NBA All-Star Officials Keeping Eye On Weather Channel

Sports News - February 11th, 2010 - Written By Bryan

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was hoping to cram over 100,000 fans into his new arena for the NBA All-Star game this weekend, but he may ultimately be disappointed because a snow belt is hammering the area. Weather forecasters are predicting anywhere from four to six inches falling on Thursday night, making the chances of a six-digit crowd braving the weather to watch a basketball slimmer by the hour.

The game is already projected to bring in the largest basketball attendance ever, breaking last year's NCAA Championship record of just over 78,000, but Jones claimed he was shooting for the magic number in an interview last week.

"Well, we want to push the magical number and we think we have an opportunity here," said Jones. "We're well along the way right now: one-double-0."

A low of 28 on game day could change that, although league officials like senior vice president Tim Frank insist the inclement weather will have no impact on the game, and that all scheduled events will still take place.

"All of the events and activities are on schedule and have not been impacted by the weather," Frank said. "As far as players, hopefully not. But we'll be monitoring it."

The frigid conditions now take over as top storyline for the event, stealing some of the attention from ailing stars such as Kobe Bryan and Derrick Rose. Bryant made headlines earlier in the week when he said his injured foot is still sore, and may keep him out of the exhibition. Rose banged his hip Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic, and is unsure if he will be able to make his first appearance.

While the loss of several marquee players could affect attendance, certainly nothing will impact the turnstiles like poor weather.

"We've had weather issues in the past, and players keep us up to date on their travel schedules," Frank said.

Currently, Chris Paul is the only player to pull out of the game and will be replaced by Denver Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups.

And while injuries occur every year, and ultimately call for reinforcements to complete the rosters, never before has an NBA All-Star game been in such danger of alterations because of weather.

"Never considered we would have a snowstorm," Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wrote ESPN in an e-mail. "I'm not worried about events taking place. I'm worried about people driving and getting around. Hopefully the roads will be OK."

Saturday will feature mini-games as a lead up to the exhibition. The Foot Locker Three-Point Contest is led by favorite Daequan Cook, who is getting +275 odds to win, according to BetUS. Billups and Stephen Curry are the second horses at +300.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant is favored to repeat as winner of the H.O.R.S.E competition with +135 odds over Rajon Rondo and Omri Casspi, according to NBA Betting Odds.

Then it's the Slam Dunk Competition in which Los Angeles Lakers guard Shannon Brown is favored at +105 over previous champion Nate Robinson (+200). Los Angeles Clippers guard Eric Gordon is the longshot at +900.

Odds are not currently out on the All-Star game.