NBA All-Star Game 2015: Time, TV and everything to know
NEW YORK — The 2015 NBA All-Star Game tips off in Madison Square Garden at 8:30 p.m. ET Sunday and will be shown on TNT.
Here we give you everything you need to know about the game:
Angry MVP alert: Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant won the NBA MVP last season but drew criticism as an All-Star selection because he missed half of the first half with injuries. Durant has become surly with the media masses in New York, and it would surprise no one if he put on a show in the big game. Durant averages 30.6 points per All-Star Game, the most in history by a wide margin, and won the All-Star Game MVP in 2012.
The new megastar: Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry is the MVP front-runner, led the league in All-Star fan votes and won Saturday's three-point contest. Warriors and Western Conference coach Steve Kerr surely will lean on his star point guard, and Curry gets to start next to teammate Klay Thompson. He seems primed for a dominant showcase.
ATL-Stars: The Altanta Hawks are the eighth team in NBA history with four All-Stars, as Kyle Korver was named an injury replacement to join Al Horford, Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague. On top of that, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer is the Eastern Conference's coach.
Fallen stars: The West starting lineup won't look much like the one voted for by fans and announced last month. Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (torn rotator cuff), Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (infected elbow) and New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (shoulder strain) all pulled out because of injuries. On the East side, reserve guard Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat decided to rest his hamstring. New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, an East starter, still could decide not to play.
Last time: The Eastern Conference won a record-setting 163-155 game, with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving taking home game MVP honors in New Orleans. Before that, the Western Conference had won three in a row.
Host town: New York, for all its basketball tradition, hasn't hosted an All-Star Game since 1998, when the East won 135-114 with Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan winning his third game MVP. The game had been played three times at the old Madison Square Garden, but the 1998 game was the first at the current iteration of the legendary arena.
Eastern Conference roster:
- Starters: Wizards PG John Wall, Raptors PG Kyle Lowry, Cavaliers SF LeBron James, Knicks SF Carmelo Anthony, Bulls PF Pau Gasol.
- Reserves: Hawks PG Jeff Teague, Cavaliers PG Kyrie Irving, Bulls SG Jimmy Butler, Hawks SG Kyle Korver, Heat PF Chris Bosh, Hawks PF Paul Millsap, Hawks C Al Horford.
- Injured: Heat SG Dwyane Wade.
Western Conference roster:
- Starters: Warriors PG Stephen Curry, Warriors SG Klay Thompson, Rockets SG James Harden, Blazers PF LaMarcus Aldridge, Grizzlies C Marc Gasol.
- Reserves: Clippers PG Chris Paul, Thunder PG Russell Westbrook, Blazers PG Damian Lillard, Thunder SF Kevin Durant, Spurs PF Tim Duncan, Mavericks PF Dirk Nowitzki, Kings C DeMarcus Cousins.
- Injured: Lakers SG Kobe Bryant, Clippers PF Blake Griffin, Pelicans PF Anthony Davis.