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It is with a heavy heart that I announce the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, while wholly unnecessary, was a lot of fun. Sunday night’s game was missing a few big names, including two starters for Team Durant in Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid, and the lopsided score was reflective of that fact. However, even in a blowout game, the collection of talent on the floor was able to produce enough memorable plays to make the game watchable.
LeBron James and Stephen Curry teamed up for the first time in their careers and it lived up to the hype. Although James only played 12:46 and ended the game with four points, four assists and two rebounds, the time he spent on the court with Curry was basketball history, and that was true from the moment they stepped on the hardwood.
This angle of the LeBron and Steph chalk toss pic.twitter.com/OTY4hqGITn
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 8, 2021
If Curry watching James do his chalk toss wasn’t enough to make an NBA fan smile, then James’ assist to Curry had to do it.
STEPH FROM THE LOGO.. #NBAALLSTAR GAME LIVE ON TNT RIGHT NOW!
— NBA (@NBA) March 8, 2021
Steph Curry has a game-high 12 PTS late in the 1st Q. pic.twitter.com/Mi2QrL6o5J
Team LeBron handily won the game 170-150 and raised $1.25 million Thurgood Marshall College Fund in the process. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for Team LeBron with 35 points on a perfect 16-16 shooting from the field and took home the Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP Award.
A big part of the reason why Antetokounmpo was able to take home the All-Star Game MVP Award was the fact that he wasn’t competing against James this year. As an All-Star captain, James is 4-0. Yes, Team Durant was at a disadvantage because of the two key players they were missing, but James also had the better team going into the night. He deserves his LeGM nickname.
James will finally have a few days to rest before the Lakers start the second half of their regular season schedule on March 12 against the Indiana Pacers. Hopefully James remembers that he plays for the team that doesn’t wear blue and yellow by then.
For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow this author on Twitter at @RadRivas.