12 Jun 2019
Reason to worry for Curry as LeBron and Durant join forces in NBA All-Star Game
Sunday’s NBA All-Star game will once again showcase the very best the National Basketball Association has to offer, as Team LeBron faces off against Team Stephen at Staples Centre in Los Angeles.
Fans, current players and the US media have voted for their starters, with Team LeBron coach, Dwane Casey, and Team Stephen coach, Mike D’Antoni selecting the reserves. Finally, each captain picked their teams from those selected; the result, a tantalising prospect as we gear up for game day.
Team LeBron will showcase the best of the Eastern Conference, led by the Cleveland Cavaliers’ iconic small forward (Lebron James) himself, whilst the Western Conference’s Team Stephen will be led by the elegant Steph Curry, who helped his Golden State Warriors side ease to a fifth NBA Championship in 2017.
Lebron will be joined by former teammate Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics, one of his Championship rivals, and fellow league standout Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors. New Orleans Pelicans’ DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis will also start.
For Team Stephen, they will hope experience prevails as All-Star vet James Harden of the Houston Rockets is set to feature. Aside from Curry, he’ll be joined by Toronto Raptor’s DeMar DeRozan, Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo and All-Star debutant Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Ahead of tip-off on Sunday, Team LeBron will no-doubt fancy their chances, but they’ll be no time for love loss between former teammates LeBron and Kyrie Irving if they are to get the W. In particular, Irving will need to put his Celtic’s sides recent defeat to LeBron’s Cavaliers behind him, as the pair will look to re-ignite the chemistry that saw them scoop the NBA championship together in 2016.
Buoyed by a superior player efficiency rating (PER) though, Team Stephen will look towards the explosive form of James Harden and three of the five indomitable Golden State Warriors in-and-around Curry’s side. That being said, the smart money may be headed west with basketball betting odds of 6/5 for a Team Stephen win.
In last year’s Championship finals, LeBron and Irving could only sit by and watch as Warriors’ Curry, Durant, Clay Thompson and Draymond Green blew away the Cavaliers. With the latter pairing waiting on the bench to step in on Sunday, Team Stephen certainly have strength in depth.
Re-united, LeBron and Irving will however have a point to prove alongside Kevin Durant. Against such stiff competition, Sunday’s game looks set to be one of the most entertaining to date.
In 2016, the game saw the most points put up by a single team; 196 by the Western Conference in a 196-173 win. Last year was not too dissimilar either as both teams combined for a ridiculous 374 point record haul in a 192-182 victory for the West.
If this trend continues, this year’s game could once again be bereft of defence, but in no way bereft of entertainment as 150+ points for both sides looks highly likely.
Last year’s All-Star game MVP, Anthony Davis, contributed his fair share of points with a record 52. As the most ever by an individual in an All-Star game, he’ll look to add to this and deny his captain LeBron a third All-Star MVP award.
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