50 pawns in the haversack, 16 successful three-point shots, event record exploded: Stephen Curry was on fire and logically named MVP of the All-Star Game 2022, won for the fifth year in a row by “Team LeBron 163-160, Sunday in Cleveland. The best for the end. After a start to the weekend rich in appetizers that were not always digestible, such as Saturday’s distressing dunk contest, this all-star match kept its promises.
Curry, untenable in the exercise of gunner that he cherishes, was one of the great animators, managing with an insolent address, which certainly withered slightly in the last quarter, to plant banderilla on banderilla. What could be more normal from the best shooter in history, who won three NBA championship rings with the Warriors (2015, 2017, 2018) and was named MVP twice in 2015 and 2016?
16 three-point shots for Curry
“This trophy has a very special meaning because it’s always something for me to come back to Ohio. [il est né à Akron, comme James]. I am blessed, ”launched Curry, who notably managed a 6/7 in the second quarter, then a 7/10 in the third, planting almost everywhere and further and further away.
In particular, there was this unsheathed shot from the center of the field. Without waiting to see the ball go in, he turned around and, quietly heading back to his basket, met the dumbfounded gaze of his one-night teammate, Giannis Antetokounmpo, MVP of this match last year and who already knew the identity of his successor.
The “Greek Freak” struggled to make triumph over their team in the money-time, at which point the notion of a friendly game suddenly disappeared. Because at the end of the 3rd quarter, the score was tight – 139-138 in favor of “Team Durant” – and the first to 163 points would win. Giannis (30 pts, 12 rebounds) made some crucial defensive gestures, including a counter on Joel Embiid, the strongman of the season, who was also the one opposite throughout the meeting.
LeBron to close the loop
The Cameroonian pivot (36 pts, 10 rebounds) was also blocked by LeBron James. “King” at home in Cleveland, where he played for a long time, giving the Cavs their only championship ring in 2016, “LBJ” did not want to lose, he who was undefeated since the application of the current format in 2018, with teams composed by the captains.
“I couldn’t have dreamed of better than putting the winning basket here, near Akron where I grew up, watching the All-Star Game as a kid with my friends,” he commented, after the last shot of the game, turning around, halfway.