The five best NBA All-Star Games ever
By Luke Norris
1. 1987
The 1987 NBA All-Star Game had so many different storylines to it, which is why it stands out as much as it does.
First, there’s just the rosters themselves. The starting lineup for the East was Dominique Wilkins, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Julius Erving, who was making his final All-Star Game appearance. I mean, Charles Barkley, Kevin McHale and Isiah Thomas were coming off of the bench. And then there’s the drama on this roster. You have to remember that this was a time when the players weren’t really buddies like they are now. The Celtics and Pistons hated each other and Detroit and Chicago was becoming a fierce rivalry as well. It’s been speculated for years that Isiah and Bill Laimbeer had planned a “freeze out” strategy to keep Jordan from getting involved in the offense, something that may hold water given the fact that MJ, who averaged 37 points per game that year, only scored 11 points.
While the Western Conference seemingly didn’t have the same kind of talent on their roster, they still had Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Hakeem Olajuwon in the starting lineup. But it was a replacement that ended up stealing the show in Seattle that night. Sonics forward Tom Chambers hadn’t even been selected to the All-Star Game but was put on the team and into the starting lineup when Ralph Sampson went down with an injury. Magic got him involved early and he took advantage, scoring 34 points on 13-for-25 shooting in 29 minutes on his way to the MVP and the home crowd ate it up.
And the entire game was just really fun to watch. It was close, very competitive throughout and went into overtime with the West coming out on top, 154-149. Rolando Blackman had a great night off the bench for the West with 29 points and James Worthy chipped in 22 while Magic set the pace with 13 assists. Dr. J scored a very efficient 22 and Moses Malone led the East with 29.
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What was your favorite NBA All-Star Game? Please feel free to join in the conversation in the comments section below and stay tuned to FanSided all week for coverage leading up to this weekend’s festivities in New Orleans.