Kevin Durant Wins NBA All-Star Game 2012 MVP

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant is your 2012 NBA All-Star Game MVP winner. Durant ended the night scoring 36 points and picking up 7 rebounds with 3 assists and 3 steals. Durant even had this dazzling dunk in the game, flying right through the lane for the dunk. This was just one of many dunks for Durant on the night.

Durant hit on just three of his eight three-point attempts, but the Durantula just scored points in bunches to help the West win the game. Had the West lost, it's likely the MVP award would have gone to Miami Heat's LeBron James, who also finished with 36 points, which including some late impress three-point shots to put the East in position to win or tie.

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2012 NBA All-Star Game: East Make A Rally, But West Hold On To Win 152-149

At halftime the West team led the East team by nearly 20 points and looked like they were going to keep building they're lead. LeBron James however want to win the game and rallied back the East team by hitting a trio of ridiculous three-point shots, two of which were from five-point range territory.

Thanks to the scoring of LeBron, the East was able to pull within just two points with seconds left in the game, but in the final possession Dwayne Wade and LeBron James turned the ball over in the clutch, sealing the West's 152-149 victory.

James ended the game leading the East in scoring with 36 points, hitting on six of his eight three-point shots. Dwayne Wade ended with a triple-double, scoring 24 points and picking up 10 rebounds and 10 assists while Deron Williams added 20 points.

For the West, they built their big lead early on thanks to the shooting of Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and Russell Westbrook. Durant led the West in scoring with 36 points while Bryant finished up with 27 points. Blake Griffin also picked up 22 points and some nifty dunks off passes from Chris Paul, who ended the night with 12 assists.

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NBA All-Star Game 2012: LeBron James Continues To Put On A Dunk Show

After what was called a halftime show, the third quarter got started with the West team extending their lead over the East team. Apparently, Dwayne Wade was tired of Kobe Bryant scoring points... so he hacked him on the way to the basket bloodying Bryant's nose.

LeBron James continued laying down the ridiculous dunks in the third quarter, showing off his neon shoes with this latest jam.

Los Angeles Lakes guard set the NBA All-Star Game career scoring record in the game with this dunk and free throw, passing Michael Jordan on the list:

And still in the third quarter, LeBron James continues to put on a dazzling display of dunks, but he still won't comete in the dunk competition.

With all his dunks, LeBron leads the East in scoring currently with 28 points as the East have cut the West lead to just 12 points as the West still lead 124-112.

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2012 NBA All-Star Game Halftime Show, If That's What You Want To Call It

The 2012 NBA All-Star Halftime Show must have lost out on top talent because it was competing with the Oscars for performances. While the Oscars got the likes of Jennifer Lopez, etc. the NBA All-Star game was happy to treat the crowd to the likes of... of... whatever this is:

That's R&B singer Chris Brown doing... doing.. well, something. He's definitely doing something. Then you have Pitbull coming out, looking like he's performing the Kris Kross 1992 classic "Jump". He does look like he's having a real good time, though. They should have just held the dunk competition during halftime, since guys like LeBron James who won't compete in it but they'll make dunks like this during the game.

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VIDEO: 2012 NBA All-Star Game, Russel Westbrook Gets Unleashed

The spectacular dunks continued in the second quarter of the 2012 NBA All-Star game. Here we have Philadelphia 76ers Andre Iguodala stealing the ball and then taking it in for the dunk.

Without getting much action in the first quarter, the scoring machine known as Russell Westbrook picked up the pace in the second quarter with more playing time, scoring more points than minutes played. Two of Westbrook's points came from this neat pass from West guard Steve Nash.

As you can see, Nash sent the bounce pass from half court where Westbrook picked it up for the lay in. Westbrook has nearly as many shot attempts as he has minutes played in the first half, which is totally expected from Westbrook in a game where the goal is to just flat out score.

And here's a video of Westbrook trying to throw himself an ally-oop, messing it up, but still being able to lay it in for points.

Then of course, Westbrook finally got his dunk:

So far in the game, Westbrook is second on the West in scoring with 17 points in just 12 minutes on 11 shots. As for the score at halftime, the West are blowing the doors off the East, 88-69.

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NBA All-Star Game 2012: West Leads 39-28 After Some Nifty Dunks

After the first quarter of the 2012 NBA All-Star Game the West team holds the early lead 39-28. The West jumped out to a big lead, but the East came right back into it. Early in the game, LeBron James sent a behind the back pass to his teammate, then his teammate lobbed the ball in the air for LeBron to dunk the ball to tie the game. James ended the first quarter leading the East in scoring with 11 points already.

The West hold the lead, thanks to some crazy plays like the one in the video below. As you can see, Chris Paul dumps the ball behind him under his legs to his Los Angeles Clippers teammate Blake Griffin for the big dunk.

Kevin Durant leads the West team in scoring with 13 points while Kobe Bryant has 11 points already. Look for more scoring in the second quarter and more dunks.

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2012 NBA All-Star Game Time, TV Schedule And More

Sunday night, the 61st NBA All-Star Game will take place in Orlando. Unfortunately for local hoops fans, there are no Washington Wizards represented on the Eastern Conference squad, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the offensive entertainment nonetheless. Here is what you need to know about tonight's dunkfest:

Event: Eastern Conference Vs. Western Conference - 2012 NBA All-Star Game.

Date/Time: Sunday, February 26, 2012 - 7:30 P.M. EST

Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida.

TV Broadcast: The game will be televised nationally on TNT. Marv Albert, Steve Kerr and Reggie Miller have the call.

Eastern Conference All Stars: Starters - Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard: Reserves - Chris Bosh, Luol Deng, Roy Hibbert, Andre Iguodala, Joe Johnson (injured), Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo (replaces Johnson), Deron Williams. Head Coach: Tom Thibodeau.

Western Conference All Stars: Starters - Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Andrew Bynum. Reserves - LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol, Kevin Love, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Russell Westbrook. Head Coach: Scott Brooks.

Stay tuned to SB Nation DC for more updates on the 2012 NBA All-Star Game. For all news and information regarding the Washington Wizards, please visit Bullets Forever. And don't forget to visit SB Nation's NBA hub for news and notes from around the league.

ANIMATED: John Wall's NBA All-Star Skills Challenge Ends In Style

NBA All-Star Weekend: John Wall Eliminated After First Round Of Skills Challenge

John Wall's weekend in Orlando came to a sour end as he was eliminated from the All-Star Skills Challenge after the first round after losing a head-to-head tiebreaker with Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo.

Wall and Rondo each completed their first turn through the course in 32.8 seconds, which necessitated a second run for each of them to determine who would advance to the final round. Rondo completed his second run in under 30 seconds, while Wall struggled with the jump shooting portion of the course and finished well off Rondo's pace.

San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker won the competition, beating out Deron Williams of the New Jersey Nets, Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder in addition to Wall and Rondo.

This was Wall's second appearance in the All-Star event.

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NBA Rising Stars Challenge 2012: John Wall Finishes Game With An Array Of Dunks To Lead Team Chuck

While it may be a relaxed exhibition atmosphere, John Wall entered Friday night's Rising Stars Challenge perturbed that he was chosen 11th overall in the draft between Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal. Wall, who won the MVP of this game last year, put on a one-man highlight show that finished with many NBA fans, and TNT analyst Kenny Smith, calling for the Wizards point guard to be in the NBA's Dunk Contest.

Wall finished with 17 points and eight assists, teaming up with fellow No. 1 pick Kyrie Irving to lead Team Chuck to the 146-133 victory. Irving was an amazing eight for eight from three-point range, scoring a game-high 34 points on just 13 shots. But it was Wall who sealed the game with dunk after dunk (before Greg Monroe trolled him), including an uncontested tomahawk:

Stay tuned to SB Nation DC for more updates on the 2012 NBA All-Star Game and Rising Stars Game. For all news and information regarding the Washington Wizards, please visit Bullets Forever. And don't forget to visit SB Nation's NBA hub for news and notes from around the league.

ANIMATED: Greg Monroe Trolls John Wall So Very, Very Hard

ANIMATED: John Wall Slams Alley Oop, Ball Slams Off Face

VIDEO: John Wall Begins Rising Stars Challenge By Blocking Norris Cole

2012 BBVA Rising Stars Game: Rosters, Tip-Off Time, TV Schedule, And More

The 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend gets underway in Orlando tonight with the 2012 NBA Rising Stars Challenge that will feature young stars including Washington Wizard John Wall. Here are the rosters and the TV schedule for those looking to tune in tonight.

Location: Amway Center in Orlando, Florida
Game Time: 9:00 EST
TV Channel: TNT
Official Hashtags: #BBVARisingStars, #TeamShaq, #TeamChuck

Team Shaq

Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
Jeremy Lin, New York Knicks
Ricky Rubio, Minnesota Timberwolves
Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns
Kemba Walker, Charlotte Bobcats
Landry Fields, New York Knicks
Norris Cole, Miami Heat
Brandon Knight, Detroit Pistons
Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers
Greg Monroe, Detroit Pistons

Team Chuck

Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings
Derrick Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves
Paul George, Indiana Pacers
MarShon Brooks, New Jersey Nets
John Wall, Washington Wizards
Tiago Splitter, San Antonio Spurs (Missing game due to injury)
Evan Turner, Philadelphia 76ers
Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz
Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz

For complete coverage of the 2012 All Star Weekend festivities, keep it to this StoryStream.

NBA All-Star Weekend: John Wall To Compete In Skills Challenge

As reported on Bullets Forever, the NBA and the Washington Wizards announced that point guard John Wall will compete at all-star weekend in the skills challenge event. Wall, who participated in the event last year placing fourth, hopes to improve upon his performance from a year ago. He knows what the most difficult part of this competition is.

"I got the same routine. All it is, is you gotta get the basketballs through the little [nets] when you make the passes. That's the toughest part, making the passes. Everything else is pretty easy,"

Also participating in the event will be defending champion Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs and Deron Williams of the New Jersey Nets.

Wall will also be participating on Team Barkley in the Rising Stars Challenge.

Stay tuned to SB Nation DC for more updates on the 2012 NBA All-Star Game and Rising Stars Game. For all news and information regarding the Washington Wizards, please visit Bullets Forever. And don't forget to visit SB Nation's NBA hub for news and notes from around the league.

NBA All-Star Weekend: John Wall Motivated By Late Selection In Rising Stars Challenge Game

This year at NBA All-Star Weekend, the Rookies vs. Sophomore Game has been scrapped and instead a Rising Stars Challenge Game will take place, in which a mix of rookies and sophomores were drafted from a pool of participants to match up against each other. TNT aired a draft for this game, in which Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkely drafted the two teams. Washington Wizards second-year point guard John Wall was selected by Team Barkley, but not until 11 players were chosen before him. This late-draft selection has not sat well with Wall:

Via Michael Lee of the Washington Post:

"It's a joke to me," said Wall, who is averaging 16.9 points and 7.5 assists in his second season. "If they think there are 11 guys better than me, then that's their decision. But I know what I think in my mind and all I can do is go out there and play basketball the way I know how to play."

Hopefully, Wall will take this perceived slight in an all-star game event and use it as motivation for a strong second half performance, on a Wizards team that desperately needs it. After an inconsistent start to the season, Wall has begun to excel in the past 20 Washington games, averaging 19.2 points, 8.7 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game. Head coach Randy Wittman will need this to continue for the Wizards to have any chance on most nights, and if Wall wishes to uses his Rising Star "snub" as a motivating factor to improve his all-around regular-season game, I am all for it.

Stay tuned to SB Nation DC for more updates on the 2012 NBA All-Star Game and Rising Stars Game. For all news and information regarding the Washington Wizards, please visit Bullets Forever. And don't forget to visit SB Nation's NBA hub for news and notes from around the league.

Rising Stars Challenge: John Wall Drafted By Charles Barkley

John Wall enthusiasts won't be terribly pleased that he wasn't the first point guard drafted by Charles Barkley for his team in the rising stars challenge, but he'll probably get plenty of opportunity to play the point anyway, since it's an exhibition game and all. He's joined by Kyrie Irving, DeMarcus Cousins and Paul George, among others. Jeremy Lin and Norris Cole were both last-second additions, and both were picked up by Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq also grabbed Blake Griffin and Ricky Rubio, and they will score on approximately 12 ally-oops during the game.

Team Charles Barkley

John Wall
Kyrie Irving
DeMarcus Cousins
Paul George
Derrick Williams
Marshawn Brooks
Gordon Hayward
Thiago Splitter
Kawhi Leonard
Evan Turner

Team Shaquille O'Neal

Blake Griffin
Jeremy Lin
Ricky Rubio
Greg Monroe
Markieff Morris
Kemba Walker
Landry Fields
Norris Cole
Brandon Knight
Tristian Thompson

The Rising Stars Challenge takes place on Friday night of All-Star weekend and will be aired on TNT.

For more on John Wall, check out Washington Wizards blog Bullets Forever.

Slam Dunk Contest 2012: JaVale McGee Not Asked To Participate

Washington Wizards center JaVale McGee dazzled fans last year in finishing second to Blake Griffin in the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He dunked three balls, somehow jammed on two hoops and came very close to stealing Griffin's crown. You'd think the NBA would want to have McGee return to the competition in 2012. Instead, he confirmed the league didn't even ask him to participate.

Via the Wizards themselves:

JaVale McGee told WashingtonWizards.com that the league did not contact him about participating in the 2012 Slam Dunk Contest

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) February 16, 2012

McGee told the team that he would have participated if he was asked. So why not pick McGee? Michael Lee of the Washington Post reports that the NBA wanted to invite four new participants and move the dunk contest in a different direction. The league ultimately invited Iman Shumpert of the New York Knicks, Paul George of the Indiana Pacers, Derrick Williams of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Chase Budinger of the Houston Rockets.

For more on the Wizards, visit Bullets Forever.

JaVale McGee Will Not Participate In Slam Dunk Contest At All-Star Weekend

JaVale McGee will not be in the Slam Dunk field to defend the title he should have won last year, so who will be the participants?