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马刺中文论坛 » 环球刺讯 » 2.19 Buck Harvey: For one night the NBA leaps into the circus

 
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 2007-02-21 08:42  #1
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2.19 Buck Harvey: For one night the NBA leaps into the circus

Buck Harvey: For one night the NBA leaps into the circus

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA021907.01D.buck.harvey.18096bb.html

Web Posted: 02/19/2007 12:26 AM CST
Express-News

LAS VEGAS — Gilbert Arenas grabbed a basketball Sunday night during a time-out and made it official. Then, jumping off a trampoline left on the floor by performers, he connected the game with the craziness around it.

On this stage, in this city, the NBA was unidentifiable from the sideshow that surrounded it. The best basketball players in the world got together to play one of the worst games, and that was all right with what is an endorsement-driven hot tub of celebrity soup. Siegfried and Roy meant as much as Duncan and Parker on this court, and a 153-132 score meant nothing to anyone.

So when Arenas flew off a trampoline, putting the ball between his legs before dunking, acting like a furry mascot?

What happens in Vegas, thankfully, can stay in Vegas.

Arenas survived the landing, and that's the blessing of the weekend. No one got hurt, save for Reggie Bush rolling an ankle in a celebrity game.

Note to Saints: If Bush limped away while Carrot Top remained healthy enough to irritate another day, then what chance does Bush have running inside consistently in his career?

Bush would have been safer in Sunday's game, when defenders got out of the way. This is the nature of this game anyway; no one worries about the details of transition defense in a celebration of stars.

Still, the game took a turn in 1998. Then, in Kobe Bryant's first All-Star Game, he waved Karl Malone out of the way. Bryant wanted to prove himself against Michael Jordan.

David Robinson was there with a rookie named Tim Duncan, and Robinson ran around setting picks and rebounding. "I think it kind of broke down a little too much today," Robinson said that night. "We're all about trying to win the game, you know, and not get into that one-on-one kind of a deal."

Once Bryant, out on a fast break in the first half, came around his back in what amounted to a pass to himself. Robinson laughed afterward. "Passing the ball to yourself," Robinson said. "That's a statement, isn't it?"

It's a statement that's been repeated since, and LeBron James tried one himself Sunday night. Then he threw a pass off the backboard to set up his own dunk, only to fall awkwardly on Amare Stoudemire.

This is the same James who has refused to participate in the dunk contest because, he says, he fears hurting himself. "This time of year, there's a lot of wear and tear on your body," he said this weekend. "And it's tough to go out there and jump around a little bit."

It's especially tough when the dunk contest now is seen as uncool. James and his people understand this, and the NBA plays along with the packaging of its future.

The league did Sunday. Then, without a hometown favorite for the first time because this hometown doesn't have a team, the NBA had to pick a player out of the crowd to say a few words before the game.

That was James. "Enjoy the ride," he said.

The ride included a funny Shaquille O'Neal dribble routine, and a funnier, flatline jumper that followed. The ride included a series of lobs and dunks, as well as what Robinson called the "one-on-one kind of a deal." And the ride included, at it did in 1998, Bryant aiming high.

He deserved his MVP trophy, and the six steals suggest how much he wanted it. But Bryant's accomplishment was more about him shooting the most (24 times) than it was anything else.

He was humble and likeable afterward. "As players," he said, "we always want to feel like we're appreciated for what we do."

They are appreciated more for what they do in May and June, and Bryant knows that feeling, too. But in this game in February, grabbing attention has little to do with basketball.

Which is what Arenas was thinking. He told teammates later he wasn't making any shots, and he had to do something to get on TV.

So, while still wearing warm-ups, he headed for the trampoline.
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