jack sommerset
02-15-2010, 06:09 PM
The NBA All-Star Game has long celebrated excess and theatrics, but then there was Sunday night at Cowboys Stadium.
A crowd of 108,713 — the largest to ever watch a basketball game — filled this spaceship-like colossus that sits in a quiet Dallas suburb, and Zach Randolph relished the experience and the spectacle. A first-time All-Star in his first season with the Grizzlies, Randolph finished with eight points and six rebounds.
“You get butterflies stepping out there in front of that many people,” Randolph said.
The Toronto Raptors’ Chris Bosh nailed two free throws with five seconds left to put the East ahead, and the Denver Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony, who led the West with 27 points, missed a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer. The Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade scored a game-high 28 points in the win and was named MVP.
The previous attendance record was 78,129, when Michigan State played Kentucky at Detroit’s Ford Field on Dec. 13, 2003.
“You know, I’m way too old to even fathom this reality that we just participated in,” said the Denver Nuggets’ George Karl, who coached the West. “I’m just glad to be part of it. Wish we would’ve won.”
Randolph, who shared that sentiment, possesses the sort of understated game that tends not to suit itself to high-flying free-for-alls. And in his own soft-spoken way, he acknowledged as much before the game. Asked about his approach, he said: “Just going to go in and play hard and do it the right way. There’ll be no taking it easy.”
That has been his modus operandi with the Grizzlies this season, creating new hope for a once-destitute franchise with a throwback mix of post moves and tip-ins, hard-nosed rebounds and rainbow jumpers. He is averaging 20.5 points on 49.8-percent shooting and a career-high 11.6 rebounds.
Randolph got his hands on 20 tickets for family and friends, and not in the cheap seats, either. It was all part of his dream of becoming an All-Star, which he first entertained as a rookie in 2001. It was a long time coming, and he was determined to savor every moment, big and small.
About an hour before the game, after a quick shootaround with his teammates, Randolph made his way off the court and navigated through dozens of fans who crowded the corridor to the locker room. He posed for photographs. He signed autographs. He hugged anyone and everyone, frustrating several security officials who tried to hurry him along.
“Just excited,” he said. “Being here in this atmosphere, with all these great players, there’s so much energy.”
He checked into the game late in the first quarter sporting his trademark headband, then fed the Los Angeles Lakers’ Pau Gasol for a layup. (Oh, the irony!) A few possessions later, Randolph did what he does best — scored on a putback, a basket that had some significance. It was the first basket for a Grizzly in All-Star Game history. (Gasol did not score when he represented the team in 2006.)
Derrick Rose, the former University of Memphis standout and second-year guard with the Chicago Bulls, also made his All-Star debut and finished with eight points in 15 minutes. Rose, who played despite being bruised up from a recent fall, said he was blown away by the size of the crowd.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Rose said. “Now I see what football players are going through when they go to stadiums. It’s crazy here.”
Led by James, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ iconic superstar, the East led at halftime, 76-69. James (25 points) put on a show in the third quarter with three monstrous dunks, but the West kept things tight. By the time Randolph broke free for a sweeping left-handed layup early in the fourth quarter, the West had cut the East’s lead to 118-114. But the East persevered in the final moments.
Randolph had the best plus/minus on the West (plus-13), and the second-best in the game behind James (plus-14).
“I did?” said Randolph, laughing. “I’ve got to tell my agent that.”
-- Scott Cacciola: 529-2773
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/feb/14/dwyane-wade-28-points-lead-east-all-star-game-win/
A crowd of 108,713 — the largest to ever watch a basketball game — filled this spaceship-like colossus that sits in a quiet Dallas suburb, and Zach Randolph relished the experience and the spectacle. A first-time All-Star in his first season with the Grizzlies, Randolph finished with eight points and six rebounds.
“You get butterflies stepping out there in front of that many people,” Randolph said.
The Toronto Raptors’ Chris Bosh nailed two free throws with five seconds left to put the East ahead, and the Denver Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony, who led the West with 27 points, missed a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer. The Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade scored a game-high 28 points in the win and was named MVP.
The previous attendance record was 78,129, when Michigan State played Kentucky at Detroit’s Ford Field on Dec. 13, 2003.
“You know, I’m way too old to even fathom this reality that we just participated in,” said the Denver Nuggets’ George Karl, who coached the West. “I’m just glad to be part of it. Wish we would’ve won.”
Randolph, who shared that sentiment, possesses the sort of understated game that tends not to suit itself to high-flying free-for-alls. And in his own soft-spoken way, he acknowledged as much before the game. Asked about his approach, he said: “Just going to go in and play hard and do it the right way. There’ll be no taking it easy.”
That has been his modus operandi with the Grizzlies this season, creating new hope for a once-destitute franchise with a throwback mix of post moves and tip-ins, hard-nosed rebounds and rainbow jumpers. He is averaging 20.5 points on 49.8-percent shooting and a career-high 11.6 rebounds.
Randolph got his hands on 20 tickets for family and friends, and not in the cheap seats, either. It was all part of his dream of becoming an All-Star, which he first entertained as a rookie in 2001. It was a long time coming, and he was determined to savor every moment, big and small.
About an hour before the game, after a quick shootaround with his teammates, Randolph made his way off the court and navigated through dozens of fans who crowded the corridor to the locker room. He posed for photographs. He signed autographs. He hugged anyone and everyone, frustrating several security officials who tried to hurry him along.
“Just excited,” he said. “Being here in this atmosphere, with all these great players, there’s so much energy.”
He checked into the game late in the first quarter sporting his trademark headband, then fed the Los Angeles Lakers’ Pau Gasol for a layup. (Oh, the irony!) A few possessions later, Randolph did what he does best — scored on a putback, a basket that had some significance. It was the first basket for a Grizzly in All-Star Game history. (Gasol did not score when he represented the team in 2006.)
Derrick Rose, the former University of Memphis standout and second-year guard with the Chicago Bulls, also made his All-Star debut and finished with eight points in 15 minutes. Rose, who played despite being bruised up from a recent fall, said he was blown away by the size of the crowd.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Rose said. “Now I see what football players are going through when they go to stadiums. It’s crazy here.”
Led by James, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ iconic superstar, the East led at halftime, 76-69. James (25 points) put on a show in the third quarter with three monstrous dunks, but the West kept things tight. By the time Randolph broke free for a sweeping left-handed layup early in the fourth quarter, the West had cut the East’s lead to 118-114. But the East persevered in the final moments.
Randolph had the best plus/minus on the West (plus-13), and the second-best in the game behind James (plus-14).
“I did?” said Randolph, laughing. “I’ve got to tell my agent that.”
-- Scott Cacciola: 529-2773
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/feb/14/dwyane-wade-28-points-lead-east-all-star-game-win/