Basketball 
/ Nick Shiambouros / 18 February 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Nick can't wait for All Star weekend...
"For me, the East have the edge in this mouth-watering affair."
The 60th All-Star Game takes place this Sunday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. This celebration of basketball is one of the most popular fixtures in the sporting calendar and is also a chance for some off the wall bets, says Nick Shiambouros.
Since 1951 this exhibition game has matched the best players from the Eastern Conference with the best players in the Western Conference. The starters are chosen through a fan ballot that takes place during the season and the reserves are chosen by a vote among the coaches.
The coaches for the All-Star Game are the head coaches of the teams with the highest winning percentage two weeks before the game. This year Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers will be in charge of the East and San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich will be in charge of the West.
The All-Star Game is a competitive affair but it doesn't have the intensity of a regular season NBA game. There are no hard fouls inside the painted area due to the high risk of injury, and as a result there are plenty of uncontested shots.
This year the Eastern Conference is fielding one of the strongest teams I have seen in a number of years. The starters include LeBron James and Dwyane Wade from the Miami Heat and Derrick Rose from the Chicago Bulls. In my opinion, Derrick Rose is currently the best point guard in the NBA and I can't wait to see him show off his skills alongside James and Wade.
The Western Conference has some outstanding players in the rotation including Kobe Bryant from the Los Angeles Lakers and Kevin Durant from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Both players are bound to make their presence felt on Sunday.
The Eastern Conference is priced at [1.81] in the match odds market which is more than fair. I think they could have the edge in this mouth watering affair.
As well as the game, the Three-Point Shootout and Slam Dunk Contest are very popular parts of the All-Star celebrations.
Blake Griffin is the favourite for the Slam Dunk Contest at [1.38].This rookie sensation is having a tremendous year for the Los Angeles Clippers and will have plenty of home support. Griffin is an outstanding athlete but I am afraid the odds on offer are way to short.
My money will be on DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors. This talented shooting guard finished second to Nate Robinson in last year's contest and is desperate to go one better on Saturday. He's bound to have a special dunk up his sleeve and is attractively priced at [5.2] to lift the trophy.
Ray Allen from the Boston Celtics is favourite to win the Three-Point Shootout at [3.2] and he will take all the beating. Allen recently broke the record for most three pointers in NBA history and is keen to win this contest for the second time in his career.
Kevin Durant from the Oklahoma City Thunder could be the main danger to Ray Allen and is priced at [4.3].If Durant can get in to an early groove he could give Allen a run for his money.
Recommended bets:
Saturday Three-Point Shootout back Ray Allen at [3.2]
Saturday Slam Dunk Contest back DeMar DeRozan at [5.2]
Sunday All-Star Game back Eastern Conference All-Stars at [1.81] in the match odds market.
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