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BOB: IT BEGAN AS ONE MAN'S
VISION BUT COULD DR. JAMES
NAISMITH HAVE EVER IMAGINED
WHAT HIS GAME WOULD BECOME?
COULD HE EVER IMAGINE HOW HIS
GAME WOULD EVOLVE?
LARGER THAN LIFE FIGURES WHO
HAVE ENRICHED HIS GAME'S
HISTORY.
BOB: AND COULD HE HAVE EVER
IMAGINED THIS ULTIMATE SHOWCASE
OF STARS, THIS CELEBRATION OF
HIS SPORT THAT IS THE NBA
ALL-STAR GAME.
BOB: MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO,
COULD DR. JAMES NAISMITH HAVE
EVER IMAGINED?
[CAPTIONING MADE POSSIBLE
BY U.S. DEPARTMENT
OF EDUCATION]
BOB: EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THE
BEST ATHLETES IN THE WORLD ARE
GATHERING IN A SNOWBOUND NORDIC
VENUE THIS WEEKEND.
THEY'RE GATHERING IN THE
HISTORIC LAND OF THE VIKINGS
BUT IN THIS CASE IT'S NOT
LILLEHAMMER, IT'S MINNEAPOLIS,
SITE OF THE ANNUAL WINTER GAME,
THE NBA ALL-STAR GAME.
HI, BOB COSTAS, ALONG WITH
JULIUS ERVING, THE DOCTOR.
WE'LL CONDUCT A BRIEF OPENING
CEREMONY BEFORE PASSING THE
TORCH TO *** ENBERG FOR THE
CALL OF THE GAME, BETWEEN THE
ABA AND NBA, YOU PLAYED IN 16
ALL-STAR GAMES BUT WHAT A
CHANGE SINCE THE START, RIGHT?
JULIUS: MEMORIES ARE FOREVER
BUT TIME MARCHES ON.
I REMEMBER BEING BACK IN
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY FOR THE
1971-1972 SEASON WHEN ARTIS
GILMORE WALKED AWAY WITH THE
AWARD.
BUT IN WALKING AROUND LIKE
WE'VE DONE THE LAST FIVE OR SIX
YEARS AND SEEING PEOPLE LIKE
MAURICE LUCAS AND JOHN
HAVLICEK, IT'S SORT OF OLD HOME
WEEK AND A FAMILY ATMOSPHERE
HAS BEEN CREATED.
BOB: AND THE PLAYERS, EVEN
ACTIVE ONES, WHO COULD BE
TAKING TIME OFF, WANT TO BE
HERE, SOME CING AT THEIR OWN
EXPENSE.
JULIUS: NO QUESTION ABOUT
THAT.
THAT'S A UNIQUE FACTOR THAT
DIDN'T EXIST BACK IN THE DAY.
YOU ONLY HAD THE ALL-STARS
PLAYING THE OTHER GUYS, WINTER
VACATION, SPENT THE TIME AT
HOME, WITH THEIR FAMILY.
BOB: MANY GENERATIONS
REPRESENTED, THE OLD-TIMERS,
THE RELATIVELY RECENTLY RETIRED
AND THE NEW STARS.
THAT'S A THEME OF THIS GAME,
THE EMERGENCE OF NEW STARS ON
THE HORIZON.
GONE ARE BIRD, MAGIC AND JORDAN
WHO AMONG THEM APPEARED IN 32
GAMES.
10 OF THE 24 ALL-STARS TODAY
ARE PLAYING IN THEIR FIRST
GAME.
IT HAPPENS TO BE NUMBER TWO FOR
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL WHO HAPPENS TO
BE ONE OF THE LEAGUE'S MOST
RECOGNIZABLE PLAYERS.
PETER VECSEY IS WITH THE SHAQ.
PETER: I GET THE FEELING
THERE'S A SENSE OF HOSTIL
KPWRIT THAT THE VETERANS HAVE
TOWARD YOU TO MAKING IT TO
SUPERSTARDOM SO QUICKLY, THAT
YOU HAVEN'T PAID YOUR DUES?
ARE YOU OUT HERE TO PROVE
SOMETHING?
>> NO, I'M JUST GLAD THE PEOPLE
VOTED ME IN.
I'M BEING CONSISTENT AND HAVING
FUN, LIKE I SAID.
PETER: LAST YEAR YOU FELT
SLIGHTED YOU DIDN'T GET THE
MINUTES YOU THOUGHT YOU
DESERVED FROM PAT RILEY.
YOU THOUGHT HE SHOWED
PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT TO
PATRICK EWING.
THIS IS AN EXHIBITION GAME.
WHAT'S THE BIG FUSS?
>> I DON'T KNOW.
I'M JUST GLAD TO BE HERE AND I
HOPE I CAN GET SOME MINUTES
TONIGHT.
IF NOT, I'M GOING TO BE HAPPY,
GO HOME AND CONTINUE MY JOB
WITH THE ORLANDO MAGIC.
PETER: DESPITE LEADING THE
LEAGUE IN SCORING, THERE'S
STILL A PERCEPTION ABOUT YOU
THAT YOU DON'T WORK ENOUGH ON
YOUR GAME, THAT YOU HAVE TOO
MANY OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES.
IS THAT A FAIR PERCEPTION?
>> I'M A MAN OF MANY TALENTS.
I CAN DO A LOT OF THINGS.
I CAN RAP, ACT, I COULD EVEN
TAKE YOUR JOB ONE DAY.
I DON'T THINK THEY'VE SEEN A
MAN SO BIG WIT MANY TALENTS.
I DO WORK ON MY GAME AND I
THINK MY NUMBERS SPEAK FOR
THEMSELVES.
PETER: DO YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE
WITH YOUR IMAGE FOR BREAKING
BACKBOARDS?
>> MY IMAGE IS POWER AND MY
IMAGE IS REAL.
I'VE BROKEN TWO BACKBOARDS, SO
I'M JUST BEING MYSELF.
PETER: WE'RE GOING TO KICK IT
OVER TO DAVID ROBINSON AND
HAKEEM OLAJUWON WHO ARE
STANNG WITH BILL WALTON.
>> I'M COMING TO GET YOU GUYS
TODAY.
WATCH OUT.
BILL: ALL RIGHT, SHAQ.
WE'RE HERE IN THE WESTERN
LOCKER ROOM WITH TWO GUYS WHO
HAVE GOT 14 NBA ALL-STAR
APPEARANCES DEFEND THEM, SHAQ'S
JUST GOT TWO.
ONE OF THESE TWO GUYS WILL MOST
LIKELY BE THIS YEAR'S MOST
AVAILABLE PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE
YET HERE IN MINNEAPOLIS ALL THE
ATTENTION IS ON SHAQ.
AT'S GOING ON AND DOES IT
GRATE ON YOU AT ALL, DAVID?
>> NO, HE COMES IN, HE LIKES
THE ATTENTION, HE LIKES TO PLAY
THE MEDIA GAME.
THAT'S GREAT.
I THINK THE MAIN THING FOR US,
WE WIN GAMES.
WE GO OUT AND WIN GAMES AND
EVERYTHING ELSE TAKES CARE OF
ITSELF.
BILL: ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE IT
TO THE SHAQ-MASTER TODAY?
>> THE ATTENTION IS ENOUGH FOR
EVERYBODY.
WE HAVE ENOUGH ATTENTION.
IT'S SUPSED TO BE FUN AND
WE'RE HERE TO WIN.
BILL: GEORGE KARL IS GOING TO
TAKE CARE OF GARY PAYTON AND
SHAWN KEMP.
DO YOU SEE ANYBODY THAT CAN GET
YOU SOME SHOTS?
>> I SEE STOCKTON, CLYDE, I SEE
K.J.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.
BILL: THESE TWO PLAYERS WILL
TRY TO BECOME THE FIRST CENTER
IN 21 YEARS, SINCE BOB LANIER
IN 1974 WAS THE ALL-STAR
M.V.P.
AHMAD?
AHD: THANK YOU, BILL.
YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT
RIVALRIES.
THIS IS A SERIOUS RIVALRY AND
IT CONTINUES ON NBC THIS
SUNDAY.
IN NEW YORK.
BUT FOR TODAY, YOU GUYS ARE ON
THE SAME TEAM.
PLUS YOU PLAYED WITH EACH OTHER
BEFORE.
>> RIGHT.
THE LAST TIME WE PLAYED
TOGETHER WAS IN THE OLYMPICS.
IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIEE.
BUT, LIKE YOU SAID, ON SUNDAY,
THE KNICKS ARE GOING TO KICK
THE BULLS' BUTT.
I'M LETTING EVERYBODY KNOW
NOW.
AHMAD: SCOTTIE, I GUESS WE CAN
IGNORE THAT IF YOU WANT TO
BECAUSE TODAY IS THE ALL-STAR
GAME.
>> EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT'S
HAPPENED IN THE PAST.
PATRICK HAS ALWAYS BEEN A BIG
TALKER EVEN THROUGHOUT THE
OLYMPICS.
HE ALWAYS BRAGGED ABOUT WHAT
THE KNICKS WOULD DO FOR THE
BULLS.
IT WILL BE ANOTHER SHOWDOWN
SUNDAY.
AHMAD: BUT TODAY YOU'RE
>> NOT IN SPIRIT.
AHMAD: BOB, THERE YOU HAVE IT.
BOB: THEY DON'T WANT TO GIVE AN
INCH.
NEXT, THE TWO LEADING
CONTENDERS FOR ROOKIE OF THE
YEAR, CHRIS WEBBER OF THE
WARRIORS AND HARDAWAY OF THE
MAGIC.
BOB: EASTERN CONFERENCE
ALL-STARS HEADING FROM THE
LOCKER ROOM ONTO THE FLOOR.
WE SAW JOHN STARKS A MOMENT
AGO, THERE'S SCOTTIE PIPPEN,
PATRICK EWING BEFORE HIM.
CHARLES OAKLEY, HORACE GRANT,
DERRICK COLEMAN.
THERE'S STARKS.
PATRICK EWING.
NO ROOKIES MADE THE ALL-STAR
SQUADS THIS YEAR BUT THERE WAS
THE FIRST ROOKIE GAME PLAYED
LAST NIGHT.
IT TIPPED OFF THE ALL-STAR
SATURDAY NIGHT PCEEDINGS.
THE FOCUS OF ATTENTION, GOLDEN
STATE'S CHRIS WEBBER AND
ORLANDO'S ANFERNEE HARDAWAY.
THERE'S WEBBER AND THERE'S
PENNY HARDAWAY.
HARDAWAY LED A TEACALLED THE
SENSATIONS, HE WAS THE GAME'S
TOP SCORER WITH 22.
HE HIT 8-9 FROM THE FIELD.
BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE
WEBBER'S TEAM THAT SOARED TO
VICTORY.
THE TOP TWO ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
CANDIDATES WENT HEAD TO HEAD
AND YESTERDAY ROOKIE GAME
M.V.P. HONORS WENT TO
HARDAWAY.
IN ALL LIKELIHOOD IT WILL BE
YEARS BEFORE ANOTHER NBA
ALL-STAR GAME SKHROODS EITHER
PLAYER.
EACH HAS BEEN IMPRESSIVE AND NO
ONE DOUBTS THAT EACH HAS ONLY
SCRATCHED THE SURFACE.
I TALKED WITH THEM YESTERDAY.
BOB: THIS IS A BIG LEAP TO
LARRY AND MAGIC, BUT YOU KNOW
HOW THEY FRP LINKED THROUGH
THEIR WHOLE CAREERS.
IF YOU TURN OUT TO BE GOOD
OUGH AND IF YOUR TEAMS ARE
GOOD ENOUGHECAUSE OF THE WAY
YOUR CAREERS BEGAN AND THE
TRADE ON DRAFT DAY, IT'S GOING
TO BE WEBBER AND HARDAWAY FOR A
LONG TIME.
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK
BECAUSE OF THE TRADE, THAT
ANFERNEE AND I HAVE A LOT
AGAINST EACH OTHER.
I THINK IF HE WOULD HAVE GONE
TO GOLDEN STATE, WE WOULD HAVE
HAD TOO MANY GUARDS.
IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN A GOOD
SITUATION.
IF WE WERE -- IF WE'RE LINKED
THAT WAY, I DON'T MIND BECAUSE
WE KNEW EACH OTHER BEFORE THE
NBA AND WE'LL BE FRIENDS AFTER
THE NBA.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT WILL BE LIKE
LARRY AND MAGIC BUT I WOULDN'T
MIND THATBECAUSE I KNOW HE'LL
BE ONE OF THE BEST GUARDS IF
NOT THE BEST GUARD IN THE NBA
IN A COUPLE OF SHORT YEARS.
BOB: DO YOU DREAM ABOUT PLAYING
ALONGSIDE OF SHAQ?
I KNOW YOU DREAMED ABOUT THAT
AT ONE TIME.
>> YES, I DID.
WE WOULD HAVE BEEN A
DEVASTATING FRONTCOURT.
THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SOMETHING
ELSE.
BUT I THINK THEY NEEDED A GUARD
LIKE ANFERNEE, LIKE A MAGIC AND
KAREEM TYPE.
I'M NOT BITTER ABOUT IT.
I THOUGHT ABOUT IT.
IT CAN'T HAPPEN, I HAVE TO TRY
TO STAY ON THE WEST COAST WHILE
HE'S DOING HIS THING.
BOB: THINK ABOUT YOURSELF WITH