NBA All-Star weekend is officially over. Before turning our attention to the second half as teams at the top try to separate from the pack and secure a playoff spot let's look back at this past weekend's events.
What we learned at during All-Star weekend (in no particular order):
1. Andrew Wiggins is the best rookie in the game.
2. Russell Westbrook can score.
3. Steph Curry can shoot.
4. Zach LaVine is the future of the dunk.
5. The Western Conference is indeed better than the Eastern Conference.
Now that we've established what All-Star weekend taught us, let's talk about what it all means. First, let's hear it for the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves may not have much to play for in second half other than a high draft pick, but their rookies dominated awards over the weekend. Andrew Wiggins was the Rising Stars MVP and Zach LaVine channeled his inner MJ with the Space Jam dunk on his way to dominating the Slam Dunk Contest.
Maybe the main takeaway is that the Western Conference dominates. Along with being far more entertaining all season long, and really every year, the West swept All-Star weekend. To start, the West won the All-Star game. What else did the Western Conference do? How about win the 3-point shootout, win the Slam Dunk Contest, All-Star game MVP, skills challenge and the Rising Stars challenge.
The final takeaway: I come out of the break defeated. I gave three picks for All-Star weekend. They we're: Giannis Antetokounmpo would win the Slam Dunk Contest, Kyle Korver would win the 3-point shootout and Kyle Lowry would win the skills challenge. How close was I? Well, none of these players advanced to the final round of their competitions.
Photo courtesy of CBS Detroit.