NEW ORLEANS (AP) -Chris Paul was too nervous to eat before his All-Star debut, and wasn’t about to bite on Amare Stoudamire’s proposed bet.
“Stoudamire tried to bet me, told me I’d be the first one to shoot an air ball,” Paul said. “I’m actually thinking about all those different things when we’re playing, but I think the total weekend was a success.”
Despite the early nerves, Paul delighted his hometown crowd with the nifty passing and clutch shooting they’ve seen all season.
If only the West had won, he might have had a shot at the All-Star MVP award.
“I wanted to win” the game, said Paul, who had 16 points and 14 assists. “This being my first All-Star game, I wasn’t looking to win the MVP or anything like that.”
That honor went to LeBron James, who had 27 points in the Eastern Conference’s 134-128 victory on Sunday night.
Paul’s All-Star debut was a memorable one nonetheless, thanks to a dominant fourth quarter performance that helped the West overcome a double-digit deficit and briefly take the lead.
ven assists coming in the fourth quarter alone.
Hornets coach Byron Scott, who coached the West, said before the game he would prefer to limit the minutes of Paul and David West, given that New Orleans gets back into its tough Western Conference schedule on Wednesday night at home against Dallas.
However, Scott left himself some wiggle room, saying he would leave any player on the floor if his role in the game dictated it.
With Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudamire playing well in the front court, Scott was able to limit West to 16 minutes. West, also a first-time All-Star, finished with six points and four rebounds.
But Scott couldn’t bring himself to pull Paul in the fourth quarter, not with New Orleans’ third-year point-guard driving the West’s comeback attempt.
“I looked at Allen (Iverson) and a couple other players with four or five minutes left, and they told me I was crazy, leave him in there,” Scott said.
With the game in the balance, however, Paul’s enthusiasm got the best of him and cost the West dearly. He was called for setting an illegal screen that sent Ray Allen crashing to the floor during a possession on which the West could have tied the game with 36 seconds to go.
The West faded from there, as did Paul’s chances to win the MVP title in his home arena. Maybe he’ll get the key to the city instead.
With the Hornets surging to the top of the Western Conference with a 36-15 record, the city has begun, however belatedly, to rally around their success. Crowds packed the interactive basketball theme park known as NBA Jam Session, set up in the city’s convention center, many wearing Paul’s No. 3 and West’s No. 30.
The Hornets stars spent most of the weekend stumping for New Orleans, even taking the microphone at center court before tip-off to promote the city’s recovery from Hurricane Katrina and thank those who’ve lent support before a global television audience.
“It meant a lot,” Paul said. “Me and D West are two people that feel very strongly about bringing New Orleans back.”
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