AP News, February 19th, 2007
Reality isn't always what it appears to be in this gambling city, where a fake Eastern Conference jersey hung Sunday on a fake Statue of Liberty outside a very real casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
So perhaps it was fitting that the masters of illusion, Siegfried and Roy, had the job of welcoming those lucky enough or rich enough to score a ticket to the NBA All-Star game.
If only they could have made Wayne Newton disappear. There were enough popular rappers in the arena to start a new record label, but somehow it was left up to Mr. Las Vegas to entertain the best players in the league with a little "Danke Schoen" before the game.
Shaquille O'Neal liked it enough to give the Wayner a hand, but the other All-Stars seemed disinterested. The dozen or so showgirls dancing in full headdress around Newton did seem to catch their attention, though.
Houston, this wasn't.
Prince sneaked in the back door, Michelle Wie came in on the red carpet, and the Terminator hobbled to a courtside seat on crutches. Charles Barkley took a break from the casino tables to serve as the semiofficial greeter, offering hugs and kisses to almost everyone who walked through the VIP tunnel into the UNLV campus arena.
The halftime show had to be the most elaborate since James Naismith first nailed a couple of peach baskets up and invited people to throw balls in them. Toni Braxton sang, some Cirque du Soleil types in masks threw spears and danced about, and Christina Aguilera finished it off with a couple numbers of her own.
The first NBA All-Star game ever held in a city without a team was one giant party from the time players began filtering into town a few days ago. Sin City may not have a team of its own, but it proved once again that it is the undisputed All-Star when it comes to partying.
The game itself seemed almost an afterthought, but they played it anyway. Sloppy at times, it did have its moments.
Kobe Bryant scored over his large former teammate on his first shot of the game, then gave Shaq a smile as the two headed back down the court. By halftime, Bryant had taken more shots (14) than he had minutes (13), the West had a 20-point lead, and there wasn't much doubt who the MVP would be.
The usual assortment of dunks drew the usual roars from the crowd, and there were more alley-oop attempts than you'll see in a season of games that actually count.
No one got hurt, no one played defense, and everyone except those who spent thousands of dollars on tickets from scalpers before the market tanked seemed to have a good time.
Oh, yeah, the West won 153-132.
That had to please bookmakers, who installed the West as 4 1/2-point favorites. You couldn't bet it at the casinos because David Stern seems to think that would ruin the league, but anyone with a Treo and a credit card in section 212 at the UNLV campus arena could get some action down through the online sports books.
The biggest smile in the place, though, belonged to Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, who made his entrance with a showgirl on each arm, and his wife trailing behind him. Stern tossed an olive branch to the mayor earlier in the week by signaling that perhaps the city could get an NBA team of its own if it would compromise on the betting issue.
Goodman said he had no doubt the city would get a team, and soon, though some pesky details like finding a team and coming up with $500 million for a new arena have yet to be addressed.
The players all seemed in favor of a team here, and who can blame them. The biggest stars in the world hang out here, eye candy is everywhere, and there are parties all night long. The biggest worry might be endurance for players who spend an entire season here.
Stern seemed irritated the day before the game at questions about a Vegas team, possibly because the betting issue and Tim Hardaway's comments about gays intruded on spotlight trained on the NBA's carefully choreographed weekend of fun and games.
For a few hours Sunday night, though, it was all about the game itself. Well, almost, because there was a lot of singing and dancing, the dunking Elvi, and even a guy who entertained during a fourth quarter timeout by juggling a basketball, a bowling ball and a peanut M&M.
Like the players, he was a bit sloppy, dropping the M&M on his first try before regrouping and finishing by catching the candy in his mouth while still juggling.
A lot of the crowd had already left with a few minutes remaining, so they missed the videotaped tribute the players gave to the city. The players stood and watched themselves during a timeout and from Yao Ming on down they had one message:
Viva Las Vegas!
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Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org
