NBA All-Star Weekend: Previewing the Celebrity All-Star Game

Since the 2002-2003 season, the Celebrity All-Star Game has been a staple of NBA All-Star weekend, this time including Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry for the second consecutive year.

In the past, the Celebrity All-Star Game is a fun way to jumpstart the All-Star weekend on Friday night, and it will continue that tradition this year.

ESPN will have the exclusive television coverage of this match-up between the two teams headlined by Michael Smith and Jemele Hill as the head coaches. Before we get into the rosters and where things stand, here is how you can watch the game.

TV Details: Friday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Now let’s take a look at the rosters:

Although last season was a battle between Team USA and Team Canada, this season the game is back to the traditional format of East vs. West.

The East vs. West format has been played eight times in the past, with the East holding a 6-2 lead in the series. But remember, 6-2 divided in half is 3-1, which is a lead we have seen blown too many times in recent memory.

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The format for this game consists of the regular four quarters, although each quarter only lasts 10 minutes. In addition, although flagrant and technical fouls occur, nobody is allowed to foul out.

There are several interesting players to watch in this one, but no match-up is quite as intriguing as the one between the Milwaukee Bucks own Marc Lasry and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

Lasry played in last year’s edition of the celebrity game as well, where he finished 4-for-7 from the field and dropped in eight points, despite a -20 +/-, and also snagged six rebounds in the losing effort by Team USA. He played in 18:11 of the total 40 minutes in the game, and can only be expected to play more given his extensive experience in this game.

Win Butler returns on Lasry’s team this year to defend his MVP trophy in last year’s game, while four-time MVP Kevin Hart will not be participating. Of the historical NBA players and current WNBA players, seeing Jason Williams back on the court should be fun. J-Will was one of the most exciting players on the court back in his day and his flashy passes will no doubt be on display in this exhibition. Just one year ago, Jason Williams showed that he still has it at 40 years old, and we can’t wait to tune it.

His battle with other former NBA player Baron Davis will be another great match-up of former guards. With those two pushing the pace of this exhibition game, who knows how many points will be scored? Since 2012 when the quarter length was increased from eight to 10 minutes, the game’s high point mark was a combined 140 points in 2012.

The WNBA match-up will take place between Candace Parker of the West and Lindsay Whalen of the East. Parker is a former #1 overall pick in the WNBA draft who is a two-time MVP in the league. Whalen, on the other hand, is a three-time champion.

Game Prediction: East 75 – West 63

Lasry Prediction: 20 minutes, 10 points, five rebounds, one assist

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On the whole, this should be an extremely fun and entertaining way to start the weekend, as it always seems to be. Look out for Lasry to take over late in the fourth quarter, and hopefully bring the East a victory.