You could almost hear Meadowlark Lemon yelling ”Wheeeeeeeee,” as Earvin ”Magic” Johnson, standing just inside his free-throw line with his back to the basket, threw a pass over his right shoulder to Mark Aguirre, who was coming down the lane on Johnson`s left for a layup.
And you could watch most of the 18,403 in attendance Sunday at the Stadium slapping palms above their heads when Dominique Wilkins grabbed a rebound with his left hand and while still in the air switched to his right hand to slam the ball through the hoop.
But the appropriate culmination of the 38th NBA All-Star Game, in which the East defeated the West 138-133, was the East`s last two points, a one-handed dunk by Michael Jordan on a lob pass from Isiah Thomas.
It not only left Jordan with a game-high 40 points, two short of Wilt Chamberlain`s All-Star record, to go along with 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 blocked shots, but it stamped an exclamation point on the purpose of this exercise.
”A little entertainment for the fans,” said Jordan, who added the Most Valuable Player trophy on a unanimous vote to his Slam-Dunk championship Saturday. ”That`s what it`s all about.”
Actually, it was a lot of entertainment, which basketball often isn`t. Of course, basketball is jump shots coming off picks, a bounce pass to the cutter, boxing out on the defensive boards and positioning to take a charge.
This wasn`t any of that. This was theater, art, a show. So if they call this ”Showtime” in the playgrounds, then roll tape:
Take one: Wilkins, the Atlanta Hawks forward who was runner-up to Jordan in the slam-dunk contest and was second to Jordan with 29 points Sunday, tomahawk slams for the East`s first two points after Jordan blocks an Alex English shot from behind and passes to Wilkins.
”I always want to do something exciting,” said Wilkins. ”I was glad for Jordan about the MVP. The crowd was with him and when he got to 30, Isiah said, `Let`s get him 40.` That was our plan at the end.”
That denouement was a brilliant Jordan sequence when he went into the right corner dribbling, dribbled between two defenders left, then back right and down the middle for a scoop lay-in. Then he was fouled and converted two free throws, hit a leaning layup on the run and a slam off an offensive rebound.
”He really put on a show,” said Johnson, whose own extravaganza included 19 assists, three short of his all-time All-Star Game record, and 17 points. ”What impressed me was the way Jordan did it, without that many shots (Jordan was 17 of 23 and 6 of 6 from the line). To get 40 points on 23 shots is a real show.
”It was Michael`s weekend.”
Take two: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the right corner for a skyhook.
It made the score 26-20 West in the first quarter, a lead that would evaporate early in the second quarter behind an 11-point East run, and the East would never trail again. In fact, the game never was too close after that. The West closed within three points once in the third quarter, but most of the fourth quarter was spent doing what usually only the imagination can accompish.
But first a little record book business. Abdul-Jabbar, playing in his 17th All-Star Game, appeared to have broken Oscar Robertson`s scoring record with a third quarter-closing bank shot. But teammate Xavier McDaniel from Seattle was called for offensive goaltending, and Abdul-Jabbar was on the bench to start the final quarter, which soon was a blowout.
”I wasn`t going to put him back in,” admitted Lakers coach Pat Riley.
”I don`t think Kareem ever was put in a game during garbage time. But I looked at him and he raised his eyebrow and I nodded and the crowd nudged me a little.”
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So with 52 seconds remaining, Jabbar came off the bench to a huge ovation and Riley called a favorite Lakers play: five down, meaning center low.
”Everyone cooperated, including Pat Ewing,” said Riley.
Abdul-Jabbar`s 10-foot sky hook eased through the net, giving him 247 career All-Star points to go along with All-Star records he already holds for most minutes, games, field goals made and attempted and rebounds.
”I really haven`t had a chance to line up my milestones,” said Jabbar,
”but this one was really nice because of the way the fans responded to it.”
Take three: Thomas breaking down the right side. Just after crossing midcourt he throws a bounce pass to Wilkins. Don`t worry, this is not any old bounce pass. Wilkins grabs it two feet above the rim, but misses the dunk. A bounce-lob.
”You do go crazy with a few tricks,” said Thomas, who added 15 assists to 8 points.
Take four: Johnson on a three-on-one break. Karl Malone is just ahead on his left. Johnson fakes a pass to Malone and then drops the ball over his right shoulder to Akeem Olajuwon for a slam dunk.
”You try a lot of things that you normally wouldn`t,” said Johnson.
One of those things you don`t try is defense, for an All-Star Game reminds one of the old line about Connie Hawkins, the spectacular showman who played his own version of half-court basketball.
”The Hawk is like a work of art,” they said. ”Poetry in motion on offense. Still life on defense.”
”It`s a different kind of game for me,” said Kevin McHale, one of three Boston Celtics among the East squad. ”This is a flashy, slashing type of game. We just kind of grind it out.”
That`s why McHale had just two points. Danny Ainge had 12, making 3 three-pointers to tie an All-Star record, and Larry Bird, who averages 29, had 6 points.
”I just try to do the other things that the others are not doing,” said Bird. ”I set some picks, rebound, play defense.”
But forget pick and roll. This is rock and roll.
Take five: Fast break. Maurice Cheeks hits Brad Daugherty, who finds Jordan cutting to the basket for a reverse lay-in.
”The ball never hit the floor,” admired Johnson. ”That was pretty.”
So were the cheerleaders, whom several players watched during a timeout while East coach Mike Fratello attempted to diagram a play. Equally exquisite was Thomas` attempt to save a ball bouncing out of bounds late in the third quarter. But instead of merely grabbing it, he cupped the ball in his right hand and whipped it around his back to Wilkins for a lay-in.
And then there was Johnson again, with his version of the bounce pass, except it was almost full court, after which he stopped by the East bench to exchange hand slaps with several players.
Johnson also threw enough ”look away” passes to sing 10 choruses of Dixie. Even Moses Malone got into the fun with a behind-the-back pass to Thomas for a basket.
”The ball was being passed around a lot,” noticed Bird, ”even by guys who usually never pass the ball.”
Still, it wasn`t 48 minutes of entertainment, even if there wasn`t any real basketball to speak of.
It was the East`s seventh victory in the last nine games, which gives it an overall 25-13 domination.
”If we had shot better it would have been a different game,” said Johnson. ”The East has been winning lately. But when it comes to
championships, it`s been pretty even.”
As long as the Lakers don`t leave the Western Conference.
But this was not a time for strategies or statistics, although there was a plan.
In Jordan`s rookie year, there was some talk about other All-Stars trying to deny him the ball in the All-Star Game. Sunday it was the opposite.
”It`s his town,” said Bird, who had predicted weeks ago that Jordan would be the MVP at home, like the SuperSonics` Tom Chambers was in Seattle last season. ”He deserved to show what he could do. So we went to him.”
Yet there were parts of this dance that turned from twist to stroll as both coaches tried to work in reserves.
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”It was sporadic at times,” noticed Johnson. ”So I told Larry and Michael we had to try to speed the pace up, keep it moving, get the crowd back in. I think we did in the fourth quarter.”
That`s when Johnson hit Olajuwon and Karl Malone, who led the West with 22 points and 10 rebounds, with consecutive alley-oop passes for slams. Jordan slammed off a rebound, Thomas lobbed to Wilkins for a slam, Johnson assisted on baskets with behind-the-back and overhand bounce passes and Jordan hit a triple-pump jumper.
”You expect spectacular stuff to happen when you`ve got this caliber of player on the court,” said Jordan. ”My intention was to play well, win the game and have a good time. So it was fun all day.”
With everything but the bucket of confetti in the stands.