Throwback Thursday: 1997 All-Star Game
By Ian Levy
Welcome back to our Throwback Thursday series, in which we take a look at a classic game and “live tweet” it. Today we went with the 1997 All-Star Game. Let’s get into it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLxR-OxBrq8
Box score: http://www.basketball-reference.com/allstar/NBA_1997.html
Pre-game:
@TaylorBojangles: Gary Vitti had hair?!
@TaylorBojangles: Chris Gatling made an All-Star team? I have so many questions
@jackhaveitall: yo these warmups are wild lol
@TaylorBojangles: Holy crap these Rockets warm-ups are even worse than those awful pajama uniforms
@Matt_Cianfrone: The Western conference reserves were a bit on the uninspiring side but this starting lineup is wonderful.
@TaylorBojangles: Every warm-up is better (worse) than the next!
@Matt_Cianfrone: Chris Webber does not look like he wanted to be there.
@jackhaveitall: omg this hawks warmup
@Matt_Cianfrone: BRING BACK CARTOON HAWK!
@TaylorBojangles: So two point guards, two power forwards and a center. This WC All-Star team was waaaaaay ahead of the “positionless basketball” game
First quarter:
@TaylorBojangles: Man I guess Cleveland has never been shy about trying to show off their nondescript skyline in logo form
@Matt_Cianfrone: The NBA should go back to guys wearing their own uniform. And Bill Walton on commentary.
@TaylorBojangles: A couple minutes in and still nobody has scored. All-Star record?
@TaylorBojangles: Man these Sonics uniforms were fire
@jackhaveitall: hey look its the crying guy from twitter
@TaylorBojangles: This Jordan guy hasn’t made a shot. He sucks
@TaylorBojangles: K3MP
@Matt_Cianfrone: K3MP!
@TaylorBojangles: Bill Walton is the reason we’re doing this, right?
@Matt_Cianfrone: I love Bill Walton.
@TaylorBojangles: Not exactly an alley-ooping clinic so far
@jackhaveitall: roundball rock!!!
@TaylorBojangles: Roundball Rock!
@TaylorBojangles: Here’s Ahmad Rashad talking to Wilt Chamberlain. FUN FACT: Ahmad Rashad was born looking exactly the same as he does today
@Matt_Cianfrone: Ummmm, Penny, you gotta dribble man.
@Matt_Cianfrone: No surprise but it feels like Jordan is taking this more serious than anyone else early on.
@TaylorBojangles: Tom Gugliotta and his barbed wire tattoo just out-fundamental’d C-Webb
@jackhaveitall: lmao is that a barbed wire tattoo gugliotta’s rocking? if so gugliotta confirmed wack
@Matt_Cianfrone: Nothing about this Starbury conversation feels right in 2015.
@TaylorBojangles: GUGLIOTTA TAKEOVER
@TaylorBojangles: …and another blown alley-oop
@TaylorBojangles: Sweet Masters hat, Bill Murray
@jackhaveitall: vin baker! light it up! light it up!
@TaylorBojangles: You can’t tell me David Robinson, Jr. doesn’t grow up to be Russell Wilson
@TaylorBojangles: And here’s Charles Barkley on helium
@TaylorBojangles: Tom Gugli-oughta get more credit for all of these steals
@Matt_Cianfrone: Dr. J looks like an actual doctor with those glasses.
Second quarter:
@Matt_Cianfrone: Eddie Jones was really good. Feels like this gets lost because Kobe followed him as Laker SG.
@jackhaveitall: nba moms sounds really cool is that still a thing? it should still be a thing
@TaylorBojangles: Terrell Brandon’s MVP bid isn’t going so well
@TaylorBojangles: Eddie Jones’ MVP bid is going pretty well
@Matt_Cianfrone: EDDIE JONES TAKEOVER! All-Star games are weird sometimes.
@Matt_Cianfrone: EDDIE JONES LOOKAWAY! This is much more fun than the East’s Vin Baker postups.
@TaylorBojangles: Jordan seems to be making up for lost time here
@TaylorBojangles: DIKEMBE SWAT
@Matt_Cianfrone: “I would have grabbed it right back and dunked it in his face”-Bill Walton is a national treasure.
@TaylorBojangles: Chris Gatling and his headband are giving me Charlie V flashbacks
@TaylorBojangles: The West is taking it to the East. Weird right?
@jackhaveitall: okay who is this gatling guy? did they have some sort of contest where a fan got to suit up?
@TaylorBojangles: A young Vivek Ranadive saw Penny successfully cherrypicking here and got an idea
@Matt_Cianfrone: SCOTTIE SMASH! He made that move through traffic look way too easy.
@TaylorBojangles: HERE COMES THE EAST (maybe)
@TaylorBojangles: The defense has been surprisingly decent in this game
@Matt_Cianfrone: The West strategy of being terrible at basketball for a while seems less than ideal.
@TaylorBojangles: Ok Jordan’s now #dominating
@TaylorBojangles: AIR JORDAN SMASH
@Matt_Cianfrone: JORDAN SMASH!
@TaylorBojangles: It’s official, the West is tanking
@TaylorBojangles: A 27-5 run by the East after that P3NNY
@jackhaveitall: lol okay MJ we see you
Third quarter:
@jackhaveitall: vin baker takeover!
@TaylorBojangles: Feels like Vin Baker has 12 dunks tonight
@TaylorBojangles: RIC3 so smooth
@TaylorBojangles: MORE RIC3
@TaylorBojangles: Rice isn’t even touching the rim.
@Matt_Cianfrone: Eddie Jones and Glenn Rice have both taken this game over at points. Weird.
@TaylorBojangles: It’s fun time now #East
@TaylorBojangles: Nothing more exciting than free throws at the All-Star Game
@TaylorBojangles: Glen Rice won’t stop
@TaylorBojangles: DREAM SHAKE
@TaylorBojangles: Can’t blame Stockton for wearing tiny shorts. I’d want to wear less of this terrible Utah mountain design too
@TaylorBojangles: Glen Rice dunk? Didn’t know he was allowed to shoot two-pointers
@jackhaveitall: dave cowens sighting!
@TaylorBojangles: Feels like no West player not named Hakeem has scored in an hour #triplenegative
@Matt_Cianfrone: Point C-Webb was nice. Glenn Rice still cooking, this time with dunks.
@TaylorBojangles: KEMP SMASH
@TaylorBojangles: Gordon Gund is clearly haunted by Jordan murdering the Cavaliers
@TaylorBojangles: Jim Gray just asked Gund if he feels the same emotions, like getting down when the Cavs lose
@TaylorBojangles: As if being blind means Gund can’t comprehend things
@TaylorBojangles: Can totally see why Jim Gray gets the big bucks
@TaylorBojangles: HARDAWAY HAS TICKETS TO THE CIRCUS
Fourth quarter:
@TaylorBojangles: MJ just missed two shots on one possession. Retire already
@Matt_Cianfrone: Mutombo just used the slowest post move I have ever seen.
@jackhaveitall: mutombo got fed up with all those misses he said give me the rock im going to work
@TaylorBojangles: These are the best Jordan shoes ever and you can’t convince me otheriwse
@TaylorBojangles: Schrempf-to-Sprewell was the worst alley-oop in NBA history
@jackhaveitall: worst alley-oop ever
@Matt_Cianfrone: These guys love behind/over the head passes.
@TaylorBojangles: How has no current NBA network bought the rights to “Roundball Rock” yet?
@TaylorBojangles: There’s Kevin Garnett’s first All-Star bucket. Probably his last, too #bust
@TaylorBojangles: The Bulls are 42-6 at the All-Star break? NOT BAD
@Matt_Cianfrone: SPREE SMASH! Payton finally hits the lob he has been searching for all night.
@TaylorBojangles: SPREE SMASH
@TaylorBojangles: Walton just called KG “a wonderfully agreeable young man” without a hint of irony
@TaylorBojangles: “Cyber Snapper”? #NBAAfterDark
@TaylorBojangles: Sprewell can dunk #insight
@Matt_Cianfrone: MJ HISTORY! And he checks right out. Fun moment for MJ.
@TaylorBojangles: MJ is the first ever player to have a triple-double in the All-Star Game? Would’ve never guessed it’d be him!
@jackhaveitall: shoutout to this gatling guy for trying to get his money
@TaylorBojangles: Feels like Gary Payton has played the entire game
@TaylorBojangles: Chris Gatling is having the “2015 Mavs offseason” of All-Star Games so far
@Matt_Cianfrone: East just freezing out Glen Rice here. Wilt clearly paid them off.
@TaylorBojangles: SPREEEEEEEE
@Matt_Cianfrone: SPREE SMASH! That was fun.
@TaylorBojangles: TERRELL BRANDON CARES NOT FOR YOUR RECORDS, GLEN
@Matt_Cianfrone: I love KG faceguarding Rice so he doesn’t get the record. Such a KG move.
@TaylorBojangles: Most points in a half of an All-Star Game seems like a weird record to care so much about
@Matt_Cianfrone: Wilt is so pissed Rice just broke his record.
@jackhaveitall: when someone breaks your scoring record
@TaylorBojangles: Wilt gonna confront Glen in the tunnel postgame