PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 10 -- It's a shame that the embittered boobirds in Philly are going to grab most of the post-All-Star ink with their harsh treatment of MVP Kobe Bryant, because in a game that brought together the league's best players for one night of showing off, Bryant and Eastern Conference swingman Tracy McGrady were brilliant.
 Kobe Bryant put all his moves on display during the All-Star Game. Noren Trotman NBAE/Getty Images |
"He has all these incredible moves," said West coach Don Nelson. "He's got a step and a hop -- he's got the whole works. He's got the touch, he can make shots outside and inside, and he can make a pass whenever he wants."
The first seven minutes of the second quarter, however, belonged to McGrady. T-Mac opened his night with a three-pointer, but moments later threw down a dunk that will live in All-Star infamy. Taking his dribble into the key with no one on the West team stepping out defensively, McGrady shoveled an ostensible lob behind the head of Dallas's Dirk Nowiztki. Everyone on the court turned to see who was going to field the oop, only to find McGrady himself catching the carom off the glass and throwing down the dunk.
"I've done that dunk numerous times in high school," said McGrady, "and I just wanted to try it on the NBA level. I kind of wanted to do it all along, but it was a great opportunity to pull it off. I got the ball in transition, there was only one guy back -- I think it was Dirk -- and he bit on the lob. I guess he thought I was throwing it to one of my teammates, and I just threw it down."
McGrady followed that up moments later when Baron Davis found him on the break with an alley oop for a thundering jam, getting the East within two, 48-46. Then, on the very next possession, McGrady was running the floor with Paul Pierce on another fast break, but Pierce disappointed the crowd, laying the ball in himself rather than tossing the ball up for another T-Mac showcase. With 5:18 left in the half, the score was tied, 48-48.
But then back came Bryant.
Scorching from the field and the recipient of some quality feeds from his teammates, he scored 11 more points -- including eight of the team's last 10 -- to close the quarter, and suddenly the West had a 17-point lead, 72-55.
 Tracy McGrady threw down a variety of dunks throughout the evening. David Sherman NBAE/Getty Images |
In the third quarter, the booing began. Perhaps suffering from residual anger over the Lakers' victory over the Sixers in the 2001 Finals, perhaps frustrated that Allen Iverson was not taking over as they'd hoped (five points on 2-for-9 shooting in the game), perhaps simply tiring of watching the West dominate -- whatever the reason -- the First Union Center crowd was jeering Bryant every time he touched the ball.
"I was pretty upset, pretty hurt," he said after the game. "I wanted to go out there and just play, play hard. But they booed."
"I felt bad for him," said McGrady. "This is his hometown, and I thought he played well. I don't know why they don't like him in his own city, but it's really frustrating to come play in your own hometown and they boo you."
McGrady, too, kept the show going in the third, filing another reel for the highlight vault when he tomahawked a reverse jam off a feed from Michael Jordan. He capped his night early in the fourth quarter with a putback dunk, finishing with a team-leading 24 points on 9-for-15 from the field.
"Last year I had the jitters and I was just trying to fill out the game," he said. "It was my first All-Star appearance and I was kind of nervous. This time I was more relaxed and had a feel for the game, and I just came out gunnin'. I think once I hit my first shot, then it was on from there."
Bryant, though, was the one who was on for the winning team -- all night long. He rounded out his game-high 31 points with five rebounds and five assists on his way to winning the MVP award.
Eastern Conference coach Byron Scott offered his own analysis of Bryant's performance: "Kobe today was just head and shoulders above everybody."
