East wins on night of parity

DENVER — It was supposed to be the game in which LeBron James showed he was a star among stars, but the NBA All-Star Game turned into an exhibition in parity as the East defeated the West 125-115 at Pepsi Center.

In a game in which style points almost always count for more, last night’s 54th edition of the midseason spectacle had the feel of a good regular-season game, competitive for most of the night.

The East’s Allen Iverson was named MVP, finishing with 15 points, 10 assists and five steals. Iverson won the award for a second time, the other one coming in 2001 at MCI Center. Seven East players scored in double figures; seven from the West did so as well, led by Ray Allen’s 17.

Iverson dedicated his play last night to the mother of a close friend who died recently.

“We’ve been friends since I was 14 years old,” Iverson said. “He’s a guy that always came at me as Allen Iverson the friend instead of Allen Iverson the basketball player. He was always there for me when I was down, and he’s going to be there when I’m on top.

“He’s just a best friend, just like anybody else who has a close friend, somebody who is not their blood but they are close to, and that’s how close he was to me. I know how much he loved his mom.”

Neither of the Wizards’ first-time All-Stars reached double figures. It became clear early on Gilbert Arenas’ dream of walking off with the MVP trophy would not be realized. He was scoreless on 0-for-4 shooting from the field in the first half and missed his next shot before finally heating up to finish with seven points in 15 minutes.

Antawn Jamison had five points and four rebounds in 13 minutes.

Chris Tucker, P. Diddy, Terrell Owens, Leann Rimes and Star Jones — who had champagne spilled on her fur coat early in the first quarter but didn’t fuss about it — made up just a small portion of the glitterati who lined the courtside at Pepsi Center.

Rimes was part of the halftime entertainment, and the fans were treated to a pregame performance by R&B super group Destiny’s Child.

But make no mistake about it, the game is about — and does a pretty good job of pulling it off, with a few exceptions — putting the 24 best players on the planet on the court at one time. Though this year’s game featured much of the prerequisite clowning, the play was at times superhuman.

The West had won the last three games and four of the last five. However, the balance shifted somewhat this year because Shaquille O’Neal — last year’s MVP — was traded over the summer to Miami.

O’Neal’s presence didn’t stop the West from taking a 33-27 lead at the end of the first quarter and building it to 42-29 with a little more than nine minutes left in the first half.

But the East came to life in the second quarter behind Iverson, erasing that margin to lead 61-59 at halftime.

The East provided the biggest highlights of the first half, the prettiest coming when James slammed home a one-handed alley-oop from Iverson.

The other was provided by the New Jersey Nets’ Vince Carter, whom many thought didn’t deserve his starting spot. In the second quarter, he bounced the ball off the floor and off the backboard before dunking with his head even with the rim.

The game featured seven first-time All-Stars and much of the buildup for the game centered on All-Star newcomer James, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 20-year old man-child who finished with 13 points and six assists.

In fact, the game had a similar feel to the 1998 get-together in New York. Michael Jordan was named MVP, but much of the pregame hype went to second-year pro Kobe Bryant, who that day became the youngest to play in the All-Star Game.

Bryant, one of many tabbed to be the next Jordan, has seen his star diminish since a rape charge, which was eventually dropped, was leveled against him in Eagle, Colo., almost two years ago. Playing in nearby Denver last night, Bryant, who finished with 16 points and seven assists, was greeted by a smattering of boos when he was introduced.