Jim Reilly

Big Finish in Big Easy
New Orleans has the French Quarter and the NBA has the Fourth Quarter. On Sunday night, the historical significance, excitement and majesty of both blended together for a delicious All-Star Finale Gumbo, which was savored by bloggers from the victorious Eastern Conference teams.

On Cavs.com, Joe Gabriele recalled, "the definitive moment of the game – and one that will be captured on posters in the very near future – when LeBron drove through the paint and mashed a monstrous dunk in Dirk Nowitzki’s grill that put the East on top to stay."

King James described the drama, "The game was tied and I didn’t want to settle for a jump shot,” said LeBron of the throwdown. “I wanted to be aggressive and try to get to the hole to get the layup. And when I saw those bigs coming, I didn’t want to lay the ball up. They would have definitely made a play and try to block it, so I was able to go strong and dunk it through.”

Pete Stringer on Celtics.com discussed another fourth-quarter stud for the East. "Ray Allen wasn't even supposed to be here, but he almost took home the All-Star Game MVP," wrote Stringer. "Scoring a game-high 28 points, 23 of which came in the second half, and 14 of which came in the intense fourth quarter, Ray Allen helped the Eastern Conference fend off the West despite their furious rally. Allen knocked down three triples and went to the line twice to seal the victory."

The UConn product explained the unique atmosphere of an NBA All-Star Game. "In the beginning, it's like a honeymoon. You throw alley-oops, then everybody's getting back [on defense], everybody gets that second wind," said Allen. "And by the fourth quarter, everybody's here for a reason. Everybody has that same competitive nature, it kicks in and you want to win the game."