All Star Games

Kobe Bryant played against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. Exactly how did it happen? He suffered a concussion Sunday in the All-Star game but his symptoms two days later were related to neck trauma, not a concussion, said Bryant's neurologist, Vern Williams . Williams held a brief news conference before Wednesday's tip-off to clarify his findings and detail Bryant's sometimes unsteady path after taking a hard foul from...

Kobe Bryant might have set the NBA All-Star game career scoring record on Sunday but it was Kevin Durant who was the difference-maker as the West won the annual showcase, 152-149, over the East. The East crawled back from a  huge deficit and got within a point with less than a minute to play but a put-back slam by Blake Griffin gave the West a three0point lead. Dwyane Wade followed by making a pair of free throws with 22.8 seconds left. Bryant was fouled on the inbounds and made one of two free throws.

Reporting from Orlando, Fla. -- There was a time when it looked as if Kevin Durant was going after Wilt Chamberlain's All-Star game scoring mark of 42 points set in 1962. Durant had 34 points after three quarters and his coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder — Scott Brooks — was calling the shots for the Western Conference team. But things didn't work out that way. Durant said he did not know he was close to the record. "I missed some shots that I thought I should have made and missed a couple of free throws," he said.

Reporting from Orlando, Fla. -- Try as one might to build a scenario of things that just don't go well together, no one is buying it this time. This is less like cats and dogs and more like bacon and eggs. Yes, Lakers and Clippers can get along and enjoy the experience. Sunday, Los Angeles has four-fifths of the Western Conference starting lineup in the NBA All-Star game, an event of grandiose proportions and minuscule importance. The only real surprise is that each team has two starters.

Reporting from Orlando, Fla. -- Certainly there was no alarm when Kobe Bryant skipped Friday's mandatory media session because he was "ill. " No further explanation was offered and probably none was needed. Bryant met with the media for nine minutes on Saturday and quickly dismissed Friday's sickness. "I feel all right," Bryant said. "Something I ate. " And that was the total time spent on Bryant's illness. But, perhaps, he was telling the back story later in the interview.

Reporting from Orlando, Fla. -- Life as a supernova has its ups and downs. On Thursday, Jeremy Lin was one for 11 from the field and had only three assists in the New York Knicks' loss to the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat. The New York press dubbed his performance as "Linvisible" and "Linept. " But on Friday, there was Lin getting his very own media availability, all by himself, at the All-Star game. Commissioner David Stern is the only other person who will get the solo treatment.

Reggie Miller will be a TNT analyst alongside Marv Albert and Steve Kerr for the NBA All-Star game next Sunday in Orlando, Fla., with the network airing exclusive coverage of All-Star weekend starting Thursday. The former UCLA star knows the scene well, having played in five All-Star games during a distinguished NBA career (1987-2005) spent exclusively with the Indiana Pacers. Raised in Riverside and currently residing in Los Angeles, Miller, 46, scored more than 25,000 points and made more than 2,500 three-pointers during a career that included several memorable playoff battles against the New York Knicks and a trip to the 2000 NBA Finals against the champion Lakers.

New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin is one of the NBA's biggest stars, but he is not an All-Star. That's what happens when a meteoric rise to superstardom takes place mere weeks before the All-Star game, which will be Feb. 26.   Should the NBA figure out a way to get Lin into the All-Star game? Writers from around the Tribune Co. will discuss the topic. Check back throughout the day for more responses and join the discussion by voting in the poll and leaving a comment of your own. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times If David Stern can nix the Chris-Paul-to-the-Lakers trade for "basketball reasons," he can surely come up with an excuse to send New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin to Orlando.

Reporting from Boston — Maybe Pau Gasol should be snubbed by the All-Star team more often. Maybe Mike Brown will be giving out more in-game affection. And maybe there's still a rivalry here, at least in the eyes of delighted Lakers fans. The Lakers beat the Boston Celtics in overtime, 88-87, outlasting their eternal enemies in a game that was attractive only to the winners Thursday at TD Garden. Neither team cracked 40% shooting and the 90-point plateau remained elusive despite the extra five minutes, but the Lakers (15-11)

Most valuable player = mostly vanishing privacy. You would think a league MVP in a major, celebrity-driven market would see his privacy vaporize in a dizzying flurry of red carpets, photo drive-bys and TMZ blurbs. Thankfully, there are rare exceptions to that expected course of events. Corey Perry, the Ducks forward who is the NHL's reigning MVP, recently showed that his skill for anticipation does not lie only on the ice. He seemed to know where the question was headed after the first couple of words and got off his response in rapid-fire fashion.