SPORTS INSIDER – John Wall, Eastern Conference shine during NBA All-Star Weekend

February 17, 2014
Ceci Ferrara
Sports Writer
Sports Insider

From the Dougie to his offensive on-the-court power, it’s clear that John Wall enjoys being in the spotlight.

On Saturday night, he and his Eastern Conference teammates were front and center. Though the slam dunk contest has been a part of NBA All-Star Weekend festivities since 1976, it was introduced in a new format this year. Instead of performing solo, Wall was part of a three-man team representing the Eastern Conference which included Indiana Pacer Paul George and last year’s champion Terrance Ross.

Team East soared passed the West, sweeping 3-0 in both the freestyle and battle rounds. But it was John Wall’s final dunk of the night that had the arena and social media buzzing. For his flashy and imaginative dunk, Wall leapt over the head of Wizards mascot, G-Man, took the ball from his hands, pumped it beneath his knees and then nailed an overhead dunk. The crowd and surely anyone watching went crazy. Social media dubbed it dunk of the night.

“It was great,” Wall said. “It’s a humbling experience for me, a great opportunity.”

The competition continued with the All-Star Game on Sunday night. The East headed into the game hoping to stop their three-year losing streak. At first, things didn’t look too promising for them, with Western All-Stars Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin dominating the game. Griffin put up 18 points in the first quarter, while Durant had 22 in the first half. By half-time, the West led 89-76.

But after trailing by as much as 18 points in the second half, the East came alive, playing good defense and scoring the points they needed. They scored 87 points, after giving up 89 points in the first half. Their comeback was led by Cleveland point guard Kyle Irving, who was named the game’s MVP. Irving had 31 points on the night, 15 of which came in the fourth quarter. LeBron James, who had been vocal about his desire to win, contributed 22, along with seven rebounds and seven assists.

The game went back and forth in the final minutes with the team’s playing hot potato with the lead. But after Durant shot a 3-pointer to give the West a 155-153 lead with just under two minutes to play, the East was able to shut them out. George nailed five free throws, Knicks star Carmelo Anthony hit a 3-pointer, and James got a basket to give the East a 163-155 victory. It was their first All-Star Game win since 2010.

“It was a great atmosphere,” Anthony said. “It was good for us to be a part of that celebration.”