Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 12, 1991 TAG: 9102120039
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
All that glitters here is not wearing short pants. On the floor, pro basketball's best try to entertain while meshing their talents in a game that begs for as little coaching as possible.
In the seats at the Charlotte Coliseum, the mix of humanity is just as impressive and intriguing. For instance, at All-Star Saturday, one row of one end zone section included Cosby kid Tempestt Bledsoe, the Fresh Prince, Kid from the rap group Kid 'N' Play, and Terry Holland.
What do they have in common? Well, they're all on TV.
At Sunday's game, Bruce Hornsby and Bruce Smith watched and cheered. Jack Kemp and Little Richard showed up, too. Magic Johnson's passing was admired by Boomer Esiason. Michael Jordan's ball-handling was witnessed by another good-hands guy, Brooks Robinson.
Oscar Robertson watched Alvin Robertson. Doesn't that seem backward to you?
In the parking lot behind the coliseum, the stretched limos were spanned five or six rows. A felt-tipped author penned a sign at the front of the parking area:
"If you don't make $175,000 a year, don't even think about parking here."
Compounding the incongruity of this scene was to consider that this was happening in Charlotte, where 15 years ago a big sporting event was a Checkers' hockey game against the Roanoke Valley Rebels.
You see things at the NBA All-Star Game you couldn't have imagined you'd ever see - like a man dressed in a gorilla suit and a Phoenix Suns' warmup jacket, standing on top of one of the basket rims, waving the United States flag during a timeout.
But when it comes to showtime, the players don't monkey around. The NBA's up-tempo style is sometimes called "push and dish." The All-Star weekend is flash and dash, as it should be.
It was nice to watch Sam Jones bank one in - as he did for years for the Celtics - in the Legends game. Sam is 57. But it was ex-Bullets guard Phil Chenier, 40, who said afterward, "I was tired, winded, not just out of shape, but devastated. It is a situation where you see things you want to do; they just don't happen anymore."
It was great to see the All-Stars make the pretty passes repeatedly, reminding me what a lost art it has become in today's game that is fueled more by athleticism than pure basketball skills.
The All-Star Game also was a heck of a lot more fun than watching UNLV - the University of Numerous Lopsided Victories - continue making the road to the Final Four a dead-end street for everybody else.
Every basketball team has it's "go-to" guy, of course, and so when East coach Chris Ford of Boston called a 20-second timeout with 4:05 left in Sunday's game, and his team up two, he naturally wanted to set up a play.
On the sideline, Ford knelt before Jordan, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Bernard King and Hersey Hawkins. Maybe Ford wasn't calling a play. Maybe he was trying to figure out which go-to guy to go to.
Hey, coaching an NBA All-Star Game is an easy job, but somebody has to do it.
Fortunately, the West snuffed the play. Justice was served. No coaching allowed. "Everybody in the NBA knows everybody else's plays," Barkley said.
Speaking of justice, what was Kevin Duckworth doing here?
So, how important is the All-Star Game in the NBA scheme of things? Well, consider that the two-time defending champion Detroit Pistons had only one player in the game. Guard Joe Dumars scored two points and had one assist in 15 minutes. The great teams don't always have many great players.
If there is an appreciation for the NBA All-Stars, it is for the talent, the hustle, the unselfishness on the floor. Suns guard Kevin Johnson jumped over press row to try and make a save in the final minutes. Many of the stars could have taken over the game - as gunning George Gervin tried in the Legends contest - but they played with a respect for their teammates-for-a-day.
"This is a great group of guys," said Milwaukee forward Ricky Pierce, taking off his first All-Star jersey. "And it sure is a lot easier playing with them than it is against them."
Limo drivers, start your engines.
by CNB