Filed under: Heat, Lakers, NBA All-Star Game

LOS ANGELES — As LeBron James fielded questions from the press corps at Staples Center on Sunday night, he was asked about his favorite moments from All-Star weekend.

The Miami star answered by talking about charity, describing how richly he was rewarded for taking part in a number of good-will efforts in the days leading up to the game itself. Yet after the West had won 148-143, it was the MVP voters who had been in the giving spirit. At James’ expense.

Despite his triple-double (29 points on 10-of-18 shooting, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists), James lost out to the Lakers‘ hometown hero, Kobe Bryant (37 points on 14-of-26 shooting, 14 rebounds and three assists) for the game’s top award. The voting is done with media members accounting for nine votes and the fan votes accounting for three more. The triple-double was only the second in All-Star game history — and the first since Michael Jordan turned the trick in 1997.

“I just tried to showcase my talent on both ends of the floor — defending, rebounding, scoring,” James said. “We came up short. And you know for me, I’m all about winning, so (I’m) just a little disappointed in our game. Disappointed that we didn’t win.”

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LeBron James Posts All-Star Game’s First Triple-Double Since Jordan

Filed under: Lakers, Sneakers, NBA Business

LOS ANGELES — Nike Basketball debuted its Kobe Bryant short film/sneaker ad early Saturday morning to a worldwide audience on Facebook, and to the people of Los Angeles on the ground for the NBA‘s All-Star weekend. The mini-movie, which is directed by Robert Rodriguez and has a running time of just under six minutes, features Kanye West and Bruce Willis, along with Bryant of course, and his new Kobe VI basketball shoes.

Nike Basketball had an event at the W Hotel in Hollywood on Friday night, and showed the film to a star-studded audience that included Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Amar’e Stoudemire and Paul Pierce — all members of the Nike family. They were then treated to a performance from Kanye West.

As for the film itself, the best part about it is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, or even seriously at all. Kobe is easily the most polarizing figure in the game, and any attempt at trying to turn a sneaker ad into some kind of Oscar-winning feature film would have undoubtedly been met with an insane amount of criticism.

There are a couple of moments of unintentional comedy, and the Kobe-haters out there will likely chuckle when he takes the court and plays all by himself against a team of villains (hey, just like he does every night on the Lakers!). But overall it’s a pretty entertaining way to sell basketball shoes, even if the product itself doesn’t see a ton of time on the screen.

Check out the full video below, and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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Video: Kobe Bryant and Kanye West Star in Nike’s "The Black Mamba"

Filed under: 76ers, Bucks, Bulls, Celtics, Heat, Hornets, Jazz, Lakers, Spurs, Trail Blazers, Warriors, Wizards, Thunder, The Works

Today in The Works: Who will win the awards?

Who Gets The Gold?

Eric Freeman: It seems like the voters often decide on their MVP several months before the season ends, so this is as good a time as any. LeBron James has the Heat riding high after a shaky start, and he could end up the winner. But it seems like Derrick Rose‘s year — he’s stepped his game up and the Bulls are looking like contenders. Sometimes, that’s enough to win this award.

Bethlehem Shoals: It seems like everybody is riding high, the way you talk about it. Look, I’m going to give it to you straight: LeBron James is the best player in the game. And after that shaky start, he’s really made that Heat team his own, or at least found a way to assert himself so that every lesser player — including that dynamo Dwyane Wade — ends up following his rhythms. And that’s not a bad thing. James, contrary to popular belief, isn’t a selfish jerk, he does a lot of things on the court and only really takes over when it’s execution time. Derrick Rose? You’ve lost it. Nice year, nice team, but they aren’t there yet. It’s called Most Valuable, not Most Improved.

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The Works: Midseason Matters

Filed under: Heat, Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Dwyane Wade dominated the first half, LeBron James and Chris Bosh took over in the fourth quarter and the Miami Heat’s star power overcame Indiana’s youth and determination.

Wade tied a franchise record for most points in a first half with 31, and he finished with 41 to help the Heat defeat the Pacers 110-103 on Tuesday night.

James scored 27 points and Bosh added 22 points and eight rebounds for Miami. They combined for 19 of Miami’s 28 points in the final 12 minutes to help the Heat recover after squandering a 24-point lead.

“We’re one of the best fourth-quarter teams in the league,” Wade said. “With the caliber players that we have, especially myself and Chris and LeBron, we’re able to run the full-court offense, get good shots, high percentage shots.”

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Dwyane Wade’s Record Night Helps Heat Down Pacers

Filed under: Celtics, Heat

BOSTON (AP) — LeBron James and the Miami Heat could not win in Boston in the regular season. And now they may have to do it in the playoffs. Rajon Rondo had a triple-double, and James missed a crucial free throw with 12.5 seconds left in the Celtics’ 85-82 victory over Miami on Sunday. Boston improved to 3-0 against the Heat this season, taking back the top spot in the East and clinching the potential tie breaker for home-court advantage in the playoffs.

The teams will play again in Miami on April 10.

“They are the defending Eastern Conference champions,” Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra said. “You have to go through them, and they ain’t going to make it easy. We understand that this isn’t going to be an easy ride for us, and that’s where we’re at our best.”

The Heat eliminated most of a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit and trailed by 83-81 with 19 seconds left when they brought the ball in from a timeout and got it to James at the top of the key. He drove on Paul Pierce and drew a foul. He missed the first free throw and made the second.

On the ensuing inbound pass, James went into the stands for the ball but merely knocked it to Ray Allen; the Celtics got the ball downcourt to Glen Davis, who was fouled. Davis hit both foul shots with 6.3 seconds to go, and Mike Miller missed a 3-point attempt in the final seconds that would have sent the game to overtime.

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Celtics Continue Dominance Over Heat

Filed under: Nuggets, NBA Rumors

DENVER — Carmelo Anthony congratulated himself Saturday.

Then again, anybody who has averaged 40.3 points in his past three games would seem to have that right.

“I think it takes a strong-willed person, a strong-minded person, to deal with the stuff that I deal with and still go out there and go to work every day and perform on a nightly basis,” the Denver forward said about trade rumors that have swirled all season as the Feb. 24 trade deadline approaches. “I take my hat off to myself for dealing with all this stuff that’s going on and still be able to go out there and play at the high level that I can play at. I really don’t think an average person can walk in my shoes. I don’t think that.”

Anthony, who wasn’t actually wearing a hat during the interview that he could take off, sure hasn’t been average lately on the court. Earlier this week, he tied his career high with 50 points against Houston and had 42 against Dallas, the latter being in a dramatic 121-120 Nuggets victory that stopped a 10-game Mavericks winning streak.

Since Jan. 31 at New Jersey, Anthony is averaging 33.4 points in seven games. That would be his post-fast scoring average.

Anthony revealed Saturday he did the Daniel Fast between Jan. 9-30. He said he initially was sluggish on the court but he credits the fast now for his recent surge. If you’re keep track at home, his scoring average during his fasting days was 21.8.

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Carmelo Anthony Takes Hat Off ‘to Myself’ for Strong Play Despite Distractions

Filed under: Heat

MIAMI — There has only been one role that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have known since entering the NBA in 2003. If they didn’t put the team on their backs and have a spectacular game, chances are they’d lose the game. This season has marked the first time they’ve played alongside a true equal, and though they’ve briefly been on the same Team USA and All-Star teams, it’s been a challenging experience for both players who needed to come together quickly at the start of the season.

With Tuesday’s 117-112 victory over the Indiana Pacers, the Heat are on a seven-game winning streak with four of them ending in a margin of victory of five points or less. In contrast, the Heat’s first five losses of the season came by eight points or less. Prior to their current winning streak, Miami had only one victory by five points or less and it came against the lowly Washington Wizards.

Wade knew it would take time to pull out these types of close games and to become familiar with playing full-time alongside James and Chris Bosh as well as several new teammates.

“I think we’re more comfortable with each other,” he explained. “We’re more confident in our late game sets. We’ve always been confident with our late game defense. Early in the year, it was a new team and it takes teams time to initially come together and get it. It took us a little time and now we’re very comfortable in late games and we feel that we should win if the game is close. It’s not always going to go that way but you we have that mentality.”

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LeBron James, Dwyane Wade Finding Increasing Comfort Alongside Each Other

Filed under: Heat, Pacers

MIAMI — The Indiana Pacers embarrassed the Miami Heat on their last visit to AmericanAirlines Arena on November 22 and LeBron James personally made sure that wouldn’t happen again.

In yet another dominating display of his multifaceted game, James poured in 41 points to go along with 13 rebounds and eight assists. Even with his performance, the Pacers not only kept pace with the Heat but also held a lead from the second quarter all the way up to midway through the fourth quarter. While the Heat created several flashy plays, including a pair of James dunks that brought the house down in the first quarter, the Pacers’ offensive game plan was unspectacular yet highly effective with a focus on making the extra pass to make the right play and a balanced attack featuring six players scoring in double figures.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra wasn’t thrilled about his team almost giving up 100 points by the end of the third quarter to an emerging Pacers team that has won five of its last six games but appreciated his team’s turnaround down the stretch.

“That’s a good basketball team and they’re playing with a lot of confidence right now,” he said. “They play at a frenetic pace and we got caught up a little on that pace in the first three quarters but we got a little bit more down to our game defensively there in the fourth and we were able to pull it out.”

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LeBron Does It All as Miami Heat Get Revenge on Pacers

Filed under: Spurs, NBA D-League, Reno Bighorns

Steve Novak is expected to be called-up by the San Antonio Spurs after playing just two games in the NBA D-League with the Reno Bighorns, FanHouse has confirmed.

Novak’s promotion was first reported by DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony on Twitter.

Novak, a 6-foot-10 shooting specialist, began this season with the Dallas Mavericks where he played in just seven games before being released on January 5. In lieu of going overseas, Novak elected to stick around and play in the D-League with the goal of returning to the NBA after spending the last four seasons with the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers.

It worked, obviously.

In just two games — playing in an NBA system under former Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors head coach Eric Musselman — Novak averaged 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds while making 9 of his 14 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc.

Though Novak probably wasn’t in Reno long enough to establish lasting bonds with his teammates, it does strike me as a bit interesting that the Spurs elected to bring aboard the big man instead of former Spur — and current Bighorn — Danny Green. Green, known for his shooting as well as his defense, is averaging 16.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 41 percent from 3-point territory in eight games played in the D-League.

The Spurs needed to sign another player after letting Tulsa 66ers forward Larry Owens head back to the D-League upon completion of his second 10-day contract, leaving them with just 12 players on the roster. In seven games with the Spurs, Owens averaged 1.3 points in 4.4 minutes played over the course of seven games.

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Spurs Expected to Sign Steve Novak

Filed under: Cavaliers, Trail Blazers

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers have the NBA‘s record for futility all to themselves.

Cleveland’s losing streak reached 24 games on Saturday night as Wesley Matthews scored 31 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 111-105 win over the pitiful Cavs, who remain winless in 2011 and have lost a mind-boggling 34 of 35.

The Cavs, who have won just once since Nov. 27, now own both the single-season mark for consecutive losses and matched the record for overall losses in a row they previously set over two seasons (1981-82 and 1982-83). Cleveland nearly overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but once again failed to make plays down the stretch.

Antawn Jamison scored 17 to lead the Cavs, who will try to end their skid on Monday in Dallas.

For much of the night, it appeared the Cavaliers might finally end a slide that shows no signs of ending.

Cleveland led early in the fourth quarter, but Rudy Fernandez hit a 3-pointer and the Blazers went on a 15-4 run to open a 105-95 lead. The Cavs didn’t fold, and they responded with a 10-2 spurt to make it 107-105 on Ramon Sessions‘ lay-in with 1:23 left.

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Cavaliers Lose Single-Season NBA Record 24th Consecutive Game