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The NBA All-Star game is the crescendo of a week-long celebration of the NBA. This is the big game that matters most. Well, it's the best (non-injured) players playing in a game, all together at the same time, under the brightest lights. For the NBA Marketing department this is a biggie. And in terms of the employees working on something at the same time, for the NBA this is second only to the NBA Finals. In some cases, it's bigger. This year is the first time the game, the weekend, the celebration has been taken out of the USA. It's in Toronto, one of the two Canadian expansion teams from 1995. And it's being hosted by the only remaining Canadian club. I think the #416 / #905 have earned this one. And from as far as I can tell, everyone seems to be having a great time.
| Time | EVENT | Sponsor | Broadcast | |||
| 1 | 9:30 AM | MT | NBA Legends Brunch | NBA.com | ||
| 2 | 3:00 PM | MT | NBA GameTime | NBA TV | ||
| 3 | 5:00 PM | MT | NBA Tip-Off | AutoTrader | TNT | |
| 4 | 6:30 PM | MT | NBA All-Star Game | TNT | ||
| 5 | 9:00 PM | MT | Inside the NBA | Kia | NBA TV | |
But this is about the game. And not, well, the legends brunch.
| West All-Stars | Team | POS | East All-Stars | Team | POS | |||
| 1 | Stephen Curry | Warriors | PG | 1 | Kyle Lowry | Raptors | PG | |
| 2 | Russell Westbrook | Thunder | PG | 2 | Dwyane Wade | Heat | SG | |
| 3 | Kobe Bryant | Lakers | "SF" | 3 | Paul George | Pacers | SF/SG | |
| 4 | Lawhi Leonard | Spurs | SF | 4 | Carmelo Anthony | Knicks | SF/PF | |
| 5 | Kevin Durant | Thunder | SF/PF | 5 | LeBron James | Cavaliers | SF/PF | |
| 6 | Chris Paul | Clippers | PG | 6 | Isaiah Thomas | Celtics | PG | |
| 7 | James Harden | Rockets | SG | 7 | DeMar DeRozan | Raptors | SG/SF | |
| 8 | Klay Thompson | Warriors | SG/SF | 8 | ??? | ??? | ??? | |
| 9 | Draymond Green | Warriors | PF/C | 9 | Paul Millsap | Hawks | PF | |
| 10 | Anthony Davis | Pelicans | PF/C | 10 | Chris Bosh | Heat | PF/C | |
| 11 | LaMarcus Aldridge | Spurs | PF/C | 11 | Pau Gasol | Bulls | PF/C | |
| 12 | DeMarcus Cousins | Kings | C | 12 | Andre Drummond | Pistons | C | |
| INJ | Jimmy Butler | Bulls | SG | |||||
| INJ | John Wall | Wizards | PG |
I'm writing this on Friday morning, and Wall was just announced to be injured. I don't know who is going to replace him, or if anyone will. I'll have to update this as we get more info. I don't know who is going to be the MVP, but it's likely to be the guard who has the ball the most and passes the least. So, yeah, Curry fits the bill as a "point guard" doing that. Heck, Westbrook was the MVP last year. Times have changed . . .