Post by New Jersey Nets on Aug 21, 2008 2:33:20 GMT -5
1st Quarter
[/u][/size][/color][/center]East
[/color][/center]Yao Ming was a beast on the boards grabbing 9 in the quarter and blocking 2 shots. Garnett made a few nice jump shots to help the East's cause. Dwayne Wade was the player of the quarter. He was unstoppable in the open floor and had 10 points but still dished out 6 assists. Kobe and LeBron both scored in double digits (11 and 12) and both are going to be hard to stop the rest of the way.
West
Even though Steve Nash had 8 points and 7 assists in the 1st quarter, he shot 3-12 (0-3 from three) from the floor and was destroyed by Wade on the defensive end. Dwight Howard did almost nothing and now the West find themselves down 11 points. The lead could have been bigger since the East had an 11 point lead 6 minutes into the quarter, but the West closed the quarter well. Chris Bosh hit three long jumpers off of double screens and Tracy McGrady made a few sick layups over bigger players. The West will need to get more production behind the arc from their guards to challenge the East.
2nd Quarter
[/u][/size][/color][/center]East
[/color][/center]Giving up 52 points in a quarter isn't good under any circumstances but in an exhibition game between the best players in the league it is a little understandable. Kobe and Wade again were aggressive and paced the East with 16 points a piece while Wade had another 6 assists. Garnett, James, Ming, and Aldridge were very quiet in the 2nd quarter. The East will need more from them especially on defense.
West
Amare finally showed up and dominated Yao in the quarter. On one series alone he twice blocked Yao on layup attempts. He also grabbed 5 rebounds over the much taller center. Duncan quietly went about his business and scored 9 points to go along with 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block. Dirk subbed in for Bosh when Bosh left with an injury and put up 12 points. Nash finally got the better or Wade with 16 points on 6-10 shooting while McGrady had another double digit (10 points) scoring quarter. The West had an amazing quarter closing the eleven point lead to one and can wrap this one up with the same play from their players.
Players at the Half
[/center]3rd Quarter
[/u][/size][/color][/center]East
[/color][/center]Bad news: Kobe Bryant is done for the game. Good news: Andre Iguodala stepped up at the end of the quarter. Iggy made a huge steal in a four point game with under 30 seconds left to extend the lead to six with a nice finish. Garnett disappeared but both LeBron and Wade put on a show. James had 17 points on 7-10 shooting and Wade had 8 points and 4 assists. Ming, Garnett, and Iggy need to play well to keep this lead on the West.
West
[/color][/center]Steve Nash came through for the West again with 12 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals in the quarter. He almost single handedly is keeping the West's chances alive. TMac scored another 12 points and Dwight Howard finally started finishing around the rim and ended up with 6 points and 3 rebounds. The starting lineup is still working well together but a shooter like Ray Allen might be needed to go for the win.
4th Quarter
[/u][/size][/color][/center]East
[/color][/center]Wade led the way again with 15 points and made the plays at the end of the quarter to stop any thoughts the West had at making a run and winning the game. Iguodala also showed up with 11 points in 12 minutes. LeBron only had 7 points but he played good defense and made a few hustle plays that could have been the difference in a comeback. Yao was huge on the defensive end with 4 blocks and 6 rebounds while Garnett was also stingy on defense. Losing Bryant didn't hurt them as much as logic says it should have.
West
[/color][/center]McGrady getting his fifth foul early and exiting the game may have been the difference for the West. Even with Nash's 15 points and both Ray Allen's and Chris Bosh's inspired play, the West lost by 10 points. Howard had trouble with Yao's size around the basket in the 4th and Duncan disappeared again. All in all it was an entertaining game and both teams scored at least 159 points.
TOTALS
Player of the Game
Notable Performances[/b]:
LeBron James 38 points | 8 rebounds | 1 assist | 1 steal
Andre Iguodala 16 minutes | 17 points | 2 steals
Yao Ming 13 points | 20 rebounds (10 off) | 7 blocks
Kobe Bryant 33 points | 4 assists | 2 steals
Kevin Garnett 17 points | 9 rebounds | 3 assists | 4 steals | 2 blocks
Tim Duncan 20 points | 14 rebounds | 4 blocks
Chris Bosh 21 points | 11 rebounds | 2 assists
Steve Nash 51 points | 17 assists | 4 steals
Tracy McGrady 28 points | 2 rebounds | 4 assists | 1 steal
[/color]