Spring Break
Allen Snubbed At All-Star Game
New England Sports
Chris Brodeur
Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: Sports
I watched a lot of sports over the weekend. More than usual. And looking back at the eclectic mix that I took in, I have to say that it was, for the most part, pretty satisfying.
Craig Austrie drove the length of the floor in the closing seconds of overtime and nailed a clutch leaner to help the Huskies escape their trip to South Florida with a victory. Phil Mickelson came out on top after dueling with tour unknown Jeff Quinney for much of the final round at Riviera in the PGA's Northern Trust Open. Dwight "Superman" Howard stole the show in Saturday's Slam Dunk Contest as he set a creative standard for future contestants to strive for. While all this was going on, I was working on my own standard in-home spectating.
I tuned in to some obscure events as well, as I found myself watching, and enjoying, the final 40 laps or so of the Daytona 500. I even did the unthinkable and watched an NHL game between the Rangers and Sharks in its entirety. Well, almost. I watched two-and-a-half periods.
Capping it all off on Sunday was the riveting finale of American Gladiators on NBC. Okay, so I didn't really watch the Gladiators. Like many other sports fans who were glued to their couches this past weekend, my Sunday night concluded with the 57th annual NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans.
A 28 point effort from Boston Celtics guard and former UConn star Ray Allen should have been the perfect conclusion to the weekend's festivities, but something about that ending didn't sit well with me. It still doesn't. Ray Allen was robbed of the Most Valuable Player honors, and it put a damper on an otherwise sparkling sports weekend.
Allen's point total was a game high. His five three-pointers were one shy of the All-Star Game record. But perhaps the one statistic most conducive to his case were the 14 points he scored in the fourth quarter, highlighted by a flurry of threes that knocked the Western Conference out of contention for good. Beginning with a triple that gave the East a one-point lead with just over three minutes remaining, Allen connected from beyond the arc on three consecutive possessions in the game's final minutes. Each shot either tied the game or gave the Eastern Conference a slim lead, and while many players piled up their numbers in the first half when the defense is laughable, Allen's impact was felt during crunch time.
Craig Austrie drove the length of the floor in the closing seconds of overtime and nailed a clutch leaner to help the Huskies escape their trip to South Florida with a victory. Phil Mickelson came out on top after dueling with tour unknown Jeff Quinney for much of the final round at Riviera in the PGA's Northern Trust Open. Dwight "Superman" Howard stole the show in Saturday's Slam Dunk Contest as he set a creative standard for future contestants to strive for. While all this was going on, I was working on my own standard in-home spectating.
I tuned in to some obscure events as well, as I found myself watching, and enjoying, the final 40 laps or so of the Daytona 500. I even did the unthinkable and watched an NHL game between the Rangers and Sharks in its entirety. Well, almost. I watched two-and-a-half periods.
Capping it all off on Sunday was the riveting finale of American Gladiators on NBC. Okay, so I didn't really watch the Gladiators. Like many other sports fans who were glued to their couches this past weekend, my Sunday night concluded with the 57th annual NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans.
A 28 point effort from Boston Celtics guard and former UConn star Ray Allen should have been the perfect conclusion to the weekend's festivities, but something about that ending didn't sit well with me. It still doesn't. Ray Allen was robbed of the Most Valuable Player honors, and it put a damper on an otherwise sparkling sports weekend.
Allen's point total was a game high. His five three-pointers were one shy of the All-Star Game record. But perhaps the one statistic most conducive to his case were the 14 points he scored in the fourth quarter, highlighted by a flurry of threes that knocked the Western Conference out of contention for good. Beginning with a triple that gave the East a one-point lead with just over three minutes remaining, Allen connected from beyond the arc on three consecutive possessions in the game's final minutes. Each shot either tied the game or gave the Eastern Conference a slim lead, and while many players piled up their numbers in the first half when the defense is laughable, Allen's impact was felt during crunch time.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Dr. Bob Kravecs
posted 2/20/08 @ 11:00 AM EST
Quite simply, Ray won the game for the East. Unfortunately, the voting was done by fans on the internet, and many international NBA fans are familiar with the players from their country, and perhaps Shaq, Lebron and Kobe, but not the "lesser" American stars of the NBA. (Continued…)
Post a Comment