This here's a two-segment column where our resident West supporter Erik Ong of the Hardwood Huddle talks (okaaay, gloats) about his team's victory. In the second portion, our East fanatic Carlo Pamintuan of the Journeyman Journals gnashes his teeth and lays the blame on Doc Rivers.

- BTV

Why the West won

The West All-stars beat, or should I say crushed, no, devastated the East 148 to 143. Was there any doubt? Nah! None at all. The west had the better team all along. They did not need to rely on sheer athleticism or valiant (yet futile) attempts by phenoms who decide to take their talents to wherever! They played an amazing basketball game the way it should be, like a team.

Whether if it was by Coach Pops’ design or not, the west attacked the game like any successful team would dominate an NBA regular season. They had the game’s MVP, Kobe Bryant, as offensive focal point #1; with Kevin Durant as the offensive #2 option. Everyone else then passed the ball around to find the open man, while playing respectable D on the other end of the floor. Put all of that together and you’ve got yourself a winning formula that no amount of expected (hoped for) 4-Celtic chemistry, nor an impassioned motivational speech (by LeBron) in the huddle would overcome.

Think about it, there was no snowball’s chance in hell were the east players going to get on the same page and leave all that regular season baggage outside of Staples Center in one weekend. The Celtics and Heat have been boiling up their sizzling rivalry coming into the all-star break. Amar’e was just publicly taunting Al Horford just last week. How could anyone really expect all of these personalities and egos set all of those things aside and play nice in a “fun game?” It just wasn’t going to happen.

Whether you love him or hate him, Kobe Bryant deserved his fourth all-star MVP award. He’s now tied with Bob Pettit. Kobe kept the offense flowing with his game-high 37 points. Yeah, yeah, LeBron’s trip-dub was only the second in all-star history… impressive, we get it. But his team didn’t win, did they? That’s been the story of the last seven seasons of his career… just IMPRESSIVE, but now titles. Tsk, tsk, tsk. What was so “classic Cleveland-LeBron” was his passing up a key, potentially momentum shifting three in the dying minutes of the fourth to dish to Chris Bosh, who oh so prudently opted to fire a step-back, three-point BRICK! Ha!

Carlo was dissing CP3’s impact on the game and expected D-Rose to crush the west with his drive-and-dish offense. Whoopty-do! Paul had seven dimes, two treys, and FIVE steals to pace his team at the point, while Rose had more missed shots than completed ones and in the end let LeBron take care of the actual point guard duties, ala-Mario-Chalmers.

Given similar talent and skill sets, the win will almost always go to who wants it more. Aside from LeBron and Amar’e’s 29 points apiece, the East’s heart wasn’t really in the game; at least not collectively. Kobe and the rest of the west, with the probable exception of the career-distracted Carmelo Anthony, were all there to win it and have fun in the process.

Doc lost if for the Eastern All-Stars

The East should have won. Yes, even if Kobe Bryant exploded for 37 points. Yes, even if Kevin Durant backed him up with 34.

Going into the All-Star game, it was apparent that the East will rely on their size and chemistry in beating their Western counterparts.

How did Doc Rivers use their size advantage? He didn’t.

Dwight Howard only got in two good looks at the basket. He made both shots he took in the pain and missed the two three point attempts.

Doc played Kevin Garnett all of 7 minutes and 32 seconds.

He played Al Horford for 10 minutes and 20 seconds.

The only big guy he kept in the floor was Amar’e Stoudemire who responded with 29 points.

Chemistry would have also been a factor for the East as four Celtics made it to the game but they barely played. Rajon Rondo played the most minutes with 20, Ray Allen played 17, and Paul Pierce played only 11.

They really couldn’t show how good they chemistry was if they weren’t on the court.

For the first three and a half quarters, the Western All-Stars played better. They were owning the East All-Stars and their energy was the big difference.

But when it mattered most, LeBron James stepped up to carry the fight for the East. They cut the lead down to four but Chris Bosh decided to play hero and take an ill-advised three, which , as-expected, clanked off the side of the rim.

How did he make up for this boo-boo? By failing to get a defensive rebound.

What was Bosh doing inside the court in such a crucial part of the game? I have no idea.

Ask Doc. This loss is all on him.