ASG 2020 was mainly for charity

New Year brought to the National Basketball Association (NBA) a new kind of gloom when two important figures passed away last month. David Stern, a lawyer who joined the NBA as a league counsel during the late 70s and went on to become an innovative NBA commissioner died after a losing battle with cancer. Three weeks later, Los Angeles Lakers legend and soon to be Basketball Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant died in a devastating helicopter crash together with his daughter Gigi and seven others.

The NBA and its players’ association will be auctioning the Kobe-themed Jordan Brand jerseys used during the 2020 All-Star Games. All proceeds will be donated to Bryant’s foundations – Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation and the Mamba-on-Three Fund.
The Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation provides the less privileged with sports programs that enhance their social outlooks and awareness. It also provides funding for the deserving but less fortunate athletes to be in school and sports leagues, as well as for the young women in sports through equal opportunities. The Mamba-on-Three Fund, on the other hand, was created specifically to honor and support the families of the seven other victims of the Jan. 26 crash.

We now go on to the game. Since the death of Stern and Kobe, the league had been in a somber mood. However, it changed to a celebration of life when Dwayne Wade and WNBA star Candace Parker led the crowd in making the United Center in Chicago the loudest arena in the world for 24.2 seconds in honor for the jersey numbers worn by Kobe and Gigi.

This year’s All-Star was a game of different formats. In the first three periods, the scores restart to zero every quarter. The winning team of the period wins a specific amount for its selected charity. Meanwhile, the fourth quarter is also of a different format. It was untimed. The quota was 24 points added to the leading team’s cumulative score from the first three periods. Since the leader had a total of 133 during the first three outings, the target score to end the All-Star match was at 157. It was indeed a competitive final quarter that can be likened to the intensity of a playoff game. The stars played hardcore defense in the race to meet the 157 target.

A good All-Star clash should have not ended with a free throw. Apparently, LeBron’s team converted a split one to reach the quota and win the game over Team Giannis who scored 155. Even the final score, ironically, has Kobe’s number. Add 1+5+7+1+5+5 and what do you get?

We now proceed to the other event of the All-Star Weekend. The Slam Dunk contest was a controversial one. Aaron Gordon and Derrick Jones, Jr. were locked with identical scores of 50 three times, and the judges should have declared the contest a tie. Obviously a judge had the bias for Jones Jr.

“I feel like I should have two trophies”, Gordon said while noting that his first should have been in 2016.

Reportedly, he won’t be joining future more dunk contests. Most dunkers could jump over other players but rarely do we see one jumping over a seven-foot-five guy.

The Orlando Police Department tweeted via their account an amusing message. “We plan on reaching out to the Chicago Police today to investigate Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon being robbed of a dunk contest championship last night”./PN