Sports Notes EXTRA - NBA All-Stars - Who Loves Ya Baby??? - February 2006

James Loving - National Radio Text Service - Saturday February 18, 2006

NBA Coaches Make the Final Decisions - He's Back: A Dennis Rodman citing - Shaquille O'Neal All-time All-Star - Cambodia Sports To Lottery - Yao Ming Number One of all-time - FIFA Top 10

ALL-STARS ALL STARS??? The NBA Coaches Know

For the most part All-Star games are wide open run and gun affairs that mean very little with regard to anything but having fun. But if this years NBA game gets serious you'd have to think that the Eastern Conference reserves would be the best team on the floor. Why?? Good question…

The answer is that four of the reserves are the on the starting team for the team with the NBA's best record this year. If you haven't figured that out we're talking Detroit Pistons here.

If you were to reason that a team that plays together stays together you also would be talking Pistons. Through February 14th the Pistons had a 41-9 record.

Since the fans voted in the starting all-stars they omitted the Pistons that were the NBA Champions two seasons ago and lost to the San Antonio Spurs in seven games in the finals last season.

You would think that the Pistons would be walking around scratching their heads and thinking 'Who loves ya baby,' but they're not.

By the grace of the NBA rules the 30 NBA coaches select the reserves. Each coach is asked to vote for seven players in their respective conferences - two guards, - two forwards, -- one center and two players regardless of position. THEY ARE NOT PERMITTED TO VOTE FOR PLAYERS FROM THEIR OWN TEAM. So who do the coach's love??? Good question. Where's Kojak when you need him?

The answer is…. Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton will be playing in their first all-star game. Teammates Ben Wallace will be playing in his fourth and Rasheed Wallace in his third.

What gives them an extra edge is that the PISTONS COACH Flip Saunders will also coach the East. Saunders also coached the Western Conference in 2004 when he was the then head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

He becomes only the sixth coach in NBA history to coach both the EAST and WEST squads. Larry Brown, Alex Hannum, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley and Lenny Wilkens are the only other coaches that have done so.

OH PLEASE!!!! HE'S BACK - DENNIS RODMAN THAT IS…

Love him or leave him... its up to you but… Dennis 'The Menace' Rodman is back. Yes folks he's been playing for the Brighton team in England. We also want to note that we love him because he's not boring.

Reports say he after being booted out of a Celebrity Big Brother TV show in England he played one game for Brighton (England). The team sold out the house and he was invited back for a second game.

He said he didn't do it for the money but for the love of the game though it has been reported that he received $45,000 a game for his love. Stay tuned….

CAMBODIAN SPORTS - ITS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY

It probably could only happen in Cambodia but…. The sports program is to be largely supported by a national lottery according to the Cambodia Daily's February 13th edition.

A newly formed Corporation of Olympic Sport will receive 60% to be distributed among its shareholders and the remaining 40% will go towards supporting the nations sports programs. Stay tuned...

MORE NBA NOTES

This will be the Miami Heat's Shaquille O'Neal's 13th consecutive NBA All-Star game. Only former Lakers great Jerry West and former Utah Jazz standout Karl Malone have more with 14.

O'Neal is tied for second place with NBA Hall of Fame players Bob Cousy and John Hasvlicek. Both played for the Boston Celtics.

The Houston Rockets Yao Ming will be playing in his fourth consecutive NBA All-Star game having been voted in by the fans every year that he's been in the league.

For the past two seasons he has received more votes than any other player. Ming is the all-time leading vote getter with the 2,558,278 votes that he received last season (2005).

Shaquille O'Neal is second on the all-time list with the 2,448,089 he received last year (2005). Michael Jordan is third with 2,451,136 that he received in 1997. Ming's total this season also gives him the fourth all-time position.

His 2,342,738 votes this year edged out the Lakers Kobe Bryant's 2,271,631. Their totals place them among the top Five all-time single season vote-getters.

This will be Bryant's eighth All-Star game.

MORE NBA ALL-STAR GAME

Make note the NBA All-Star game will take place Sunday February 19 at 8:00pm Eastern time in the USA.

In Asia the game will be televised LIVE Monday morning February 20. Yes Asia's date &/time is AHEAD (comes prior) of the USA. It is already Monday in Asia when it is still Sunday in the US.

THE ROSTERS ***

FIFA TOP TEN

Rank/Team/Points

1. Brazil - 837

2. Czech Republic - 793

3. Netherlands - 791

4. Argentina - 769

5. France - 765

6. Spain - 765

6. Mexico - 765

6. USA - 765

9. England - 758

10. Portugal - 756

(FIFA) ---- FULL STORY

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