EAST 123, WEST 120, at Richfield Coliseum
ATTENDANCE: 20,239
MVP: Nate Archibald (Boston Celtics)
Nate “Tiny” Archibald, at 6-foot-1, was easily the shortest player at the 1981 All-Star Game. He stood tall with his ballhandling and playmaking, though, in the East’s 123-120 win over the West at Richfield Coliseum.
Archibald finished with just nine points and nine assists, but it was his mastery of the game’s tempo that kept the West at bay and earned him MVP honors. Offensively, the East was led by solid games from Julius Erving (18 points), Atlanta’s Eddie Johnson (16 points) and first-time All-Star Robert Parish’s 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Jamaal Wilkes of the Lakers, appearing in his first All-Star game since 1976, had perhaps the best night for the West with 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists. The West outshot the East, 51.1 percent to 47.6 percent, but had 21 turnovers to the East’s 17.
All-Star Game rosters
Eastern Conference
Reggie Theus (Chicago Bulls)
Eddie Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)
Artis Gilmore (Chicago Bulls)
Larry Bird (Boston Celtics)
Julius Erving (Philadelphia 76ers)
Bobby Jones (Philadelphia 76ers)
Robert Parish (Boston Celtics)
Tiny Archibald (Boston Celtics)
Michael Ray Richardson (New York Knicks)
Marques Johnson (Milwaukee Bucks)
Mike Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers)**
Dan Roundfield (Atlanta Hawks)*
Coach: Billy Cunningham (Philadelphia 76ers)
Western Conference
Paul Westphal (Seattle SuperSonics)
Walter Davis (Phoenix Suns)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (L.A. Lakers)
George Gervin (San Antonio Spurs)
Adrian Dantley (Utah Jazz)
Jamaal Wilkes (L.A. Lakers)
Dennis Johnson (Phoenix Suns)
Truck Robinson (Phoenix Suns)
Moses Malone (Houston Rockets)
Jack Sikma (Seattle SuperSonics)
Otis Birdsong (Kansas City Kings)
Coach: John MacLeod (Phoenix Suns)
NOTE: * = missed game due to injury; ** = injury replacement
