West All-Star grades: No MVP farewell for Kobe Bryant
Grades: Rising Stars | Celebrity | Skills | 3s | Dunk | East | West
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LaMarcus Aldridge, Spurs | Grade: D
Analysis: Aldridge's subtle game has never been the best fit for All-Star action, and he shot a West-worst 2-of-8 from the field, including an early airball. Aldridge surely did endear himself to Popovich by playing some defense, stopping Thomas at the rim and coming up with an athletic steal.
Kobe Bryant, Lakers | Grade: INC
Analysis: The notion that Bryant would win MVP in his All-Star farewell didn't come to fruition, as he shot 4-of-11, worst of the West starters. There were glimpses of the game that once made Bryant the all-time leading scorer in All-Star history. He knocked down a couple of fadeaways, including one over Anthony, and made a 3 after up-faking Drummond out of position. Yet Bryant also airballed his attempt to repeat his hook shot from the 2000 All-Star Game and missed when he isolated one-on-one against James. Ultimately, this night was more about the standing ovation Bryant received when he left the game for the final time with just over a minute remaining than anything he did on the court.
DeMarcus Cousins, Kings | Grade: B+
Analysis: Boogie's 12 minutes were tied for the fewest for any West player, but he made the most of them, scoring 11 points and grabbing four rebounds. Cousins made all five of his shot attempts, highlighted by a straightaway 3 and a play where he dribbled from midcourt for a dunk. If only Cousins had been so versatile in Saturday night's Skills Challenge competition.
Stephen Curry, Warriors | Grade: A
Analysis: The league's reigning top player got the final highlight of All-Star Weekend, obliging the fans' demands that he shoot instead of running out the clock by knocking down a triple from just inside half-court. Though he never seemed to take over the game, Curry still finished with 26 points, six assists -- one of them behind the back to Kawhi Leonard for a 3 -- five boards and four steals and made six 3-pointers in 13 tries.
Anthony Davis, Pelicans | Grade: A
Analysis: Had he played longer, Davis could easily have been MVP. He nearly made a shot a minute, going 12-of-13 from the field in his 13 minutes of action, mostly finishing lobs. Davis also added six boards.
Kevin Durant, Thunder | Grade: B+
Analysis: Though he was unable to find the range from beyond the arc, missing seven of his eight 3-point attempts, Durant still put up 23 points thanks to perfect 10-of-10 shooting on 2-pointers. Durant also handed out seven assists.
Draymond Green, Warriors | Grade: C-
Analysis: All-Star competition isn't really well-suited to Green's versatile skill set, particularly since he rarely got to handle the basketball. Green gets docked points for fouling Gasol on a pump fake from beyond the arc.
James Harden, Rockets | Grade: A-
Analysis: The Beard traded his usual regimen of 3s and free throws for just 3s in this game, taking 12 of his 14 attempts beyond the arc. (He did not draw a free throw.) Harden made seven triples, including an impressive stepback attempt, to account for 21 of his 23 points.
Kawhi Leonard, Spurs | Grade: B
Analysis: Early on in his All-Star debut, Leonard seemed quite content to play his usual brand of regular-season basketball, shooting midrange 2s and moving the ball. He eventually delivered some flashier plays, including a tip dunk off a long Curry miss. Leonard, who's shooting 48 percent from downtown this season, was 1-of-6 on 3s in this game.
Chris Paul, Clippers | Grade: A-
Analysis: It's too bad State Farm ended the "Cliff Paul" promotion, since this Paul spent his entire evening in search of assists. Paul handed out 16 in 19 minutes and could have threatened Magic Johnson's All-Star record of 22 had he seen more action. Paul even passed up multiple open layups in favor of trying to find teammates, though he was willing to shoot six 3s, making four of them.
Klay Thompson, Warriors | Grade: C-
Analysis: Apparently, Thompson used up all his long-distance makes in the process of winning Saturday's 3-Point Contest. He took 10 of his 11 shots in Sunday's game beyond the arc but made just three of them.
Russell Westbrook, Thunder | Grade: A
Analysis: Though he wasn't quite as dominant as last year, Westbrook still managed to repeat as MVP with an impressive all-around performance. He started off getting to the basket for a tomahawk dunk and a two-hand dunk that saw him do a pull-up on the rim, then moved his game outside with four of his seven triples in a hot spurt in the third quarter. Westbrook also added a team-high eight rebounds, five assists and five steals to his 31 points.
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