2015 NBA All-Star Game

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2015 NBA All-Star Game
1234 Total
West 47363941 163
East 36464036 158
DateFebruary 15, 2015
ArenaMadison Square Garden (All-Star Game)
Barclays Center (All-Star Saturday Night)
CityNew York City
MVPRussell Westbrook (West)
National anthemQueen Latifah (American)[1]
Tamia (Canadian)[2]
Halftime showAriana Grande and Nicki Minaj
Attendance17,198
NetworkTNT, TBS (United States)
TSN (Canada)
AnnouncersMarv Albert, Reggie Miller and Chris Webber
Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller and Kenny Smith (All-Star Saturday Night)
Matt Winer, Grant Hill and Chris Webber (Rising Stars Challenge)
NBA All-Star Game
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The 2015 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 15, 2015, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2014–15 season. It was the 64th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference, 163–158. Russell Westbrook was named the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. The game was televised nationally by TNT and TBS in the United States, and TSN in Canada.

The All-Star Weekend festivities were jointly hosted by the league's two New York City teams, the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets. The NBA awarded the game to New York City in 2013,[3] and the logo for the 2015 All-Star Game was unveiled on July 10, 2014.[4] The All-Star Game itself was played at the Knicks' home arena, Madison Square Garden; the current Garden last hosted the game in 1998, and the Knicks' previous home, the third Madison Square Garden, hosted three earlier All-Star Games. The Saturday All-Star activities were held at the Nets' home arena, the Barclays Center; the Nets previously hosted the 1982 All-Star Game at Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.[3]

All-Star Game

Coaches

Mike Budenholzer (left) and Steve Kerr (right) were selected as the East and West head coach, respectively.

Mike Budenholzer, coach of the Atlanta Hawks, and Steve Kerr, coach of the Golden State Warriors, were selected as the East and West head coach, respectively.[5]

Roster

Russell Westbrook was named MVP of the All-Star game.

The rosters for the All-Star Game were chosen in two ways. The starters were chosen via a fan ballot. Two guards and three frontcourt players who received the highest vote were named the All-Star starters. NBA head coaches voted for the reserves for their respective conferences, none of which could be players on their own team. Each coach selected two guards, three frontcourt players and two wild cards, with each selected player ranked in order of preference within each category. If a multi-position player was to be selected, coaches were encouraged to vote for the player at the position that was "most advantageous for the All-Star team", regardless of where the player was listed on the All-Star ballot or the position he was listed in box scores.[6] If a player is unable to participate due to injury, the commissioner will select a replacement.

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors topped the ballots with 1,513,324 votes, which earned him a starting position as a guard in the Western Conference team. Kobe Bryant earned a record 17th consecutive All-Star selection, and Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol, and Blake Griffin completed the Western Conference starting positions. The first-time All-Stars in the West were the Warriors’ Klay Thompson and the Sacramento Kings' DeMarcus Cousins, who was selected as a replacement for the injured Bryant.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were represented by two players: Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, both of whom were reserves. Also sending a pair of players to the All-Star Game as reserves were the Portland Trail Blazers, represented by LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard. The remaining Western Conference reserves were Thompson, Cousins, Tim Duncan, James Harden, Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant, and Russell Westbrook. Golden State had two All-Star representatives for the first time since 1993, when Tim Hardaway and Chris Mullin were both All-Stars. It was also the first time the Warriors had a pair of starters since 1967, when Rick Barry and Nate Thurmond were both starters.[7]

The Eastern Conference's leading vote-getter was Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, who finished with 1,470,483 votes. John Wall, Kyle Lowry, Pau Gasol, and Carmelo Anthony completed the Eastern Conference starting positions. The Eastern Conference team featured four first-time selections: Lowry, Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague, and Kyle Korver. The Atlanta Hawks were represented by four players: Al Horford, Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver, all of whom were reserves. Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and Kyrie Irving completed the remaining Eastern Conference reserves.

The Gasol brothers Marc and Pau were selected as the starting center of the West and the East respectively, marking the first time in NBA history, two brothers were picked to start in an All-Star Game. They were also the first brothers to jump center for the opening tip of an All-Star Game.[8] The Gasols were also the first brothers to appear in the same All-Star Game since Tom and Dick Van Arsdale played in the 1970 and 1971 games.[5]

  • INJ^ ^ ^ ^ Bryant, Davis, Griffin and Wade were unable to participate due to injury.[10][11][12][13]
  • REP1^ Cousins was named as Bryant's replacement.[10]
  • REP2^ Lillard was named as Griffin's replacement.[11]
  • REP3^ Korver was named as Wade's replacement.[14]
  • REP4^ Nowitzki was named as Davis' replacement.[13]
  • ST^ ^ ^ Western Conference head coach Steve Kerr chose Aldridge, Harden and Thompson to start in place of the injured Bryant, Davis and Griffin.[13][15]

Game

February 15, 2015
8:30 p.m. ET
Western Conference 163, Eastern Conference 158
Scoring by quarter: 47–36, 36–46, 39–40, 41–36
Pts: Russell Westbrook 41
Rebs: Marc Gasol 10
Asts: Chris Paul 15		 Pts: LeBron James 30
Rebs: Pau Gasol 12
Asts: Kyle Lowry 8
Madison Square Garden, New York
Attendance: 17,198
Referees:
  • Derrick Stafford
  • Pat Fraher
  • Sean Wright

Russell Westbrook scored 41 points and was named the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. He scored 27 points in 11 minutes in the first half, setting an All-Star record for points in a half. He finished one point shy of the All-Star game record set by Wilt Chamberlain (42) in 1962.[16]

All-Star Weekend

Celebrity Game

Further information: NBA All-Star Weekend Celebrity Game

The 2015 Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game was played on Friday, February 13, 2015. It was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, home of the New York Knicks. This was the first celebrity game played at an NBA arena in the event's history.[17] The game was televised nationally by ESPN.[18]

This game featured 20 players including Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler, Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, 2014 Little League World Series female pitcher Mo'ne Davis, WNBA player Skylar Diggins, Paralympic athlete Blake Leeper, NBA hall of famer Chris Mullin, and Memphis Grizzlies owner Robert Pera. This game also featured two All-Star Celebrity Game MVPs; 2010 winner Michael Rapaport and 2012, 2013, and 2014 winner Kevin Hart.[19]

ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike" hosts Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg coached the West and East teams respectively. The West team assistant coaches were film director Spike Lee and tennis legend John McEnroe. New York Knicks' small forward Carmelo Anthony and former Baylor Bears center Isaiah Austin was the assistant coaches for the East team.[20] Actress and singer Keke Palmer sang the national anthem, and Canadian reggae fusion band Magic! performed at halftime.[21]

Although the West led by Atlanta Dream point guard Shoni Schimmel with 17 points beat the East 57–51, Kevin Hart of the East who scored 15 points and won the MVP award. This was Hart's fourth MVP award in a row, a record for the Celebrity Game. Hart would then announce his retirement from the annual celebrity game.[22]

February 13, 2015
West 57, East 51
Madison Square Garden, New York City

Rising Stars Challenge

Further information: Rising Stars Challenge

^INJ1 Adams was unable to participate due to injury.[24]
^REP1 Nurkić was named as Adams' replacement.[24]
^INJ2 Carter-Williams was unable to participate due to injuries.
^REP2 Covington was named as Carter-Williams' replacement.
^INJ3 Olynyk was unable to participate due to injury.[24]
^REP3 Dellavedova was named as Olynyk's replacement.[24]
^OUT Nurkić decided to not participate for personal reasons.
^REP4 Papanikolaou was named as Nurkić's replacement.

February 13
9:00 p.m. ET
Team World 121, Team USA 112
Scoring by half: 69–67, 52–45
Pts: Andrew Wiggins 22
Rebs: Rudy Gobert 12
Asts: Dennis Schröder 9		 Pts: Oladipo, LaVine 22
Rebs: Mason Plumlee 9
Asts: Oladipo, Burke 4
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Attendance: 15,451
Referees:
  • #73 Tre Maddox
  • #77 Karl Lane
  • #79 Kevin Scott

The World team won against the U.S. 121–112 at the Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star weekend. Canada's Andrew Wiggins scored 22 points, and Rudy Gobert added 18 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. Brooklyn's Bojan Bogdanovic of Croatia, and Chicago's Nikola Mirotić of Montenegro added 16 points each for the World team. Victor Oladipo of the Orlando Magic and Zach LaVine of the Minnesota Timberwolves led the U.S. team with 22 points each. Andrew Wiggins, the 2014 NBA draft 1st overall pick, won the game's MVP award.[25]

Shooting Stars Competition

Further information: NBA All-Star Weekend Shooting Stars Competition
Contestants[26]
Team Name Members Team First round Final round
Team Bosh Chris Bosh Miami Heat 30.8 57.6
Swin Cash New York Liberty
Dominique Wilkins Atlanta Hawks legend
Team Westbrook Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder 35.2 DNF
Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
Penny Hardaway Orlando Magic legend
Team Curry Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors 47.0 –
Sue Bird Seattle Storm
Dell Curry Charlotte Hornets legend
Team Millsap Anthony Davis[a] New Orleans Pelicans 51.4 –
Paul Millsap[a] Atlanta Hawks
Elena Delle Donne Chicago Sky
Scottie Pippen Chicago Bulls legend
a.1 2 Anthony Davis was replaced by Paul Millsap.[27]
b. NBA Legends wore a current era jersey of the team best associated with the player, except for Dell Curry, a special exception because the old Charlotte Hornets relocated to New Orleans in 2002 and became the Pelicans in 2013. Curry's official statistics belong to the Pelicans, but represented the new Charlotte Hornets, formerly known as the Charlotte Bobcats from 2004–2014, and wore their 2014 jersey in the contest.

Skills Challenge

Further information: NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge
Contestants[28]
Pos. Player Team Height Weight
G/F Jimmy Butler[d] Chicago Bulls 6–7 220
G Jeff Teague Atlanta Hawks 6–2 181
G Kyle Lowry Toronto Raptors 6–0 205
G John Wall[b] Washington Wizards 6–4 195
G Michael Carter-Williams [c] Philadelphia 76ers 6–6 190
G Brandon Knight Milwaukee Bucks 6–3 189
G Dennis Schröder[d] Atlanta Hawks 6–1 168
G Patrick Beverley[b] Houston Rockets 6–1 185
G Elfrid Payton [c] Orlando Magic 6–4 185
G Trey Burke Utah Jazz 6–1 185
G Isaiah Thomas Phoenix Suns 5–9 185
b.1 2 John Wall was replaced by Patrick Beverley.[29]
c.1 2 Michael Carter-Williams was replaced by Elfrid Payton.[27]
d.1 2 Jimmy Butler was replaced by Dennis Schröder.[27]
Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
1 Isaiah Thomas (Phoenix) X
8 Patrick Beverley (Houston) O
Patrick Beverley (Houston) O
Jeff Teague (Atlanta) X
4 Jeff Teague (Atlanta) O
5 Elfrid Payton (Orlando) X
Patrick Beverley (Houston) O
Brandon Knight (Milwaukee) X
2 Trey Burke (Utah) X
7 Brandon Knight (Milwaukee) O
Brandon Knight (Milwaukee) O
Kyle Lowry (Toronto) X
3 Kyle Lowry (Toronto) O
6 Dennis Schröder (Atlanta) X

Three-Point Contest

Further information: Three-Point Contest
Contestants[30]
Pos. Player Team Height Weight First round Final round
G Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors 6–3 190 23 27
G Kyrie Irving Cleveland Cavaliers 6–3 193 23 17
G Klay Thompson Golden State Warriors 6–7 215 24 14
G Wesley Matthews Portland Trail Blazers 6–5 220 22 –
G/F Kyle Korver Atlanta Hawks 6–7 212 18 –
G Marco Belinelli San Antonio Spurs 6–5 195 18 –
G JJ Redick Los Angeles Clippers 6–4 190 17 –
G James Harden Houston Rockets 6–5 225 15 –

Slam Dunk Contest

Further information: Slam Dunk Contest

Rookie Zach LaVine won the Slam Dunk Contest to become the youngest champion (19) since an 18-year-old Kobe Bryant in 1997.[31] He became a crowd favorite after his first dunk, which he performed while wearing Michael Jordan's No. 23 jersey from the movie Space Jam, which inspired him as a youngster to become a basketball player.[32] With a perfect 50 on each of his first two dunks, Lavine was the first player since Dwight Howard in 2009 with a perfect score on multiple dunks.[33] Yahoo! Sports hailed him as "the most electrifying performer of All-Star Saturday Night ... and, if we're being honest, in quite a number of years."[31]

Contestants[34]
Pos. Player Team Height Weight First round Final round
G Zach LaVine Minnesota Timberwolves 6–5 183 100 (50+50) 94[35] (45+49)
G Victor Oladipo Orlando Magic 6–4 210 89 (50+39) 72[35] (31+41)
F/C Mason Plumlee Brooklyn Nets 6–11 235 76 (40+36) –
G/F Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks 6–11 217 65 (30+35) –

References

  1. ^ "Coffee Talk: Queen Latifah to Sing National Anthem at NBA All-Star Game". Essence.com. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  2. ^ "AP Entertainment on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "New York City to host NBA All-Star 2015". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on January 15, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  4. ^ "NBA Unveils 2015 All-Star Game Logo". Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d "Warriors' Curry leading vote-getter, surpassing LeBron, for 2015 All-Star Game". NBA.com. January 22, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  6. ^ Stein, Marc (January 18, 2013). "1. Reserve Judgment: Stein's All-Star Benches". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013.
  7. ^ "Klay Thompson Named Starter on Western Conference All-Star Team". NBA.com. February 11, 2015.
  8. ^ "NBA: All-Stars in the family". February 10, 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Hawks' trio headlines reserves for 2015 NBA All-Star Game". NBA.com. January 29, 2015. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  10. ^ a b "DeMarcus Cousins off to first ASG". ESPN. January 30, 2015.
  11. ^ a b "Blazers' Lillard replaces Griffin in All-Star Game". NBA.com. February 8, 2015. Archived from the original on February 11, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  12. ^ "Dwyane Wade out, Kyle Korver in". ESPN.com. February 10, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  13. ^ a b c "Thompson, Harden will start All-Star". ESPN.com. February 11, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  14. ^ "Hawks' Korver to replace Heat's Wade in All-Star Game". NBA.com. February 10, 2015. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  15. ^ "LaMarcus Aldridge to start ASG". ESPN.com. February 14, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  16. ^ Bresnahan, Mike (February 15, 2015). "NBA All-Star game updates: West beats the East, 163–158". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 16, 2015.
  17. ^ "NBA provides fans with unprecedented access to All-Star with expanded schedule of events" (Press release). NBA Media Ventures. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  18. ^ "2015 Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game". NBA Media Ventures. Archived from the original on March 4, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  19. ^ "Kevin Hart, Ansel Elgort, Common, Mo'ne Davis, Anthony Anderson, Nick Cannon and Chadwick Boseman to compete in Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game". National Basketball Association (Press release). NBA Media Ventures. Archived from the original on March 2, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  20. ^ "Spike Lee to coach Celebrity Game". ESPN New York. Associated Press. February 5, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  21. ^ Carter, Caitlin (February 14, 2015). "2015 NBA All-Star Weekend Kicks Off With Celebrity Basketball Game: See Photos of MVP Kevin Hart, Win Butler, Common & More". Music Times.
  22. ^ Whitaker, Lang. "West wins All-Star Celebrity Game; Hart bags fourth MVP". NBA Media Ventures. Archived from the original on February 16, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  23. ^ a b "Wiggins, Carter-Williams headline rosters for BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge". NBA.com. January 28, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  24. ^ a b c d "Nurkic to replace Adams in BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge". NBA.com. February 9, 2015.
  25. ^ "World wins BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge, Canada's Andrew Wiggins, chosen No. 1 in 2014 Draft, takes MVP honors after dropping 22 points in 121-112 victory over USA". NBA.com. February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  26. ^ "Degree Shooting Stars, NBA, WNBA stars align in sharp-shooting competition". NBA.com. February 12, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  27. ^ a b c "Hawks' Millsap replaces Pelicans' Davis in Degree Shooting Stars, Magic's Payton, Hawks' Schroder added to Taco Bell Skills Challenge". NBA.com. February 12, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  28. ^ "2015 NBA All-Star Taco Bell Skills Challenge". NBA.com. February 10, 2015. Archived from the original on February 8, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  29. ^ NBA.com "Rockets' Beverley to replace Wizards' Wall in Taco Bell Skills Challenge" Archived May 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  30. ^ "Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, Sharpshooters take aim in Foot Locker Three-Point Contest". NBA.com. February 6, 2015. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  31. ^ a b Devine, Dan (February 15, 2015). "Zach LaVine explodes on national stage, wins 2015 Sprite Slam Dunk". yahoo.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2015.
  32. ^ Hoffman, Benjamin (February 15, 2015). "Zach LaVine, With Nod to Michael Jordan, Soars to Victory in Slam Dunk Contest". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015.
  33. ^ "Zach LaVine earns top-dunks honors". ESPN.com. February 15, 2015. Archived from the original on February 15, 2015.
  34. ^ "Sprite Slam Dunk, Dunkers taker center stage on All-Star Saturday Night". NBA.com. February 6, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  35. ^ a b "Timberwolves' Zach LaVine wins 2015 NBA Slam Dunk Contest". chicagotribune.com. February 16, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2015.

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