EAST 154, WEST 145 (OT), McNichols Sports Arena (Denver)
ATTENDANCE: 17,500
MVP: Isiah Thomas (Detroit Pistons)
With feats of passing fancy, Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson put on quite a show at McNichols Sports Arena for the 1984 All Star Game. Thomas, who emerged as MVP, finished with 21 points and 15 assists in the East’s 154-145 overtime win over the West. Many of Thomas’ passes found their way to Julius Erving — the reigning All-Star Game MVP — who scored 34 points to go along with his eight rebounds and five assists. And although Thomas left the game with the MVP hardware, some might argue that Johnson left a more lasting impression.
Johnson finished with 15 points and 22 assists, including an All-Star Game-record 13 assists in a half. His 22 assists set an all-time single-game record for All-Star dimes and was the second of six consecutive 10-plus assists All-Star games for Johnson.
Aside from the masterful passing in this game from Thomas and Johnson, two significant All-Star debuts also took place. Kevin McHale, a key cog in the Celtics’ title teams of the 1980s and a future Hall of Famer, played 11 minutes off the bench for the East. Also, Mark Aguirre played for the West and represented the Mavericks, becoming Dallas’ first-ever All-Star.
The 1984 All-Star Weekend also featured the first NBA Slam Dunk Contest, which was won by Larry Nance of the Suns.
All-Star Game rosters
Eastern Conference
Isiah Thomas (Detroit Pistons)
Sidney Moncrief (Milwaukee Bucks)
Robert Parish (Boston Celtics)
Julius Erving (Philadelphia 76ers)
Larry Bird (Boston Celtics)
Kevin McHale (Boston Celtics)
Bill Laimbeer (Detroit Pistons)
Kelly Tripucka (Detroit Pistons)
Andrew Toney (Philadelphia 76ers)
Moses Malone (Philadelphia 76ers)
Bernard King (New York Knicks)
Jeff Ruland (Washington Bullets)
Otis Birdsong (New Jersey Nets)
Coach: K.C. Jones (Boston Celtics)
Western Conference
Magic Johnson (L.A. Lakers)
George Gervin (San Antonio Spurs)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (L.A. Lakers)
Adrian Dantley (Utah Jazz)
Alex English (Denver Nuggets)
Kiki Vandeweghe (Denver Nuggets)
Jim Paxson (Portland Trail Blazers)
Jack Sikma (Seattle SuperSonics)
Rickey Green (Utah Jazz)
Ralph Sampson (Houston Rockets)
Mark Aguirre (Dallas Mavericks)
Walter Davis (Phoenix Suns)
Coach: Frank Layden (Utah Jazz)
All-Star Weekend Wrap
NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner: Larry Nance, Phoenix Suns
