The five best NBA All-Star Games ever

3. 2010

A record crowd of nearly 109,000 people showed up for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game at the home of the Dallas Cowboys and they certainly didn’t leave disappointed, even though a few of the big stars were out with injury. The leading vote-getter for the Western Conference, Kobe Bryant, and Chris Paul were both out, as was Allen Iverson, who had been voted in as a starter after returning to the 76ers. But the players that were there made the most of their time and put on a great show for the big crowd. The game also served as a bit of a preview of what was to come for the Miami Heat down the road and rumor has it that this is the weekend that kicked off that conversation.

The game was close throughout. The East took a three-point lead after the first quarter, led by seven at the half and had extended it to nine going into the fourth. The West would mount a comeback but would fall just short in a great finish. Chris Bosh hit two free throws with five seconds on the clock to give his team a 141-139 lead, which would be the final after Carmelo Anthony missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to win it. And doesn’t it seem like a million years ago that ‘Melo was a Nugget and playing for the Western Conference? Bosh had 23 points and 10 boards off the bench and got a lot of help from his future teammates in South Beach. LeBron James, in the final year of his first tenure with Cleveland, scored 25 points and Dwyane Wade took MVP honors with 28 points on 12-for-16 shooting and added 11 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals.

Carmelo led a very balanced attack in the losing effort with 27 points and was one of seven members of the Western Conference roster to score in double figures.