Just because the Warriors have begun a nine-day stretch without a regular season game doesn’t mean the team will be out of sight, out of mind. Quite the contrary, actually. Owners of the best record in the NBA, the Dubs will be well represented at NBA All-Star Weekend, and the following offers a look of when and where you can catch the Splash Brothers and Warriors coaching staff in New York City over the next three days. And if you miss any of the action, be sure to visit warriors.com. Warriors TV’s Laurence Scott is on the scene and he’ll be filing multiple reports throughout the weekend.
Friday, February 13
NBA All-Star 2015 Media Day | 8 a.m. | NBA TV
BBVA Rising Stars Challenge | 6 p.m. | TNT
NBA All-Star 2015 Media Day
It’s never a bad idea to flip on NBA TV, and that’s especially true during All-Star Weekend. The action will begin Friday morning with Media Day, where you can get some behind-the-scenes access and catch interviews with all of your favorite All-Stars including Splash Brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
BBVA Rising Stars Challenge
For just the second time in the last six years, the Warriors will not have a player participating in the Rising Stars Challenge. However, the annual game featuring some of the league’s top young talent will still have a bit of Dubs flavor. Warriors Associate Head Coach Alvin Gentry will “coach” the U.S. squad in this modified event, which for the first time will feature the top American first and second year players going up against the league’s top first and second year international players. At least one team has scored 140-plus points in this game in each of the last five years, so we probably shouldn’t expect too much defense to be played in this one.
Saturday, February 14
State Farm All-Star Saturday Night | 5:30 p.m. | TNT
Degree Shooting Stars – First Event
Stephen Curry will team up with his father, Dell, for the second straight year in this event. The father-son duo will be joined by eight-time WNBA All-Star Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm to form one of four teams in this timed shooting contest. The Shooting Stars features four numbered shooting locations of increasing distance, with each team attempting to make all shots in numeric order in the fastest time. The two teams with the fastest time in the first round will advance to the championship round.
Foot Locker Three-Point Contest – Third Event
Although it’s not the last event of All-Star Saturday Night, to many the Three-Point Contest is the main attraction. And for Warriors fans, this is what we’ve all been waiting for. The Splash Brothers are in the contest, and it’s about time. For Curry, this will be his fourth appearance in the shootout, and he’ll be going for his first win. Thompson, meanwhile, will be making his maiden voyage in the event.
The Splash Brothers will have plenty of competition, with three of the top 10 3-point shooters (by percentage) in the shootout – Atlanta’s Kyle Korver (1st: 52.3%), Thompson (6th: 44.0%) and the Clippers JJ Redick (9th: 43.6%). In addition, seven of the top 10 players in total 3-pointers made this season are in the contest (see below), along with the event’s defending champion Marco Belinelli.
In the two-round competition, five shooting locations are positioned around the 3-point arc. Four of the racks contain four orange balls (each worth one point) and one multi-colored "money" ball (worth two points). The fifth rack will be a special "all money ball" rack, which each participant can place at any of the five shooting locations. Every ball on this rack will be worth two points. The players have one minute to shoot as many as the 25 balls as they can. The three competitors with the highest scores in the first round advance to the championship round.
Sunday, February 15
NBA All-Star Game | 5:30 p.m. | TNT
Nobody younger than 50 years old remembers the last time the Warriors had two starters in the NBA All-Star Game. That will change on Sunday when the Splash Brothers take the floor, marking the first time ever that two Warriors guards participate in the annual showcase. Curry and Thompson will see some familiar faces on the sidelines, as Head Coach Steve Kerr and his staff will coach the West’s team by virtue of having the best record in the conference.
In addition, Warriors forward James Michael McAdoo and Hornets guard Elliot Williams, both of whom have spent much of the season with the Santa Cruz Warriors, have been selected to the NBA D-League All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday at 11 a.m. on NBA TV.
The grand finale of All-Star Weekend will be Curry’s second straight All-Star honor, both starts, and this year he was the leading vote getter in the entire NBA. Thompson, a first time All-Star, will join his backcourt mate in the starting lineup, giving the Dubs a pair of All-Stars for the first time since 1993 (Tim Hardaway and Chris Mullin). This season has been full of achievement so far for the Warriors, and Sunday’s All-Star Game will certainly mark a milestone moment for the entire organization.