Here Comes the Second Half of the 2012-13 NBA Season!

       The annual All-Star Weekend just passed a few days ago. It was a night filled with fun, laughter, and suspense. The weekend started off with the "BBVA Rising Stars Challenge," where Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal squared off teams they drafted. Before the game, Shaq's team was heavily favored to win due to star players such as Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard. But, at the end of the night, Charles Barley's team won for the second year in a row, largely due to the performance of Kenneth Faried, who scored 40 points with 10 rebounds. The next day was filled with events. The first event was the "Sears Shooting Stars Challenge," where a current NBA player, an ex-NBA player, and a WNBA player are in a team competing against other teams developed in the same way. Team Bosh won that event. After that, there was the "Taco Bell Skills Challenge," where a guard has to go through an obstacle course to get the fastest time, the winner of the event was Damian Lillard. Then came the "Footlocker 3-Point Shootout," individuals such as Steve Novak and Stephen Curry were favored to win this competition, but Kyrie Irving won the competition in an upset, but he scored 23 points in that final round, which was near the record of 25. The final event came after this, it was the "Slam Dunk Competition," James White was favored to win this, but in a night of upsets, Terrance Ross won it. But, to be fair, he deserved it with the performance he did that night. After that day ended, then came the main attraction. It was the All-Star Game. Both teams tried their best, but one stayed on top, the West won while being carried by Chris Paul who scored 20 points with 15 assists. He was named the MVP after the game, and deservedly so, only Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas ever had a 20/15 stat line in an All-Star game.

       Now, the fun and games are over. Every team will now be in a fight until and after the playoffs, and everyone's determination will rise. Be sure to watch the second-half of the 2012-13 NBA season to see how the teams are doing before heading into the playoffs. A few questions still remain, though:

1. Will the Lakers pick up their slack?

2. How will the Celtics do without their star Point Guard?

3. Will anyone dethrone the Miami Heat?

4. Can OKC go far into the playoffs without James Harden?

5. Who will win the MVP?

By: Sreevatsa Gottada

Staff Writer