LOS ANGELES –Not that Amar’e Stoudemire needed to convince Carmelo Anthony any further, but the Knicks’ power stud put on a show last night in the NBA All-Star Game at Staples Center, racking up 29 points with six rebounds and a block in 28 minutes.
No wonder Carmelo Anthony would rather play for the Knicks than the Nets. “He played great, man,” Anthony said after the West hung on for a 148-143 shootout win. “Amar’e played great. If the East had won, he would’ve had a chance to be the MVP.”
The East made a huge rally in the fourth quarter, cutting an 17-point deficit to two points. LeBron James led the fourth-quarter charge with Stoudemire, who donned new white-framed goggles as he became the first Knick to start an All-Star game since 1992.
James tied Stoudemire with 29 points. Stoudemire notched 14 in the fourth quarter when he made all six of his free throws. Kobe Bryant won the MVP as he amassed 37 points. “You could tell Kobe from the start wanted to get the MVP,” Stoudemire said. “He was not passing the ball.”
Anthony was waiting on the Nuggets to decide whether they would trade him to the Knicks or force him to the Nets. Anthony said he’ll be a Nugget for Tuesday’s game “unless I look at my phone and have an urgent call.”
Asked about what he thought of meeting Russian owner Mikhail Prokhorov Saturday night in a Los Angeles restaurant, Anthony said, He’s cool, really cool.
“It was just some generic meeting the Nuggets allowed me to take but there was nothing specific,” Anthony said. A report suggested Anthony met with the Nets only so he could get permission to meet with Knicks officials.
Stoudemire shot 11 of 20, even hitting a 3-pointer late to slice the West’s lead to four. “We had fun, those guys scored about 300 points,” Stoudemire joked. “Defense was, (rather) the lack of defense.”
Asked about the Knicks-Nets competition for Anthony, Stoudemire said, “It’s probably good for the league basketball is coming back to New York or New Jersey. But the team we have, no, we are not too bad
“But you never know how things may end up here in the next few days.”
Stoudemire, who recorded a handful of power dunks, said, “My dunks aren’t as hard as they used to be. Blake [Griffin] is jumping over cars. My high-jumping days are over.”
Returning to the game he dominates after a one-year absence, Bryant added 14 rebounds in a spectacular performance in front of the usual celebrity-filled crowd that turns out to see his Lakers.
“It feels great, being at home here and playing in front of the home crowd,” Bryant said after receiving the MVP trophy. “This will be my last All-Star game in front of these home fans, so it feels good to do it.”
Kevin Durant chipped in 34 points, scoring five straight after the East cut a 17-point deficit after three quarters to two points with 2:34 to play.
LeBron James powered the East rally, finishing with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to join Michael Jordan as the only players with a triple-double in the All-Star game. Miami’s Dwyane Wade had to leave with an ankle injury after scoring 14.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press.