Auburn reclaims the top spot in Andy Katz's Power 37 after bouncing back from a loss to Florida with big road wins over Vanderbilt and Alabama.Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has spent his national team duty as part of Team USA to this point in his career. However, Irving is in process of trying to make the switch to represent Australia on the national level.
“Man, we’re in the process of that right now, just trying to figure out the best route for me to be eligible,” Irving said of switching to play for Australia. “There’s a lot of paperwork involved. Obviously, USA (Basketball) still has a decision to make, but for me, I’m just trying to do what’s best. Honestly, if I can be an Aussie at one point in my career and play for the Australian team, that would be great.”
Irving was born in Australia, which would have made him eligible to represent the country on the national team level. The All-Star guard explained that in the past he was encouraged to play for Team USA instead, which he did at the 2014 FIBA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. Now, if Irving can get the clearances, he’d like to suit up for Australia in future competition.
Over the past few All-Star Games, players received widespread criticism for how their lack of effort impacting the watchability of the event, but this year’s game was notable for the frequent stoppages in play. Players liked the new format of the game, particularly when Candace’s Rising Stars gave Shaq’s OGs a challenging 42-35 game in the semifinals.
The championship game had a nearly 20-minute break to honor the Inside The NBA crew as they broadcast their final All-Star Game.
“To be honest, I didn’t like it at all,” said Trae Young. “I didn’t like the breaks. The games were so short. Obviously, we can score. So, they’re trying to, I feel like, trying to extend the game, extend the TV time with the breaks and things like that.”
“I would rather play without breaks,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “But I had fun, nonetheless. I feel like it was a little bit more towards the competitive side tonight, which is a good feeling, a step in the right direction. I guess it’s up to the guys that handle all that stuff to figure out what’s next and how to keep making it more and more interesting. Hopefully, we get there one day.”
Added Jaylen Brown: “I would say it’s not ideal to stop like that if you want guys to be physical. I think guys were still out there having fun. All the OGs, team old knees and old backs, we came out on top, so I don’t think anyone else should have had any excuses. It’s definitely not ideal.”
“Once we got into the flow of things, it was pretty good,” Durant said. “The first game we played against the Rising Stars I thought was pretty good.”
A poster at RealGM calculated that there were merely 42 minutes of actual game play during a three-hour telecast.
Wayne Cavadi breaks down the five Division II men’s basketball teams that can surprise the tournament field this March.Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry was named the 2025 NBA All-Star Game MVP. Curry scored 12 points in the final game, including a halfcourt shot, helping to lead Team Shaq to the victory.
In the semifinal, Curry scored eight points for Team Shaq.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James will miss the All-Star Game due to ankle soreness. James was set to take part in the All-Star mini-tournament as a part of Shaquille O’Neal’s OGs.
James said he had hoped to feel good enough to play, but decided it wasn’t worth risking further injury. With the Western Conference playoff race so tight, the veteran forward is prioritizing being ready for the stretch run, and James is hoping to play in the Lakers first game back on Wednesday.
James has dealt with the ankle soreness on and off this season. The Lakers superstar missed a game last week due to the sore ankle. James then returned to play in the final two games before the All-Star break for Los Angeles.
