The East came out of the half a bit more agressive, but couldn’t catch the West as they trail 117-100 after 3 quarters. LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Derrick Rose came out hot, combining to score the first 8 points of the 3rd quarter; effectively cutting the West’s lead of 12 down to 5. The tempo definitely increased during the period, running back and forth almost every offensive possession for both teams. Kobe had another sweet dunk, taking it to the rack on the breakaway as LeBron tried to swat it from behind a few minutes into the quarter. Dwayne Wade tweaked his right ankle with about 5:00 left in the quarter on a mid-court collision with Deron Williams, and will be done for the rest of the night.
Craig Sager tried to have an in-game interview with Carmelo Anthony, attempting to stir the pot as much as possible with all the ‘Melo-drama’ going on. Kobe jokingly interveined and would not allow him to answer any questions about being traded because ‘big brother said so." I like to see Kobe’s humorous side (because it doesn’t come out too often) and because he’s actually kind of funny.
The story of the game thus far is obviously the Black Mamba, and should be a shoe-in for MVP. Going into the 4th quarter Kobe has 34 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals and an assist.
With a commanding lead by the West, I’m looking for some highlight-worthy blacktop basketball in the 4th quarter.