Sixers' Iguodala shows flash in All-Star Game

ORLANDO - Andre Iguodala could be suffering today from culture shock, or the bends, or maybe vertigo.

The 76ers forward made his NBA All-Star Game debut last night at the Amway Center. He played well in his 13 minutes, collecting 12 points and four rebounds. But for the most part, he watched as the Western Conference scored in about as many varieties as can be done in a 152-149 win over the East. The West scored 88 points in the first half, an All-Star Game record. That's about five more points than the Sixers have averaged over their last five games (83.2). It's also more than the Sixers give up per game (87.5).

In typical fashion, defense was usually played only mistakenly and the only real competition on the floor appeared to be among the players as to who could make the more spectacular play. Iguodala joined into the fray, performing myriad of dunks, fancy passes and yes, even a steal.

"I just had fun out there, it was cool," Iguodala said. "When we got down, the guys were telling us to cut the lead down for them. It was a good time. We wanted to have a competitive game for the fans to watch. It's funny because [Rajon] Rondo talked about it in the first half, saying the West always jumps out on us. When we went to the locker room guys wanted to get back in it."

Though exhibiting one's abilities takes priority, competitive juices still get stirred a little bit. When the East entered the court for the second half, there was a certain blend of seriousness surrounding them, particularly Miami Heat teammates Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. Those two were instrumental in leading a 26-14 run to begin the second half, getting the East to within seven at 102-95. Another spurt late in the fourth by the East made it interesting at the end, but the East's Deron Williams missed an open three and Blake Griffin sealed it with a steal and a foul shot with 1.1 seconds remaining.

"Well, I don't know if there was much defense played early on," said East coach Tom Thibodeau. "But it was a great game and everything that happened you sort of anticipated. The West played very well. They got off to the lead and I thought our guys got going in the second half. And then it came down to the end and I thought both teams played extremely hard in the fourth quarter and both teams were trying to win."

Kevin Durant led the West with 36 points and garnered MVP honors, while Kobe Bryant scored 27, upping his career All-Star total to 271, eclipsing the previous mark of 262 held by Michael Jordan. Griffin scored 22 and Russell Westbrook added 21, including a variety of fierce dunks by both.

From the outset, Durant seemed to be playing at a higher competitive level than most. He carried that throughout his more than 37 minutes of play.

"I'm always like that," Durant said. "You know, every game I play in I try to be aggressive and be myself. It was fun. Just this whole thing has been crazy for me. I'm excited. Hopefully I will maintain this level throughout the rest of the season."

The East was led by James, who poured in 36 points. He is now averaging 25.9 points in All-Star Games, the highest total of anyone who has scored at least 60 points in their careers. Wade collected a triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and Williams added 20 points.

Iguodala got his first call from Thibodeau to start the second quarter. In his 6-minute, 32-second second-quartee run, Iguodala missed only one of his five shots (a three-pointer) and threw down three dunks. He also grabbed two rebounds, dealt two assists and had a steal.

"It's easier [to play in a game like that]," Iguodala said. "I get up and down the floor in transition, I still have my legs underneath me, I can still get up above the basket, still can make those passes. I can do the flash things as well."

For the game, four of his six field goals came on dunks. He was matched defensively at times with 6-11 LaMarcus Aldridge and at other times with speedy point guard Westbrook. But he appeared to love every minute of it.

"It was better than I expected it to be," Iguodala said of the whole experience. "You can't really explain how much you have to do over the weekend. Every minute there's something to do, you have to attend something. You have to find sleep and if you don't you'll be really tired. But I did everything and I had a good time."

Tonight he will rejoin his Sixers teammates in Detroit, where they will hold a practice before taking on the Pistons tomorrow in an attempt to stop their losing ways.

"Probably [this] morning I'll start thinking about the game," Iguodala said. "During practice, we have to get back at it, sit down and talk to the guys, see where we're at and see where we can go looking forward."

And back to the daily grind that includes far less scoring and a lot more defense.

When the Eastern Conference team made its way onto the court before the game, there were no basketballs available for them to warm up. The team formed two lines for layup drills anyway, instead using tennis ball-sized basketballs that they had thrown into the stands just a bit earlier. After about a minute, the basketballs were brought onto the court and the warmups commenced . . . Many stars, most of the musical variety, were in attendance. Guess the movie stars were busy elsewhere . . . There was an unusual number of empty seats in the lower bowl area . . . In an unusual show of defensive aggressiveness, Kobe Bryant suffered a bloodied nose in the third quarter when, after he beat Dwyane Wade off the dribble, Wade fouled him hard from behind.