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East bests West 122-120 in 55th NBA All-Star
(AP)
Updated: 2006-02-20 13:42
That set up the final sequence. After McGrady missed, Bryant lost the ball
and Rasheed Wallace grabbed it with 5 seconds left.
Western Conference center Yao Ming (C) gets a
slam dunk during first half action against the Eastern Conference in the
55th NBA All-Star Game in Houston, Texas, February 19,
2006.[Reuters] | As is often the case, the
All-Star game had plenty of subplots. Ex- Los Angeles Lakers teammates Shaquille
O'Neal and Bryant, no longer feuding, shook hands before tipoff and laughed when
O'Neal fouled Bryant in the first quarter. The 7-foot-1 O'Neal, now with Miami,
took a spin as the East's point guard for one possession.
The four Pistons, along with Boston's Paul Pierce, entered the game with 3:38
to go in the first quarter and the East trailing 24-21. After Phoenix's Shawn
Marion scored on a layup to give the West a five-point lead, Pierce and the
Pistons closed the quarter on a 7-2 run.
Defense, which has long been Detroit's calling card, is rare in the All-Star
game — but once the Pistons entered the West struggled to score. The East
limited the West to four points in the final 3:38 after it had scored 24 points
in the game's first 8 minutes.
"It was just fun for us," Hamilton said during an in-game television
interview.
The four Pistons were the most on one All-Star team since 1998, when Bryant,
O'Neal, Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones represented the Lakers. The Pistons
honored the fifth member of their starting lineup, Tayshaun Prince, by writing
'22' on their shoes.
The Pistons were the talk of the East locker room.
"They deserve it — and Tayshaun probably should have been here," said
Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal, who was injured and did not play. "Those five guys
are a big reason why they have the best record in the NBA. I think it's a huge
thing for the league. I'm for any story that makes the NBA look good."
Detroit center Ben Wallace said the selection of four Pistons underscored the
importance of the team concept.
"I think it says a lot about the league, that you don't have to come out and
try to dominate the basketball and dominate the game in order to have individual
success," he said.
But the All-Star game is all about individuals. And on Sunday night, the East
was best.
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