The Eastern Conference finally stopped Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin -- then stopped its losing streak at the NBA All-Star Game. The East rallied for a 163-155 victory over the West on Sunday night in the highest-scoring All-Star Game ever. Fresh off another NBA All Star Weekend, here are some random thoughts on the All Star game itself, the players, & All Star Saturday night.

1. Put Paul George Back in the Oven

He's not ready yet.  Watching the NBA All Star game, it was clear to me that Paul George was being deferential to LeBron & Durant.  At the onset of the game, it was clear that Durant and LeBron were taking the game very seriously.  LeBron was playing the passing lanes aggressively and Durant was gunning it early.

George is about where Durant was 1 or even 2 years ago mentally.  He's not yet completely confident and COMFORTABLE being as good as he is.  Just from watching his performance in this game, my expectations for the Pacers has shifted.  No longer am I looking to George to lead them past the Miami Heat and into the NBA Finals.  If the Pacers are to advance past the Miami Heat during these upcoming NBA Playoffs, it will have to be a team effort.  Don't expect George to carry the load just yet; the cookies are not done yet.

2. Durant is Coming

Remember my critique of Durant in last year's NBA All Star Game?  Well, Durant is ready now.  In an interview with TNT's Craig Sager this weekend, Durant stated "I want to play one on one with somebody out there on Sunday, for a few minutes, but we'll see how that goes."  Sager followed up by asking "Would that somebody be LeBron James?" to which Durant replied "Probably, yeah."  That skinny man is hungry! Watch out LeBron! Durant is coming for your neck!

8.5/10

3. That John Wall Dunk Was Overrated.

Not much to add to that.  It was good. Not Great, not bad, just good.

East vs West? No Thanks

4. Switch Back to the Original Dunk Contest Format Please

I was confused by the format at times.  The "ending" was even more confusing.  Have you ever seen the movie "No Country for Old Men?"  That movie seems to just end.  It's almost as if they ran out of money and had to stop filming; though some sites offer up some interesting interpretations of the final scene.  Simply put, the final 3 dunkers should have had to dunk at least one more time to determine a winner.  Strange.

Carmelo: the Only One Making Them

5. To Many 3-Point Attempts

This year's NBA All Star Game had the highest combined point total in NBA history.  This was probably due to the ridiculous amount of 3-Pointers everyone was shooting.  Stephen Curry was 2 for 11,  Durant was 6 for 17, & Carmelo was 8 for 13.  Terrible percentages for most of the All Stars in this game.  No wonder not a single shot was blocked the entire game!

6. Stephen Curry Was Nervous

Curry just was not himself.  2 for 11 from deep?  That is not the Curry I know.  He was clearly a little nervous being in his first All Star Game.  The All Star game has always favored the perimeter players, and this was Curry's time to shine.  Did I mention that he performed poorly in the 3-Point Contest as well? Maybe next year in NYC, he'll be more comfortable and put on a good show.

7. Who Was Playing Blake Griffin?

No one was.

Shaqtin a Fool

8. Dropped Rising Stars MVP Trophy?

Was the MVP trophy dropped or did it simply break on its own?  Watching it live, it looked like the guy dropped it, but in slow motion it appears as if the trophy just falls apart on its own.

I know this is late, but I had to chime in on the "nickname" jerseys that the NBA debuted about a month ago in Brooklyn. Norris Cole aka Cole Train? Rashard Lewis aka Sweet Lew? Mario "Rio" Chalmers? Who calls these clowns by those names besides themselves and their baby mama's?  Also, seeing Ray Allen with "J.Shuttlesworth" standing next to Lebron and his "King James" jersey made me want to puke. Save the nickname jerseys maybe for the All Star game . Seeing these nickname jerseys in a regular season game was embarrassing and made the NBA look like a bigger joke than it already is these days.

Rashard Lewis and his well known Sweet Lew nickname. I'm sure these jerseys are flying off the shelves at the Heat pro shop.

One more reason to hate this clown. Cole Train? Who actually calls you that?

Try to be a bigger egomaniac than you already are, Lebron. 

                                           Ew. Also, how many Shaun "S.Dot" Livingston jerseys were sold at this game?
                                            O/U set at 1.



                                         

In an interview with NBATV that airs Monday, LeBron was asked who he sees on the NBA's "Mount Rushmore," a way of asking who he sees as the four greatest, most important players ever.

The easy three, that we all talk about in our league, you've got Michael Jordan, you got Larry Bird and you've got Magic Johnson," LeBron said. "And I would say the fourth... wow, this is so tough. The greatest players of all time that I'd like to see on Mount Rushmore? This is not fair ... Oscar Robertson. Those are my four."

Then LeBron was asked if he'd ever make his way on to it.

"I'm going to be one of the top four that's ever played this game, for sure," he said. "And if they don't want me to have one of those top four spots, they'd better find another spot on that mountain. Somebody's gotta get bumped, but that's not for me to decide. That's for the architects."

That's a lot of confidence, something LeBron's never lacked for. He wants to be considered one of the game's greats. He wants his name to be mentioned alongside Bird, Magic and Jordan.

Text above retrieved from CBS Sports.

In the spirit of this discussion, I have decided to name my personal NBA Mount Rushmore.

These are my picks to be on the NBA's Mount Rushmore with a small caveat; One of these faces does not belong up there.  Can you guess which one it is?  The answer will be revealed below, but for now let's go through each name on the list starting from right to left.

1. Michael Jordan

This is probably the easiest selection for anyone hoping to have a respectable NBA Mt. Rushmore.  Often proclaimed as the greatest basketball player of all time or the God of basketball, Jordan is definitely a shoe-in on this list simply because of his impact on the game of basketball.  Even if you were not a fan of Michael Jordan, you could see that Jordan was bringing in casual basketball fans to NBA arenas across the country.

Old School

Statistically, Jordan holds some of the NBA's most coveted records:

       -Jordan still holds the all-time record for leading the NBA in total points scored 11 times.  Additionally, it is also an all-time record that Jordan led the NBA in scoring 10 times.

       -Michael's career regular season scoring average of 30.12 points per game is the best of all-time. He  also holds the all-time playoff points per game record with 33.5!

       -Jordan STILL has the all-time record for most points ever in a playoff game with 63 vs. the Celtics in  1986.

       -Speaking of playoffs...Jordan holds the all-time record with eight 50-plus point playoff games. He  also holds the all-time playoff record for most 40-plus point games with 38 and he ALSO holds the  all-time playoff record for the most 30-plus point playoff games with 109, and he ALSO holds the  all-time playoff record of most ever 20-plus point playoff games with 173! He played in 179 career  playoff games.

       -Jordan still holds the highest ever scoring average in a Finals series with 41.0 ppg in 1993 on 50%  shooting!

I could go and on about Michael Jordan, but we'd be here all day.

The G.O.A.T.

2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

In my mind, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the true greatest NBA player of all-time.  However, Kareem came into his prime before the days of Michael Jordan, so his exposure was limited.  Here's a player who has his own patented basketball maneuver.(Jordan has the fade-away jump shot)  Kareem's unstoppable offensive move was dubbed "The Skyhook."  It is essentially a hook shot with a very high release point and arc.  The name for his move was coined during Abdul-Jabbar's tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks by the team's radio announcer, Eddie Doucette, who felt that "that hook was so high that it was coming out of the sky". The sky hook was rarely blocked and Kareem's "Skyhook" was so efficient that many players tried to duplicate it; including the likes of Wilt Chamberlain.  The distance in which Abdul-Jabbar was able to launch and make his Skyhook from was another one of its distinguishing features.

The Skyhook

Here is ESPN's JA Adande on Kareem's Skyhook: 

"The greatest of the great don't just have a style. They have a signature, an indelible stamp that signifies exactly who they are.

It can be an article of clothing, such as Abraham Lincoln's stovepipe hat or Tiger Woods' red Sunday shirts. It can be a familiar instrument like B.B. King's guitar, Lucille. It can be as simple as a single word: Marv Albert's "Yes!"

In order to make something so simple seem so distinctive it has to be done over and over again, through solitary repetition and on stage when everyone's watching. I've seen that rhythmic skyhook so many times it's burned in my head like an image left on a computer screen too long. His left leg is straight, the right knee comes up, the left arm extends out, the right arm rises up with the ball and finally the wrist flicks to add the backspin, the seams rotating as the ball arcs to the hoop and drops through the net."

Because Kareem could use the Skyhook with equal effectiveness with either his right or his left hand, and from any distance from the basket, it has basically transcended any element of the game of basketball that came after it. Kareem's Skyhook was so devastating, opposing coaches and players had no other choice but to poke him in the eyes to try to stop it.  This is when Kareem had to bring out the goggles.

Statistically, less than a handful of players can hang with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:

       -Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, having racked up some 38,387 points      over the span of 21 NBA seasons.

       -Abdul-Jabbar was selected to a record 19 NBA All-Star games.

       -Abdul-Jabbar was a six-time regular season MVP and two-time NBA Finals MVP

       -Abdul-Jabbar is third all-time in blocks in NBA history with 3,189(Note: blocks were not officially  tabulated until the 1973–74 season so he likely is #1)

       -Abdul-Jabbar is #1 all-time in minutes played at 57,446

       -Abdul-Jabbar is #1 all-time in field goals made at 15,837

       -Abdul-Jabbar is a Six-time NBA champion

3. Wilt Chamberlain

Chamberlain is the only NBA player, in my opinion, that can challenge Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's status as the G.O.A.T..  In my list though, I place him as the 2nd greatest player of all-time.  It could be argued that Chamberlain was the most dominant center in NBA history due to his impact on the game.  Here's a guy who once AVERAGED 50 points and 25 rebounds a game! Chamberlain's dominance of the NBA lead to several rule changes, as noted by Chamberlain's Wikipedia article; 

"Chamberlain's impact on the game is also reflected in the fact that he was directly responsible for several rule changes in the NBA, including widening the lane to try to keep him farther away from the hoop, instituting offensive goaltending and revising rules governing inbounding the ball and shooting free throws (such as making it against the rules to inbound the ball over the backboard). Chamberlain, who reportedly had a 50-inch vertical leap, was physically capable of converting foul shots via a slam dunk without a running start (beginning his movement at the top of the key). When his dunks practically undermined the difficulty of a foul shot, both the NCAA and the NBA banned his modus operandi. In basketball history, pundits have stated that the only other player who forced such a massive change of rules is 6'10" Minneapolis Lakers center George "Mr. Basketball" Mikan, who played a decade before Chamberlain and also caused many rule changes designed to thwart so-called "big men"."

Statistically, Chamberlain's name can be found on nearly every page of the NBA record books:

       -2× NBA champion (1967, 1972)
       -NBA Finals MVP (1972)
       -4× NBA Most Valuable Player (1960, 1966–1968)
       -13× NBA All-Star (1960–1969, 1971–1973)
       -NBA All-Star Game MVP (1960)
       -7× All-NBA First Team (1960–1962, 1964, 1965–1968)
       -2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1972–1973)
       -Chamberlain was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1960
       -7 x NBA scoring champion (1960–1966)
       -Once called selfish by a reporter, Chamberlain DECIDED to be the NBA assists leader in the 1968  NBA season.

• 

       -11× NBA rebounding champion (1960–1963, 1966–1969, 1971–1973)

       -Chamberlain is the NBA all-time leading rebounder.

       -Chamberlain is perhaps most famous for scoring a NBA record 100 points against the New York      Knicks in 1962. 

Decades after his record, many NBA teams did not even average 100 points as fewer field goals per game were being attempted. The closest any player has gotten to 100 points was the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, who scored 81 in 2006. Bryant afterwards said Chamberlain's record was "unthinkable ... It's pretty exhausting to think about it."

4. Kobe Bryant 

As much as I am tempted to place Kobe Bryant on the NBA Mount Rushmore, I just cannot do it.  There are others who are more worthy than him.  Am I to reward someone who has blazed a difficult path for others to follow more easily?  This line of thinking is what keeps me from placing the current NBA greats in my Mount Rushmore.  Things come easily to NBA players today(money, fame, access to the best medical trainers in the world, etc.) for me to seriously cast the likes of Kobe or LeBron in stone forever.  Therefore, I have to place someone else in Kobe's spot.

This fourth spot on the NBA Mt. Rushmore is hard, but I decided to pick one Earvin "Magic" Johnson in the final spot of my NBA Mt. Rushmore.

4. Earvin "Magic" Johnson

Often considered the greatest Los Angeles Lakers of all-time, Magic Johnson is definitely the greatest point guard in NBA history in my opinion.  I consider Magic Johnson to be the Michael Jordan of the NBA BEFORE Michael Jordan.  Magic was the face of the league through the 1980s, and he was bringing in more and more fans with his smile, warm grace, and charm.  Magic Johnson likely passed the torch as the face of league in the 1991 NBA Finals to Michael Jordan who then carried the game of basketball to even greater heights.  There's that and also the HIV thing.

Statistically, Magic Johnson has an impressive resume to justify his position in Mt. Rushmore:

       -5× NBA champion (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987–1988)

       -3× NBA Finals MVP (1980, 1982, 1987)

       -3× NBA Most Valuable Player (1987, 1989–1990)

       -12× NBA All-Star (1980, 1982–1992)

       -2× NBA All-Star Game MVP (1990, 1992)

       -9× All-NBA First Team (1983–1991)

       -NBA All-Rookie First Team (1980)

       -Magic lead the league in assist 4× (1983–1984, 1986–1987)

       -Magic Johnson averaged 11.2 assists per game in 905 NBA games, making him the holder of the  highest assists per game average in NBA history.

A TRUE No-Look Pass

       -Johnson also lead the league in steals twice (1981–1982)

       -Johnson shares the single-game playoff record for assists with 24.

       -Magic holds the Finals record for assists in a game with 21.

       -Johnson also has the most playoff assists of all-time with 2,346.

       -He holds the All-Star Game single-game record for assists with 22, and the All-Star Game record for career assists at 127.

Johnson was exceptional because he played point guard despite being 6 ft 9 in , a size reserved normally for frontcourt players. He combined the size of a power forward, the one-on-one skills of a swingman, and the ball handling talent of a guard, making him one of the most dangerous triple-double threats of all time; his 138 triple-double games are second only to Oscar Robertson's 181.  Magic was definitely the inspiration for LeBron's game.

We are nearly halfway through another NBA regular season, and it has been relatively lackluster compared to previous seasons. This lack of excitement in the NBA is likely the result of the litany of injuries the NBA is going through this year. Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo, & Chris Paul have all experienced significant injuries. Though the NBA as a whole is not as exciting as years' past, we are seeing the maturation of the NBA's current and future superstars.  Here are some of the big names in the NBA who are finally living up to their potential:

1. Kevin Durant

It seems that every year someone in the NBA goes on a scoring frenzy around the months of January and February. This year it is Kevin Durant's turn.  Fresh off of scoring 30+ points in 12 straight games, finally, Kevin Durant is turning into the no holds barred ball player we've all been waiting for him to become.

                                  Durant's Month-by-Month Point and Assist Averages

	G	PPG	ASG
November	13	26.9	5.4
December	17	29.4	4.5
January	16	35.9	6.1

In a previous post, I asked if Kevin Durant would have blocked Lebron James's jump shot in the All Star Game; Now we know the answer.  Durant went at Lebron in a statement game this past January, where in one particular instance Durant drained back to back 3s in LeBron's face. With Westbrook out for a while, Durant has formally informed the world that the MVP trophy would be his this season.

2. Blake Griffin

The impact Doc Rivers is having on Blake Griffin is clear;Griffin is having a career year.  Gone are the days of Griffin being a small forward in a power forward's body.  He is no longer soft.  While Griffin still takes an occasional jump shot here and there, Griffin's game has probably shown the most growth this year.  His post game has improved immensely, and Griffin takes it hard to the basket at every opportunity he gets. 

Good Foot Work

Even Charles Barkley has taken note of Griffin's improvement; "One of the best things that has happened to him is Chris [Paul] being out because he has been more aggressive. And that's been [my] only criticism of him is he's not aggressive enough," Barkley said. "To me, he's got to start to impose his will more. With Chris being out, he's doing that more." With his improved post moves, Griffin is no longer just a dunker in the NBA.  Look for Griffin to cement his spot as a top 5 NBA player in the years to come.

3. Dwight Howard

Like Blake Griffin, Dwight Howard's game has improved by leaps and bounds since taking his talents to Houston following his injury plagued season with the Lakers.  While Howard is NOT putting up the "28 & 15" Shaq says he should be putting up every night (Not even Shaq did that), Howard is now a viable post player.

He's still too reliant on dunks though

Oddly enough, he has a better left-handed post move then a right-handed post move.  With the NBA's big men near extinction, Howard is likely to be the best Center in the league for the foreseeable future.

A Young Kobe?

4. Paul George

Following his breakout series against the Miami Heat in last year's playoffs, Paul George has emerged as a star in the NBA.  But where did George come from?  Having only been in the league since 2010, George is a relative newcomer. He was a mid-tier player until his series with the Miami Heat last year.  Who knew George would be this good?  George is averaging a career high 22.4 points per game this year, to go along with 6.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.  George has also drastically increased his free throw percentage from 80% over the past few years, to 85% this season.

Here are two comments from TNT's Steve Kerr & Charles Barkley during George's breakout series against the Miami Heat;

Kerr: "Paul George has gotten the better of LeBron James in the last part of the fourth quarter and overtime. If there is any doubt at all that Paul George has elevated to superstar status, he's dispelled that doubt tonight."

Barkley: "I was impressed with Paul George. To guard LeBron James and play well, that's impressive."

This upcoming NBA Playoffs will be the true test of George's growth, as he will likely have to face off with a Lebron James in the Eastern Conference Finals this year. With George's recent emergence as a star in the NBA, this list looks like it will encompass the league's top 5 players(with LeBron included) for the next 10 years or so.

The lack of talent in the Eastern Conference, coupled with the loaded draft class has found most NBA teams fighting not for first place, but for last. The same can be said for my favorite team, the Boston Celtics. I find myself torn between wanting them to play well, and wanting them to be awful so they can get a top draft pick come summer.

With the top prizes of the draft Jabari Parker of Duke, and Joel Embiid of Kansas considering potentially staying in school for another year; and no guarantee of the worst record giving them the top pick, it makes me hesitant.

So lets assume that both of these guys do leave school after just one year and head to the draft, what do the Celtics have to do to place themselves in a position to grab one of these young studs to build around? Currently, at 18-34, the Celtics find themselves with the 6th worst record and a 6.3% chance of winning the top pick in the lottery. However there are a handful of teams within a game or two of the Celtics which could see them sway anywhere from ninth to third worst. But with still half a season to go and All Star point guard Rajon Rondo beginning to find his rhythm after missing a year following surgery on his torn ACL the Celtics might be too good for their own good. 

Nothing is worse then finding yourself in the middle of the pack in the top heavy NBA. Being consistently average in a bad conference can be the kiss of death to a franchise. The same bad teams always seem to find their way to the bottom of the standings despite getting top picks year in and year out, so being only slightly better then them leaves you little chance of getting the building blocks needed to turn an OK team into a contender. That is why I agree with Danny Ainge's tactics of shipping out the house and starting from scratch with a few key pieces.

One of those pieces he has been keen on keeping up until recently has been 6'9" forward Jeff Green. Green is a physical freak who is capable of stuffing the stat sheet on a good night. His issue is that those good nights are few and far between. For instance, on January 22, he had a monster game carrying the shorthanded C's to victory against a talented Wizards team with 39 points in a 113-111 overtime thriller. However the next 4 games saw his performance consistently dip with a low of 6 points just days after almost scoring 40. And this isn't the first time it has happened to him either. For someone so gifted, he seems to become disinterested and lacks the killer instinct necessary to be the main scoring option that he is required to be on this Celtics team. 

He could be really good as a third or fourth option on a good team, and following a miserable 8 point night on 2-13 shooting a week ago against a terrible Orlando Magic team, he has had 3 very good games including a 36 point effort against the 76ers. Maybe now is the time for Ainge to sell high on Green with the trade deadline looming. Get the most out of him and his ridiculous contract while they still can, because he makes them too good to be bad enough to win in the draft lottery.