NBA All Star Game Betting Odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook

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NBA All Star Game betting odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook

NBA All Star Game

The National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. From that year on, the game has matched the best players in the Eastern Conference with the best players in the Western Conference.

The participants are currently chosen in two ways. The first is via fan ballot, with the leading vote recipients at each position starting the game, secondly the reserves are chosen by a vote among the head coaches of the squad's particular conference. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own players. If a player is injured and cannot participate, the commissioner will select a replacement.

The coaches who currently lead the team with the most wins in their conference through the Sunday two weeks before the game will coach their respective conferences.

However, the same coach cannot coach the team in consecutive seasons. This is the so-called "Riley Rule" so named because coach Pat Riley's Lakers teams of the 1980's won so often that he coached the Western Conference team nearly every season in the 1980's. In the event that a coach's team repeats as the best record holder the coach from the team with the next best record will serve as All-Star coach for that conference.

The 2006-2007 selection process was unique due to the rather high number of injured all-stars and snubbed stars. Eddy Curry, Carmelo Anthony, Zach Randolph and several other players (and their coaches) had issues over the process. ElevationMag.com did extensive NBA All Star coverage and quoted Stephon Marbury from the New York Knicks on how he thought the voting really occurred "I think ultimately at the end of the day it comes down to the NBA. I think the NBA picks the teams." - Stephon Marbury.

Features of the All-Star Game

The All-Star Game is played under normal NBA rules, but there are notable differences from an average game.

Since the starting All-Stars are selected by fan vote, players often start the game at atypical positions. For instance, in 2007 Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady had the two highest fan vote totals among Western Conference guards. As both players normally play shooting guard, Bryant, who is 6'6" (203 cm), started the game as a point guard, a position usually manned by a much smaller player.

The player introductions are usually accompanied by a significant amount of fanfare, including lighting effects, dance music, and pyrotechnics. Special uniforms are designed for the game each year (with only a few years allowing the player's regular jerseys to be used, much like what Major League Baseball does with their all-star players), usually with a red, white, and blue color scheme. A major recording artist typically sings "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to tipoff. One of the more memorable performances was given by Marvin Gaye during the 1983 game. Gaye was accompanied by a drum machine and used numerous elements of soul music and funk. The entire audience was clapping along as the song reached its last line.

Gameplay usually involves players attempting spectacular slam dunks and alley oops. Defensive effort is limited and the final score of the game is generally much higher than an average NBA game. The coaches also try to give most of the reserve players some time on the court instead of using a limited rotation as they would in a normal game. The fourth quarter of the game is often played in a more competitive fashion if the game is close.

Halftime is also longer than a typical NBA game due to musical performances given by major stars such as Elton John, Destiny's Child, Mariah Carey, and OutKast.

All-Star Game results Since 1990

The Eastern Conference All-Stars lead the all-time series 34–22.

Year	Result	(Arena), City	MVP
1990	East 130, West 113	(Miami Arena), Miami, FL	Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers
1991	East 116, West 114	(Charlotte Coliseum), Charlotte, NC	Charles Barkley, Philadelphia 76ers
1992	West 153, East 113	(Orlando Arena), Orlando, FL	Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers
1993	West 135, East 130 (OT)	(Delta Center), Salt Lake City, UT	Karl Malone, Utah Jazz; John Stockton, Utah Jazz
1994	East 127, West 118	(Target Center), Minneapolis, MN	Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls
1995	West 139, East 112	(America West Arena), Phoenix, AZ	Mitch Richmond, Sacramento Kings
1996	East 129, West 118	(Alamodome), San Antonio, TX	Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
1997	East 132, West 120	(Gund Arena), Cleveland, OH	Glen Rice, Charlotte Hornets
1998	East 135, West 114	(Madison Square Garden), New York, NY	Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
1999	Canceled–due to lockout; scheduled for (First Union Center), Philadelphia, PA
2000	West 137, East 126	(Oakland Arena), Oakland, CA	Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers; Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
2001	East 111, West 110	(MCI Center), Washington, D.C.	Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers
2002	West 135, East 120	(First Union Center), Philadelphia, PA	Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
2003	West 155, East 145 (2OT)	(Philips Arena), Atlanta, GA	Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves
2004	West 136, East 132	(Staples Center), Los Angeles, CA	Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers
2005	East 125, West 115	(Pepsi Center), Denver, CO	Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers
2006	East 122, West 120	(Toyota Center), Houston, TX	LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
2007	West 153, East 132	(Thomas & Mack Center), Las Vegas, NV	Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

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