ARLINGTON, TEXAS — The arena looked like a spacecraft, and inside, 108,713 were along for the ride, as well a constellation of all-stars, a hovering 160-foot-wide television beamed by 300 million light bulbs, men with asteroids hanging from their necks, women with gravity-defying surgical enhancements, Shaquille O’Neal, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders — all waiting, at any moment, to blast through the Milky Way and land on planet Earth.
Sunday’s NBA’s All-Star Game at Cowboys Stadium was a surreal scene, featuring the largest crowd to ever watch a basketball game, according to Guinness World Records.
And it was actually a nail-biting game for a change. Denver’s Carmelo Anthony launched a leaning 3-pointer at the final buzzer, but it only grazed the front rim, and the Western Conference lost 141-139 to the Eastern Conference. Melo did have a stellar night. He finished with a team-high 27 points and 10 rebounds too. Denver teammate Chauncey Billups scored 14 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, including four 3s, as he led a comeback by the Western Conference, which trailed by nine points after three quarters.
With the game tied at 137, Dwyane Wade swiped the ball from the West’s Deron Williams, and Wade was fouled on the other end, making both free throws with 12.7 seconds left. The West’s Dirk Nowitzki made two free throws with 7.7 seconds left, and the East’s Chris Bosh made two with 5.0 left, setting up Melo’s shot.
Wade, with 28 points, won the MVP.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
