Saturday night’s All-Star events were exciting to watch for all basketball fans, but as a Pistons fan sitting courtside it was just plain fun to watch Chicago and Detroit battle the Haier Shooting Stars competition.

It was a controversy, the Pistons winning it. They were all explained the rules, we read the rules live in the arena. Each shooter must take their shot and make their shot before the other shooter can shoot. Ben Gordon beat Candice Dupree, he should have waited for her to hit her shot. I think both actually shot at the same time, therefore causing the controversial ruling of shooting out of order. And on top of that, her shot didn’t go in and his did, which made the rule stick harder, and they were disqualified.

I think it was fun, but the rivalry of the Bulls and Pistons, even in that setting, you could still feel that energy. And the Pistons were determined the win; Team Detroit was determined to win. You’ve got the Shock coming off the WNBA championship, and Swin Cash did an excellent job of representing the Shock. Bill Laimbeer, still around the world known as a Bad Boy, and they still cheered him – or I should say booed him – like he was one of the original Bad Boys. But Mr. Big Shot, Chauncey Billups, sunk the big shots to get us to the finals. Then the Bulls made that ultimate mistake.

In the Slam Dunk contest, I was for Gerald Green from the Celtics all along. I thought Tyrus Thomas from the Bulls had a pretty good set, but didn’t make it into the finals. The judges, like Michael Jordan and Julius Irving, they were judging hard. I think they liked the energy and the clean, run-leap-dunk style from Green. Of course, they put the two-minute rule in this year because of Nate Robinson, who at the end just struggled so hard to make it happen. That’s what you heard, “Oh no, Nate, not again!” He never could find the grip this time, but he was a good sport about the whole thing and played along. Paul Pierce was pretty chatty. He was stealing the show, and I think he helped sell his Celtics teammate, Green, to the judges, too, by the way. He was really chomping it up to the judges, especially Vince Carter and Kobe Bryant.

In the Three-Point Shoot-Out, boy, you could tell Gilbert Arenas wanted it bad. Damon Jones was making a name for himself, and he can shoot it, but Jason Kapono was just HEAT – as in Miami Heat. He was just bringing it. He had the touch; he had the shooter’s touch.

It was all a great warm-up for tonight. We’ve been working hard in Vegas, starting at 8 a.m. each morning since we got here, with all the television producers and the people who make it happen. Rehearsals are just crazy. It’s more of a television production than an arena call like I’m used to, so it’s been harder for me to get my rhythm. They don’t know me and I don’t know them, so I don’t know when to cut it short and keep it simple. They need to fit me in around the television commercials and the dance team and video segments, and it’s just all madness.

But I’m not concerned because the NBA crew does an excellent job in the presentation of this game. They’re just awesome, they could do anything. But it was a little tough for me because I need to get into a rhythm. Hopefully they’ll let me do what I do this evening.

Besides, I think the NBA is a lot more worried about what the dance team is wearing than me right now. They got real nervous about that – but we’re in Vegas! When the girls came out for their team photo, you heard, “Oh no, they’re not going on TV like that, right?” Somebody said yes, they were, and you saw people running. That was funny. Two people make a comment, and then you saw like eight people running. But Erin from Automotion looks great, she was hot, and she stood out in that Pistons blue.

I went over to the Thomas & Mack Center already once this morning, at 7:30 a.m. Las Vegas time, and went through a couple of the opening sequences. And then I returned to the hotel, but I have to go back at 1 p.m. I’ll have about four hours to go, and then … game time! It should be a blast, don’t miss it. Make sure you catch Chauncey and Rip, we already know Chauncey is feeling it. They both love the big stage, and few stages are bigger than this.

Mason