Ewing's Epilogues: Episode 8.
All Star Game Recap
Nice to get a mini break after some tough games with the Pistons. Arrived home about the same time as dad to catch the rookie - sophomore game. The one and only Piston involved in the weekend, Brandon Knight started for the rookies. He a solid game, but not spectacular. Scoring 7 pts, dishing out 7 assists and grabbing 4 rebounds. He was a little upstaged by Kemba Walker who had 12 pts, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. But the two players lead the fight against the very strong Sophomore side led by Blake Griffin.
Griffin got MVP with a 24pt, 15 rebound and 4 assist game. The sophomores boasted players like DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall and Landry Fields. They had way too much for this years rookie class an won in a blowout 110- 75.
I had a good chat with Dad about the Magic who are sitting in the playoff spots, but right down at the bottom. Things aren't working out too well and Dad is getting a sense Dwight has one foot out the door already. Despite going on a decent run as of late, the Magic are sitting at .500 and in 7th place, behind the Knicks. Steve Nash has been playing fairly well, but his age is really starting to catch up with him. The Magic knew this would be a risk, but they had to go all out. Dad isnt happy with Hedo Turkoglu's production and effort, so Quentin Richardson has been trying to pick up the slack.
The Celtics look like the strongest team in the East after going on a major run, leading the East on 41-15, 3 games ahead of the Bulls. Surprisingly the Heat are 8.5 games behind the Celtics. Allen Iverson and Michael Redd are fitting in very well, but the next few weeks will be interesting, as Jermaine O' Neal went down injured during the week, and is expected to sit out a few weeks. This could see KG move to center, and former Georgetown Alum Jeff Green start. But they will look pretty thin in the frontcourt.
One of the bigger surprises is the form of the Atlanta Hawks. Our family has only recently moved to Marietta, Georgia. So i suppose we'll keep a close eye on their progress. The Hawks despite losing Jamal Crawford to the Knicks, stand at 32-23, level with the Heat! They added Tayshaun Prince, DeShawn Stevenson and an important mentality change in playing tough defence. The Hawks showed their hand a little against the Magic in the playoffs last year, showing the defensive capability they have when tuned in. Rookie center Keith Benson has also been impressive, and gives them more options up front.
Sunday came and went very quickly, with an exciting all star game from Orlando. The East came out on top with a 98-97 win. But the winning shot was hit by LeBron James. Yes you read it correctly. LeBron showed up in the 4th and rounded off an MVP performance. James completly upstaged the unofficial host Dwight Howard. Howard had a solid game with 15 points and 10 rebounds, but LeBrons 22 pts, 10 assists and 8 rebounds was deserving of the MVP.
Set off early this morning and finished off this diary entry on the plane. 2 Days to the trade deadline, plenty of rumors swirling, I'm not sure if many big trades will happen, but only time will tell. Dad was saying Orlando are interested in me, but they have not formally submitted a trade proposal. The Pistons front office are open to trade offers for almost everyone, but whether they will actually move anyone is another matter.