THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015
PAGE 7
THE DAILY DEBATE
Who has the best All-Star team?
Griffin Hughes
@GriffinJHughes
"WEST"
We all know the NBA All-Star teams don't
Star teams don't necessarily comprise the Conferences' best players; they're more about who the fans love and want to see. So the winner, then, isn't necessarily the conference that has the best team. But the All-Star Game isn't really about the game, anyway. It's about the event, and, most importantly, it's about the discussion of who would have the better team if the league's best actually took the floor.
Since that's the case, who can argue against the Western Conference?
The West's starting five alone contains the best rim protector in the Association, a 7-foot powerhouse, two all-around scorers and possibly the best pure shooter in the history of the game. On the bench is the other Splash Brother, one of the league's best pure scorers, and the most athletic point guard in NBA history.
This is a team that can throw out a variety of lineups. They
At the end of the day, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combine to make the most dynamic shooting duo in the NBA, Russell Westbrook is the league's best athlete, and Anthony Davis and Marc Gasol are two of its best rim protectors.
can isolate and score in a half-court offense. They can put out a speedy flex frontcourt accompanied by the fastest backcourt in the league and run in transition. Or, if those lineups don't work, they can roll out two powerful forwards who can plug the lane while
"THIS IS A TEAM THAT CAN THROW OUT A VARIETY OF LINEUPS."
the guards slash inside.
I didn't even mention the fact that they could put the Splash Brothers on the court with James Harden, or reunite the Thunder trio that took Oklahoma City to the Finals in 2012. And it's not just offense — three of the NBA's top 15 post defenders are suing up for the West, including blocks per game leader Anthony Davis. This is a team that's versatile and talented, while also speedy and powerful.
While the East does have potentially the best player ever in LeBron James, they can't hope to bring as much versatility to the table as the West can.
Whether the Eastern Conference team tries to play a power game, run in transition or hoist threes, the Western Conference can adapt and outplay them in every facet of the game. This is especially true now that Damian Lillard made his way onto the team, where he should have been in the first place.
Regardless of how unrealistic the actual All-Star teams end up being each year, if it were truly the best of the West against the best of East, it wouldn't even be a contest.
Edited by Jordan Fox
Nick Couzin
@Ncouz
"EAST"
This Valentine's Day, the NBA will have its 86th All Star Game in New York City at Madison Square Garden. While the Western Conference might have more veteran participants, the Eastern Conference is younger and has more promise for the future.
The Eastern Conference has often been called weak. It has been true in previous years, since the lower half of the playoff seedings have typically had sub-.500 records, but it's
basketball right now, the 43-10 Atlanta Hawks. Yes, the Golden State Warriors have the best record in the NBA right now at 41-9, and yes, they're in the Western Conference, but these two teams met just last week, and Atlanta won a high-scoring 124-116 battle. East All-Star guard Teague scored 23 points in the win.
In addition to Teague, the Hawks have two more All-Stars, forwards Al Horford and Paul Millsap. The Eastern Conference got the win last year, 163-155. They've got momentum going into this year's game and the game is being played in an Eastern Conference arena.
"THE EAST ALSO HAS HEALTH ON THEIR SIDE. NOBODY ON THEIR TEAM HAS ANY SIGNIFICANT INJURIES."
not the case this year. Seven of the eight teams having winning records, the only exception being the eighth-seed Miami Heat.
Not to mention the Eastern Conference has LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the best player in the modern era and leader of the fan vote.
Let's also not forget that the East has the hottest team in
The East also has health on
their side. Nobody on their team has any significant injuries. The West has already had to replace two of their All-Stars due to Kobe Bryant and Blake Griffin's injuries. The West might have the "Splash Bros" in Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, but the East has several dangerous pairs of players from the same team. Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol have averaged a combined 39 points per game for the Bulls, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh score 42 per game for the Heat, and the Cavs combo of LeBron and Kyrie Irving combine for 47 per game.
contain for 19 picks game.
Some of the East's best teams have also gone on long winning streaks this season. The Hawks won 17 straight games before losing and the Cavs won 12 before losing. The longest streak in the West this season was by the Warriors, who won 19 straight games, but lost at home to the Eastern Conference's Chicago Bulls.
So this weekend, while watching the All-Star festivities, know that the East is the better conference.
Edited by Jordan Fox
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