Hey now, you’re an all-star: NBA All-Star weekend excites fans

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Photo courtesy of Erik Drost

Russell Westbrook, a guard for Oklahoma City Thunder dribbles during the NBA All-Star weekend in New York City.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star weekend has come to a close but has left many basketball fans wanting more. It featured the traditional Celebrity All-Star Game, Slam Dunk and Three-Point contest, and of course the All-Star game, which consisted of fan favorites from both the Eastern and Western basketball teams.

“It was cool, and I really enjoyed the Three-Point contest and the dunk contest,” junior Poojan Patel said.

On Friday, the All-Star Celebrity Game broadcast with teams made up of celebrities from the East against celebrities from the West, such as Kevin Hart and Nick Cannon. The game ended with a win from the West (57-51) as well as Hart winning the MVP award for the fourth consecutive year.

During Valentine’s Day, the second day consisted of the Slam Dunk and Three-Point contest.

19-year-old Zach Levine, shooting guard from the Minnesota Timberwolves, ranked number one overall during the Slam Dunk contest, making him the second youngest player to win this particular contest.

Stephen Curry, point guard from the Golden State Warriors, scored 27 points during the Three-Point contest, which led to Curry having the highest score and winning the Three-Point contest.

“It was probably the best Three-Point contest I had ever seen and the dunk contest was good as well,” junior Bader Altawil said.

Sunday was the last day of the All-Star weekend and consisted of the Eastern Conference All-Stars matching up against the Western Conference All-Stars. The NBA All-Star game also included a halftime show with performances from singer Ariana Grande and rapper Nicki Minaj.

Both the West and East played well, but the West prevailed with a 163-158 win over the East. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard, was the All-Star Game MVP. Westbrook was one point away from tying the previous record of most points in the All-Star Game, which NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain holds.

I really liked [the game] because it was very entertaining and was a close game. Westbrook performed very well throughout the game,” Patel said.