LOS ANGELES – Purists might shield their eyes and harrumph, but the NBA did not want Game 7. It wanted this.
It wanted an All-Star game, rather than the silly exhibitions it had become. It wanted a game. And All-Stars, in a welcome change, wanted to win.
In the change that the NBA wanted most, how the game was won – with old teammates LeBron James connecting on an Irving pass to James at the rim – that mattered most, with Team LeBron taking a 148-145 win over Team Stephen.
After James Bucket, giving him 29 points with 10 rebounds and eight assits, James Harden missed a 3-pointer and DeMar DeRozan turned the ball over.