New York City has been selected to host NBA All-Star 2015, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced today. The 64th NBA All-Star Game will be played at Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Knicks, on Sunday, Feb.15, 2015. The Rising Stars Challenge, NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and All-Star Saturday Night - including the Shooting Stars, Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk contest - will be held at Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets.

According to the Associated Press, “The Garden was ready to host again after its project, which took place over the last three summers, but Barclays also was a strong candidate to land another marquee event to the many it has staged in its opening year. Silver said the teams realized the game wouldn’t come back to New York again right away, so sharing was the only way both could be involved. That was agreeable for both teams, who have developed some friction since the Nets left New Jersey and set up shop in the Knicks’ city. Players have taken shots at each other in the media, and Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has even poked fun at Knicks counterpart James Dolan. But apparently that relationship was soothed over for this, with Stern sitting in on a meeting between the two.”

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; James L. Dolan, Executive Chairman, The Madison Square Garden Company; Hank J. Ratner, President and CEO, The Madison Square Garden Company; Irina Pavlova, President, ONEXIM Sports and Entertainment Holding USA, Inc.; and Bruce C. Ratner, majority owner and developer of Barclays Center and Executive Chairman of Forest City Ratner Companies, joined Commissioner Stern and Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver for the announcement at the NBA Partner Forum held at Industria Superstudio in New York City.

As part of NBA All-Star 2015, the NBA and its partners will host a variety of community, grassroots and fan events throughout the city’s five boroughs (The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island).

This will mark the fifth time that NBA All-Star will take place in New York, having been held previously at Madison Square Garden in 1954, 1955, 1968 and 1998.

“New York offers an extraordinary opportunity to host NBA All-Star events at two world-class venues,” said Stern. “We look forward to celebrating our game with basketball fans across the entire city, in all five boroughs.”

“New York City is the basketball capital of the world and the sport’s biggest stage,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “We’re lucky enough to have two world-class arenas, and the only thing better than having All-Star weekend at Madison Square Garden or the Barclays Center is having it at both of them. The weekend’s activities mean tens of thousands of visitors to the City and lots of activity for local businesses, plus a week of community service events around the five boroughs led by the NBA, which has a terrific record of giving back. We’re thrilled and looking forward to cheering on the stars.”

For the 13th consecutive year, the 2015 NBA All-Star Game will be televised in primetime on TNT. It will be the 31st year that Turner Sports provides NBA All-Star coverage. The 2015 NBA All-Star Game will be broadcast to a worldwide audience in 215 countries and territories and in more than 40 languages.

“We are honored to host the greatest players in the NBA in the newly transformed World’s Most Famous Arena for the 2015 All-Star Game,” said Dolan. “Over its 134-year history, Madison Square Garden has been privileged to host some of sports most defining and enduring moments and we are thrilled to add this prestigious event to The Garden’s illustrious history. We look forward to working with the City of New York, the NBA and the Brooklyn Nets to make the event a celebration of basketball for all New Yorkers to enjoy.”

“We are thrilled to welcome the 2015 NBA All-Star festivities on Friday and Saturday to Barclays Center,” said Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov. “Brooklyn has produced some of the greatest players in NBA history, so it’s fitting to hold All-Star events in the ‘Borough of Basketball.’ We are looking forward to showing fans and the players a memorable experience in our state-of-the-art venue, and we are also excited to bring the All-Star Game to Barclays Center in the very near future.”

“Barclays Center is proud to welcome such an exciting event as All-Star ’15 and to continue bringing the best to Brooklyn,” said Bruce C. Ratner. “We are delighted to join with New York City, the NBA and Madison Square Garden for a wonderful weekend. Basketball may have been invented in Springfield, Mass., but its heart and soul are in NYC through and through.”

“Madison Square Garden has been a celebrated center of New York since it first opened its doors in 1879. This fall, with the completion of our three-year Transformation, The World’s Most Famous Arena will also become the world’s most state-of-the-art arena,” said Hank Ratner. “2015 will mark our fifth time hosting the All-Star Game, and we look forward to providing yet another unforgettable experience for the great basketball fans of New York.”

NBA All-Star is an event with deep roots in New York City, reaching back to the 1954 game (the fourth NBA All-Star Game overall), where the Madison Square Garden faithful saw the Celtics’ Bob Cousy tally 10 points in overtime en route to MVP honors as the East recorded a 98-93 win over the West. Boston had a second consecutive All-Star Game MVP in 1955 as Bill Sharman scored 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter of the East’s 100-91 win over the West in the second NBA All-Star Game played at Madison Square Garden. Philadelphia’s Hal Greer shot 8-of-8 from the floor and notched 21 points during the third NBA All-Star Game played in New York City, a 144-124 East win in 1968. In 1998, the most recent contest in New York, Michael Jordan garnered MVP honors as he scored 23 points and added eight assists and six rebounds during a 135-114 victory for the East.

NBA All-Star competitions will get underway on Friday, Feb. 13, as the league’s top rookies and second-year players take the court in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge. Saturday’s festivities will feature State Farm All-Star Saturday Night, an all-inclusive skills showcase comprised of Sears Shooting Stars, a competition featuring NBA and WNBA players, and NBA legends; Taco Bell Skills Challenge, a contest of top guards working against the clock to complete a series of passes, free throws, layups and agility drills; Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, a longstanding staple of the evening; and the high-flying Sprite Slam Dunk. Sunday’s slate of activities will also feature a Sprint Pregame Concert before the 64th NBA All-Star Game tips off.

The 2015 NBA All-Star weekend will be split between two New York arenas, with Madison Square Garden to host the game, two people with knowledge of the plans said Tuesday.

Barclays Center in Brooklyn will host the Saturday skills events, the people confirmed to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the plans were to be announced at a press conference Wednesday.

Commissioner David Stern, Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will attend the press conference, along with officials from Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center…

MSG is one of the most famous arenas in sports and has undergone a three-year renovation project. The $1 billion Barclays Center opened a year ago and has quickly landed many top entertainment events.

Reported by the Associated Press

The basketball world is coming to Toronto in early 2016.

Multiple sources told the Toronto Sun Tuesday that the Raptors are on the verge of landing the 2016 NBA all-star weekend.

An official announcement is expected shortly that will reveal further details of how one of the sport’s biggest weekends will tie in to the Toronto Raptors’ 20th-anniversary season.

Tim Leiweke, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president and CEO, made it clear upon taking over the company that landing the prestigious event was one of his early goals.

Reported by Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun

The decision to bring the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend to New York, an event that will be hosted jointly by the Knicks and Nets, will be announced this week, possibly as soon as Wednesday, multiple sources told The Post.

Plans to split the activities between the two teams were proposed openly last February, but the arrangements under which the Sunday All-Star Game would be staged at Madison Square Garden and other festivities — such as the dunk contest, 3-point shootout and skills competitions — would land at Barclays Center have not yet been publicly announced.

Reported by Fred Kerber of the New York Post

Read fan reaction and share your opinion in this basketball forum topic.

The NBA All-Star Game could be coming to New York. Twice. In a three-year period.

Multiple league sources maintain the 2015 All-Star Game will be played at Madison Square Garden on Sunday of All-Star weekend with the Friday and Saturday night events — the skills, shooting and dunk competitions — set for Barclays Center.

The league and the Nets and Knicks still are negotiating on a proposal to have a reversal in either 2017 or 2018; Brooklyn would stage the game while the Knicks and the Garden would serve as host for the Friday and Saturday events. The Nets, sources said, are not completely sold on the host role down the road for myriad reasons.

Reported by Fred Kerber of the New York Post

The 2015 NBA All-Star Game almost certainly will be played in New York. The only question remaining for the Knicks, Nets and the league is in which arena the game will be played.

Despite the sometimes rocky relationship between the two franchises, they are working with the league to jointly host All-Star Weekend, which would mark the first time the event would be held in the metropolitan area since it was played at Madison Square Garden in 1998…

The key stumbling block will be which state-of-the-art arena — the Nets’ new Barclays Center or the Knicks’ refurbished Madison Square Garden — will host the game.

It’s likely the solution will feature one building playing host to the Saturday night festivities, including the 3-point and Slam Dunk contests, while the other will host the game Sunday night.

Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post

Chris Paul became the first Clippers player to be NBA All-Star Game MVP, scoring 20 points and handing out 15 assists in the West’s 143-138 win over the East.

Paul is the third player to have at least 20 points and 15 assists in the league’s annual showcase, joining a couple Hall of Fame point guards, Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas.

Paul made 7-of-10 shots and went 4-for-5 from 3-point range. He sank two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help the West build a double-digit lead.

“Pretty special,” Paul said. “It’s something I’ve never done and it’s something that I definitely, coming into the game, I wasn’t trying to achieve or thinking that it might be possible.”

Paul already had the best per-game assists average in All-Star history (12.4). He had nine assists and plenty of fancy dribbling the first half and his niftiest moves came right before one of his only mistakes.

– Reported by Chris Duncan of the Associated Press

Some fans questioned the decision to start Bosh, but his coach made no apologies.

“That’s an easy decision,” Spoelstra said. “My loyalties are with the Heat.”

Spoelstra’s players are ready to repay his loyalty once the scores really matter and the chase for another title picks up.

“We’re the best team in the league,” Bosh said. “We have to make our run to start our title (defense). We have everybody intact. Everybody’s comfortable. We just have to continue to work on our chemistry.”

James agrees. “We want to continue to play our game,” James said. “We want to continue to get better each and every game and not waste an opportunity when we get on the floor and play as a team. If we do that, we’ll be OK.”

– Reported by Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle (Blog)

Raptors rookie swingman Terrence Ross already has a challenger for his slam-dunk crown.

Pistons rookie Andre Drummond tossed his hat into the ring Friday morning, saying he was hoping to compete in the dunk contest this season before a stress fracture in his lower back ended that dream.

“That was my goal to be in the dunk contest,” Drummond said. “I can’t really do that now, so hopefully next year.”

Ross won the slam-dunk title Saturday night as part of the NBA’s All-Star weekend. Drummond watched from courtside.

– Reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press

LeBron James had the ball in his hands and a comeback on his mind.

Kobe Bryant blocked those plans - twice.

He may not leap like Blake Griffin, but Bryant can still get up when he needs to, especially when the defenseless part of the All-Star game is over and it’s time to stop somebody - even the league’s best player.

Bryant blocked James’ jumper, turning it into a dunk by Kevin Durant that helped the Western Conference put away the East 143-138 on Sunday.

On Michael Jordan’s 50th birthday, the players most often compared to him turned the final minutes into a 1-on-1 duel, and it went to Bryant - the guy Jordan said he’d pick between the two.

”It was a great block,” Durant said. ”I haven’t really seen any MVP get a jumper blocked like that. It was a really great play.”

Chris Paul had 20 points, 15 assists and won MVP honors, and Durant scored 30 points. Griffin finished with 19, joining his Clippers teammate, Paul, in creating Lob City deep in the heart of Texas…

Bryant added a second late block of James, the MVP of the 2006 game here after leading a big East comeback. This time, he scored 19 points but shot only 7 of 18 after making 60 percent of his shots in six straight games before the break…

Carmelo Anthony led the East with 26 points and 12 rebounds…

[James] Harden had 15 points in his home arena, where the sights of the game were on the floor and the sounds were at the rim - which shook repeatedly after thunderous dunks for most of the game before, as usual, players tried to make some stops down the stretch…

Bryant finished with only nine points but had eight assists. Griffin shot 9 of 11 from the field and didn’t miss until trying to violently throw one down from a few feet away from the basket.

Indiana’s Paul George scored 17 and Kyrie Irving had 15 for the East.

[Chris] Bosh finished 3 of 9. Wade had 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting, the best performance of the three Heat players in the starting lineup.

– Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

“You just want to play fast,” Paul said after carving up the East with 20 points and 15 assists to win the Most Valuable Player Award in the annual All-Star game on Sunday.

“I like to throw the lob. I like to see guys hit threes. When we’re out on the court with all that fire power, why wouldn’t you want to make passes?

“You’ve got KD (Durant) filling one of the lanes, you’ve got Blake, Kobe on the wing. There’s nothing like it.”

Paul led the Western Conference to a 143-138 victory, hitting seven-of-10 shots from the floor to complement his pass-first game that had the East playing catch-up all night.

LeBron James, the high-scoring Miami forward who bagged 19 points in a losing effort, called Paul’s performance “unbelievable”.

“He’s one of the best players we have in this league,” offered James. “The number one point guard. It doesn’t surprise me what he did.”

– Reported by Steve Ginsburg of Reuters

Paul told Durant, the NBA’s leading scorer and last year’s All-Star game MVP, to expect to see the ball in his hands.

“I told KD early in the first quarter, ‘Man, if they score anything, you run. I’ll get you the ball, you score. I want to be the one to give it to you,’” recalled the Los Angeles Clippers guard.

“In games like this it’s so up‑tempo and fast paced, a guy like me that’s a facilitator, I enjoy it.”

Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks paced the East with 26 points, followed by Miami guard Dwyane Wade, who had 21, and LeBron James, who added 19.

Durant hit 13-of-24 shots to lead the West to a third straight victory in the annual showcase that features little defense, a lot of dunks, and plenty of assists for anyone who decides to pass.

– Reported by Steve Ginsburg of Reuters

Following three quarters of recreational defensive intensity, the closing stretch of Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game mimicked many of the fourth quarters of All-Star games past: The players got serious about winning.

And as is usually the case, that effort was most evident on defense. While Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant pushed the Western Conference’s lead to 136-126 with his late breakaway dunk, it was Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant who ignited the fast break with his block of Heat forward LeBron James.

“I’m known for my defense,” said Bryant, who recorded two blocked shots and two steals in the Western Conference’s 143-138 win over the Eastern Conference. “I can defend. I’m pretty smart with my defense.”

All-Star Game rookies were served noticed of the shift in seriousness once the starters began trickling back into the game midway through the fourth quarter. Following a first half punctuated by alley-oop dunks, the fourth quarter served as a stark contrast, particularly on defense.

– Reported by MK Bower of the Sports Xchange

The All-Star Game appears to be headed back to the Big Apple.

The Knicks and the Nets have both applied to host the All-Star Game, and deputy commissioner Adam Silver said last night that it’s likely that one or the other will be hosting the event in 2015, the next year that is available.

When Silver was asked if that was the case, he responded with a simple, “Yes.”

New Orleans is hosting the game next year.

Silver, who is set to take over for commissioner David Stern next February, said that the league would still have to make sure it could secure the proper logistics, including hotel space and availability at the Javits Center for its Jam Session.

– Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post

Presiding over his final state of the league news conference at All-Star weekend, Commissioner David Stern, who will step down on Feb. 1, 2014 for Adam Silver, was asked his favorite All-Star memory.

“This is my 37th All-Star (Game). The first was 1976 in Philadelphia,” said Stern, who assumed his current post on Feb. 1, 1984. “And I would have to say my favorite memory — actually compounded and grown to present day — is awarding Magic Johnson the MVP trophy in Orlando in 1992. Giving sweaty Magic Johnson a big hug right after he hit the last 3-pointer — and still being able to hug him because he’s alive every time I see him. That is at the top of the list. And it will not easily be dislodged. Even though I enjoy every All-Star (Game), that one will resonate for the rest of my life.”

– Reported by K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune

James has never competed in the slam-dunk contest on All-Star Weekend. Asked Friday if he ever will, James said he thinks his window of opportunity may have passed.

He’s only 28, but playing his 10th NBA season.

“I’m getting older,” he said. “It ain’t looking good.”

Dwight Howard, who competed multiple times and won a dunk contest, had another theory for why some players won’t give it a try.

“I think for us, the reason why a lot of us don’t participate is because we do so much during All-Star weekend, by the time we get to the dunk contest we have no legs,” he said. “When you do the dunk contest, you want to have your legs, you want to be ready to go because you want to put on a good show for our fans. So I think some guys, I think they don’t want to get embarrassed in the dunk contest, so they just choose not to do it.”

– Reported by the Associated Press

Usain Bolt joined the East team in the All-Star celebrity game to have a little fun.

He had no idea the West team would take the game so seriously.

Five-foot-2 comedian Kevin Hart took most valuable player honors in leading the West to a 58-38 victory over the Bolt and the East on Friday night.

Afterward the Jamaican sprinter said he was surprised by the intensity of the West team coached by Houston All-Star James Harden

”We got beat bad, but their team was much more serious,” Bolt said.

Bolt did show his athleticism a few times, most notably on a two-handed dunk in the first half.

Hart challenged Bolt to a race during a timeout where the pair each had to dribble and make two layups, and shocked the crowd by winning.

”Kevin Hart is a pleasure,” said Bolt, who used a limited edition Gatorade squeeze bottle during the game. ”I watch all of his standup comedy shows, so for me it was a great honor to get to do that with him.”

He acknowledged before the game that he could dunk well, but that his other basketball skills were lacking. He said he’d like to play a different sport when his track career is done.

”I’m more of a better soccer player than a basketball player, so I definitely want to try soccer,” he said.

Bolt said he was most impressed with Hart, who stole the show with his antics and won MVP for the second straight year, despite being the smallest player on either team.

Hart, the star of BET’s Real Husbands of Hollywood, talked a ton of trash before the game, and continued running his mouth and mocking the opposition throughout the game. He even took a shot at East coach and Oklahoma City All-Star Russell Westbrook’s camouflage pants.

– Reported by Kristie Rieken of the Associated Press

Kenneth Faried had 40 points and 10 rebounds and entertained the crowd at the end with a series of dunks, leading Team Chuck to a 163-135 victory over Team Shaq in the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night.

Faried, in his second season with Denver, made 18 of 22 shots and was selected the game’s most valuable player. He’ll compete Saturday night in the dunk contest at All-Star Weekend and offered a sneak preview of what he has planned with a series of powerful jams.

For the second straight year, the rosters of both teams were a mix of rookie and second-year players and former stars Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley served as opposing general managers.

Sacramento point guard Isaiah Thomas had 18 points and 10 assists for Barkley’s team. Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving, last year’s MVP, scored 32 points and rookie Dion Waiters, Irving’s Cavs’ teammate, added 23 for Shaq’s team.

The average score of the game over the past five seasons was 138-131, and New Orleans rookie Anthony Davis set the tone with an alley-oop pass to San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard for a dunk 20 seconds into the game.

Barkley’s team finished virtually all of their first-half possessions with uncontested 3-pointers or dunks and led 90-66 at halftime.

Team Chuck went 12 for 18 from 3-point range in the first half and Thomas hit his first four tries. Cleveland forward Tristan Thompson was the only player on Barkley’s team who didn’t hit a 3 in the half, but he made up for it with four dunks.

– Reported by Chris Duncan of the Associated Press

With Kenneth Faried, Kawhi Leonard, Tristan Thompson and Nikola Vucevic fronting a dominating performance in the paint, Team Chuck ran roughshod over Team Shaq, rolling to a 163-135 victory to kick off NBA All-Star Weekend on Friday night at Toyota Center. Faried, the Nuggets’ indefatigable second-year power forward, scored 19 of his 40 points in a runaway first half to earn MVP honors. Faried amassed a variety of dunks along with a surprising 3-pointer to help stake Team Chuck to its 90-66 halftime lead. And when Faried wasn’t assaulting the rim, Leonard, Thomson and Vucevic filled in ably.

“I came out with the intent to put on a performance,” Faried said. “But I wasn’t thinking MVP type of performance. I was just thinking about winning the game and enjoying myself. And pretty much enjoying the game. I love to play.”

Thompson and Vucevic, second-year big men representing the Cavaliers and the Magic, respectively, combined to score 35 points on 15-for-18 shooting. Leonard, the Spurs’ multifaceted albeit overlooked small forward, displayed the all-around skills, posting 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

– Reported by the Sports Xchange

Clyde Drexler, Dikembe Mutombo, Hakeem Olajuwon, Rudy Tomjanovich, and Yao Ming will serve as judges in the 2013 NBA Slam Dunk (8pm ET, TNT), the NBA announced today. The five Houston Rockets legends will score all of the dunks in the first round (the Team Round) of the event.

Drexler played 15 seasons for the Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers, was a 10-time NBA All-Star, a two-time NBA Champion with the Rockets, enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2004, and was a member of the 1992 USA Basketball Dream Team.

Mutombo, who played the final five seasons of his 18-year career with the Rockets, was a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, an eight-time NBA All-Star, and currently serves as an NBA Global Ambassador.

Olajuwon is a two-time NBA Champion with the Rockets (1994 and 1995), a 12-time NBA All-Star, was named the 1993-94 NBA Most Valuable Player, and was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.

Tomjanovich played for the Rockets for 11 seasons while being named an NBA All-Star five times and coached the team for 12 seasons, including their back-to-back NBA Championships.

Yao was the number one overall pick for the Rockets in the 2002 NBA Draft and an eight-time NBA All-Star.

The 2013 NBA Slam Dunk will feature six dunkers competing in a two-round competition as part of All-Star Saturday Night, which will pit the Eastern Conference against the Western Conference in an exciting night of competition that will also raise money for charity.

The West features 2012 champion Jeremy Evans of the Utah Jazz along with the Los Angeles Clippers’ Eric Bledsoe and the Denver Nuggets’ Kenneth Faried.

Dunkers for the East include the Indiana Pacers’ Gerald Green, Toronto Raptors’ Terrence Ross, and New York Knicks’ James White.

The 2013 NBA Slam Dunk contest will consist of the three Eastern Conference players competing against the three from the Western Conference in a two-round competition. The highest scoring East competitor and the highest scoring West competitor from the Team Round will compete head-to-head to determine the champion.

Boston Celtics center Kevin Garnett downplayed any talk that he’s pondering retirement after the season, suggesting comments earlier this week about this being his last All-Star Game were simply his nod to young talent in the league.

In an interview with ESPN Radio on Friday from All-Star festivities in Houston, the 36-year-old Garnett said some are reading too much into his words after declaring with certainty on Wednesday that this would be his final All-Star appearance.

“I did say that, didn’t I?” joked Garnett. “I’m just being honest. To think that, first off, not to take this for granted and I’m more than honored and flattered. But to think that two years left, who knows what the future’s going to hold for me. I can’t say that I’m going to be an All-Star next year at 37-38 years old. That’s ludicrous.

“I’m learning this new journalism these days, they don’t really put out the whole question, they just ask the parts at which they want. So I’ll explain it. The question kinda came off as whether next year and [Garnett] making the All-Star [game], I was like, ‘Woah, woah, woah. This is probably my last,’ then went into that way and spoke on it. But yeah, I don’t anticipate — I never said that I wasn’t going to anticipate playing like an All-Star next year, I didn’t say that. But to sit up here with all those young guys and up-and-coming talent, I can’t just that. I’m not that brash, that egotistical of a guy say nothing like that. I’m more than honored to be here, it’s not by coincidence, I’m working hard like the next man. But to sit up there and say that next year [he’d be an All-Star], I would never disrespect the game like that.”

– Reported by Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston

Taking the suspense out of the equation early, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has selected Chris Bosh as a replacement starter for the East team in Sunday’s All-Star Game.

Spoelstra hinted two weeks ago that he would remain loyal to the Heat regarding any decisions he had to make in his first assignment as an All-Star coach.

Bosh will replace injured guard Rajon Rondo, who is recovering from season-ending knee surgery.

All-Star starters are chosen through fan voting.

Bosh will start alongside Heat teammates Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, with Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Garnett.

– Reported by Michael Wallace of ESPN.com

Carmelo Anthony arrived in Houston yesterday, and a league source said the NBA has been told the Knicks’ injured superstar is expecting to play in Sunday’s All-Star Game.

Anthony injured his right biceps during Wednesday’s 92-88 loss to Toronto during which he shot just 5-of-24. Anthony said he was bothered by the injury, though he finished the game and took 10 shots in the fourth quarter.

An NBA bylaw stipulates if a player shows up for the All-Star Game and does not play, the league has the power to forbid the player from competing in the next game after the break. That is designed as a deterrent to players who exaggerate injuries to get out of the game.

Anthony, who was voted to start in the Eastern Conference frontcourt with LeBron James and adversary Kevin Garnett, called the injury a “contusion.”

– Reported by Marc Berman and Tim Bontemps contributing, of the New York Post

Boston Celtics center Kevin Garnett says this weekend “is definitely my last All-Star game.”

Garnett would not elaborate on why he wouldn’t be back after playing in the midseason exhibition for the 15th time in his 18-year career. Garnett says he’s bringing along friends and family so he can enjoy this weekend’s game in Houston.

Is it possible that the 37-year-old Garnett is planning to retire?

– Reported by the Associated Press