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The 2013 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 17, 2013 at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, the current home of the Houston Rockets. This game was the 62nd edition of the National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game and was played during the 2012–13 NBA season. The Houston Rockets were awarded the All-Star Game in an announcement by commissioner David Stern on February 8, 2012. This was the third time that Houston had hosted the All-Star Game; the city had previously hosted the event in 1989 at the Astrodome and 2006 at the Toyota Center. The West won the game 143–138, and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers was named the game's most valuable player (MVP).
Contents
- Coaches
- Players
- Roster
- Game
- Sears Shooting Stars Competition
- Taco Bell Skill Challenge
- Foot Locker Three Pointer Contest
- Sprite Slam Dunk Contest
- Competition score
- References
Starters for the game were selected by the fans, who could select three frontcourt players and two guards from each conference. Previously, fans selected two forwards and one center instead of generic frontcourt players. Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers received the most overall votes at 1,591,437.
Starting this season, NBA All-Star Saturday Night events became contests between the Eastern and Western Conferences.
Coaches
The coaches for the All-Star game were the head coaches who led the teams with the best winning percentages in their conference through the games of February 3, 2013. Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs clinched the West position after a win on January 30. Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat clinched the East position after a win over the Toronto Raptors on February 3, 2013. The head coaches from the previous year, Tom Thibodeau and Scott Brooks, were not eligible for selection.
Players
The rosters for the All-Star Game were chosen in two ways. The starters were chosen via a fan ballot. Two guards and three frontcourt players who received the highest vote were named the All-Star starters. NBA head coaches voted for the reserves for their respective conferences, none of which could be players on their own team. Each coach selected two guards, three frontcourt players and two wild cards, with each selected player ranked in order of preference within each category. If a multi-position player was to be selected, coaches were encouraged to vote for the player at the position that was "most advantageous for the All-Star team," regardless of where the player was listed on the All-Star ballot or the position he was listed in box scores. If a player is unable to participate due to injury, the commissioner will select a replacement.
Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers topped the ballots with 1,591,437 votes, which earned him a starting position as a guard in the Western Conference team. Bryant earned a record 15th consecutive All-Star selection. Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, and Dwight Howard completed the Western Conference starting position. The lone first-time All-Star in the Western Conference is the Houston Rockets' James Harden. All of the players from the West started in last year's All-Star Game, save for Howard who started for the East, and similar to last year, both Los Angeles teams, the Lakers and the Clippers, are represented by two players each, all of whom are starters. Also sending a pair of players to the All-Star Game were the Oklahoma City Thunder, represented by Durant and Russell Westbrook, and the San Antonio Spurs, represented by Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. The Golden State Warriors had an All-Star representative for the first time since Latrell Sprewell was selected in 1997, with David Lee.
The Eastern Conference's leading vote-getter was LeBron James, who finished with 1,583,646 votes. Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Kevin Garnett completed the Eastern Conference starting positions. Anthony, James and Wade were starters for the previous year's Eastern Conference team. The Eastern Conference reserves included six first-time selections: Tyson Chandler, Paul George, Jrue Holiday, Kyrie Irving, Brook Lopez, and Joakim Noah. The Boston Celtics sent two players to start in the All-Star Game for the first time since 1984, when Larry Bird and Robert Parish started for the East. The New York Knicks sent two players to the All-Star Game for the first time since 2001.
Roster
(C) – Named team captains for All-Star Game by National Basketball Players Association.
Game
The West led at the end of each quarter and won 143–138 behind Chris Paul, who won MVP honors scoring 20 points, handing out 15 assists and grabbing 4 steals. The West never led by more than eight points through the first three quarters, but they pushed the lead to double figures early in the fourth. Kobe Bryant blocked two shots by LeBron James late in the game, part of a late run to secure the game for the West. Kevin Durant led all scorers with 30 points and became the first player in NBA history to score 30+ points in three consecutive All-Star games, while Bryant had nine points and eight assists. Carmelo Anthony led the East with 26 points and 12 rebounds. James, who shot well during the latter part of the season's first half, shot only 7-for-18 while scoring 19 points.
Sears Shooting Stars Competition
Taco Bell Skill Challenge
Foot Locker Three-Pointer Contest
Sprite Slam Dunk Contest
Competition score
Starting in 2013, the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference will compete to see who gets the most points. This score will only be applied to All-Star Saturday Night competitions.