also present a piece discussing Ernie Grunfeld's next move that is a good read.
The Suns have a lot of All Star history. The Suns hosted the All Star Weekend in 1975 and 1995. Larry Nance won the very first Dunk Contest in 1984 and Cedric Ceballos won it in 1992. Quentin Richardson won the 3 point Contest in 2005. Steve Nash won the Skills Challenge in 2005. The Rising Suns are now basking in the glow of a Suns victory over the Spurs. The Bright Side of the Sun discuss how the Colts winning the Super Bowl should give Suns fans hope for a championship as well.
New York Hosted the All Star Game in 1954, 1955, 1968, and 1998. Kenny Walker (1989) and Nate Robinson (2006)won Dunk contests. Your New York Knicks discuss the Jerome James Quandary about James' spot in the starting lineup. Bench Renaldo has a fun read about a close encounter with Toronto Raptor's All Star Chris Bosh. That is, it was fun until I got to the woeful Celtics line.
Philadelphia 76ers hosted the All Star Game in 1960, 1970, 1976 and 2002 but have never boasted any Dunk or 3 Point contest winners. Jon Burkett over on Passion and Pride MVN explains Philly's competitive balance problem and explains why he feels that "the answer" lies in Iguodala. He also explains tackles the question of who is the league's ugliest player.
The Nuggets hosted the All Star Game in 1984 and 2005. They have had no slam dunk or 3 point contest winners. The Nugg Doctor has a historical glimpse of Nuggets' assistant coach Adrian Dantley. Dantley's jersey number will be retired on April 11th, 2007.
Minnesota hosted the All Star game in 1994. They have never had a 3 point contest winner but Isaiah Rider won the Dunk contest in 1994. I Heart KG tells us why their win over the Suns that broke the Suns 17 game win streak was much needed by the Wolves. TWolvesBlog has an interesting article that discusses who is to blame for the Wolves current circumstances, McHale or Casey.
The Warriors hosted the game first as the San Francisco Warriors in 1967 before they became the Golden State Warriors in 1972. Jason Richardson won the Dunk Contest in 2002 and 2003. The Golden State of Mind gives us 10 Reasons why Baron Davis should be an All Star this year. They also have the perfect Valentine's gifts for any Warriors' fan. You can also check out the Nike Second Coming commercial there and vote hot or not. Lots more good stuff there so go check it out.
Portland has never hosted the All Star Game and have never had a 3 point or Dunk contest winner come from the Blazers. BlazersBlog digs into their lineup statistics and sheds some light on Portland’s most effective 5-man lineups, who’s played the most, who’s been most effective, etc. A fascinating read.
Pacers hosted the All Star game in 1985 but have never boasted a 3 point or Dunk champion on their team. Cornrows discusses Jermaine O'Neal's selection for this year's All Star Team and also comments on the Pacers' latest brush with the law.
The Pistons hosted the game as the Ft Wayne Pistons in 1953 and as the Detroit Pistons 1959 and 1979. No Piston has ever won the Dunk or 3 point contests. Need4Sheed asks "Who wants Flip Saunders' autographed dry erase clipboard?" and share with us Ron Artest's invisible game of catch. Good stuff!
Give Me the Rock has posted their Western Conference Fantasy All-Star Team. They also send word that you can can discuss the All-Star picks and anything else Fantasy-related on their brand new forums.
End of the Bench has a suggestion for the league to award the MVP after the playoffs are over instead of awarding it during the playoffs. Makes sense to me.
Jones on the NBA has a video that brings back very fond memories of the good old days when the NBA was on NBC. The article goes into why the current coverage of the NBA leaves much to be desired. This is worth a look just for the trip down memory lane it gives.
HoopsAddict is a great site that if you haven't checked it out, you are really missing out. Ryan submitted three articles and said we could include any one of them but I couldn't choose so you get a triple treat. The first one is a book review of Brian Grasso's The Art of Coaching. If you plan to do any coaching, or even want to understand your team's coach, this is a good read. The second is a podcast of an interview with Ohio State Assistant Coach Pete Gaudet. And the third is in defense of Toronto Raptor's Coach, Sam Mitchell. All three are worth a look.
The Cavalier invites you to stop by and visit YaySports. His articles are sure to give you a smile as he tells us that Sasha Pavlovic is valuable, Carmelo Anthony is not German, Gilbert Arenas is going for 50 (or not) and much more.
SportsBiz fills us in on the business of E-Ticketing and the fact that the Cavaliers are employing this feature. This is a great site that centers on the business end of sports.
Last but not least, Straight Bangin' conjectures that Book Learning is overrated. They discuss preps to pros and 5 guys who probably should not have gone to college. Included is a nifty video of James White.
If I have missed any links please email me at FLCeltsFan@aol.com and I will add it asap. We at Loy's Place have enjoyed hosting this Carnival and hope you have enjoyed this All Star look around the NBA's blogosphere.
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