Welcome to my NBA series, let's discuss the NBA all star game, Team Stephen vs Team LeBron
This year marks the creation of a new format for this game. We now have two captains, Steph Curry and Lebron James picking out teammates for the big game. There are pros and cons to this new format. Personally I enjoy the personal touch, making this all about two guys picking teams, compared to the generic East vs West formula. What I dislike about this new format is the transparency angle, the choosing should have been public, televised even. I do not like that it all happened behind closed doors. Anyways, putting aside the whole business side of things, I expect this to be a great spectacle, a shooting and dunking show bonanza. There is no real incentive to play hard, so, like in previous years, a lot of points will be scored. Paradoxically, this may spoil the fun for some people, because defense and intensity is a big part of the game of basketball.
I will first post the teams, and then I will say a few words about each team.
| Team Stephen | Team Lebron |
|---|---|
| Anthony Davis | Giannis Antetokounmpo |
| Kevin Durant | Demar DeRozan |
| Kyrie Irving | Joel Embiid |
| Russel Westbrook | James Harden |
| Lemarcus Aldridge | Jimmy Butler |
| Bradley Beal | Draymond Green |
| Goran Dragic | Al Horford |
| Andre Drummond | Damian Lillard |
| Kemba Walker | Klay Thompson |
| Victor Oladipo | Karl Anthony Towns |
A few things here to notice. Team Lebron was supposed to have Porzingis, Love, Wall and Cousins, all down with injury unfortunately. Even so, both teams are obviously loaded when it comes to talent. I am curious to see how Curry and Harden will play together, if they will be able to create an effective offense by passing the ball and not just hogging it, or do catch and shoots. Team Lebron has, what many believe to be the best two players in the world at the moment, namely Lebron and Durant. I don't remember seeing these two play together. They may have played for Team USA during the Olympics, but I may be mistaken on that. I would have enjoyed seeing Boogie Cousins play with these guys, it would have given a serious boost to them. Anyways, these are the two teams and my thoughts on them.
Team Lebron is considered favorite here, being comprised by the two best players, Lebron and Durant. Pound for pound though, I believe though that the Team Stephen have more shooting ammunition, and not just because of Curry. They have Harden, Thompson and Lillard, all of which are all time shooting greats. On top of that, Harden will also most likely be this year MVP. Looking at individual stats for players can be very deceiving, because stats sheets really depend on the team you are playing. Just look at Westbrook last year, where he was the sole star in his team, and Westbrook this year. The best statistic in a game like this is thinking how a particular group of players will mesh together for a game that really has no real significance. Having said that, let's try and predict the outcome!
Both teams have plenty of talent, and I really don't believe is gonna be a huge point differential at the end. Team Curry is a bit younger and has an edge in my opinion, due to their shooting. This game is not going to be decided by defense. Having said this, I believe said the correct bet here is the point total, which right now sits at 337-340, depending on where you look. This is significantly lower point total than last year for example. Last year all NBA game had 374 points scored!!
Well folks, this is going to be a great weekend for us NBA fans, I hope you enjoy this game, I know I will! Good Luck and visit my blog to see what I have been up to!
