Nick Bond: Hey, brah.

Nick Bond: What’s really good?

David Gibb: The West.

Nick Bond: The west?

David Gibb: The Western Conference, my friend.

Nick Bond: So, here’s my issue with the West.

Nick Bond: Who is going to guard LBJ?

Nick Bond: Are they just going to triple team him?

David Gibb: For the first three quarters? Nobody.

David Gibb: That’s the All-Star Game, man.

Nick Bond: But, I mean, when the game actually starts to count?

David Gibb: I think the sheer size the West can put on the floor can slow him down.

David Gibb: Duncan, Yao, Boozer, Nowitzki, Amare…

Nick Bond: What about D-Wade?

Nick Bond: and J-Kidd?

David Gibb: What about Bryant and AI and Nash?

David Gibb: It’s the All-Star Game.

David Gibb: You don’t get there if you’re guardable.

David Gibb: Let’s talk about some of the young talent in the game…

David Gibb: I love Brandon Roy’s selection from a sentimental standpoint, but will he have an impact?

Nick Bond: I highly, highly doubt it

David Gibb: See, I think his quickness will create matchup problems for the Eastern guards.

David Gibb: You have to admit that the East’s guards are decidedly older as a unit.

David Gibb: And I don’t think anybody has accused several of them of playing lockdown defense.

Nick Bond: Well, Kidd is ancient, and highly overrated but D-Wade and LeBron, as well as Rip and Pierce are all “young” to “in-their-prime” guys that will also be a huge problem for the West, and LeBron’s ability to play at least three positions and see the court are going to let the East at least stay in the game until it gets serious.

David Gibb: Until it gets serious

Nick Bond: At which point

Nick Bond: the East will be able to use their superior defensive prowess to shut down the West.

David Gibb: Nope. Sorry. The West can score too many ways.

David Gibb: Yao, Boozer, Duncan, and Nowitzki can all bang inside OR step away and shoot.

Nick Bond: Outside of Carmelo, is there a single clutch guy?

David Gibb: How about the Allen Iverson who CARRIED his team through countless playoff games as a member of the 76ers?

David Gibb: And while Duncan may not be “clutch,” he has the kind of consistency that transcends “clutch.”

David Gibb: Ditto Kobe.

Nick Bond: Allen Iverson carried his team through the playoffs before either of us were in college.

David Gibb: Let’s talk about pacing, though. I think the team who dictates the pace will win, as usual. If the West can get points in the break early, it’s over before it starts.

Nick Bond: Despite my deep rooted hatred of Jason Kidd, I think he is the best at dictating pace in the league, especially with a quality supporting cast.

David Gibb: He’s not even the best dictator of pace in this game.

David Gibb: Did you forget that Nash is playing?

Nick Bond: Well, I mean, he is pretty far down the bench.

David Gibb: Far down? Do you mean that he’s their third guard?

David Gibb: He’ll play minutes.

David Gibb: I predict them rotating him and Iverson, given their ages.

Nick Bond: What about Paul?

Nick Bond: You don’t think Byron Scott is going to get a little too sentimental and play he and West for an egregious amount of minutes?

David Gibb: This is Paul’s first selection. He’ll play, but they’ll give far more time to Nash, who may be entering the wrong side of his prime. Paul will be there for years to come.

Nick Bond: I nearly forgot about Mr. Ming Yao.

Nick Bond: How are they going to run the floor with him?

Nick Bond: He’s not exactly what one would term “fleet of foot.”

David Gibb: Just because he’s never run the floor doesn’t mean he can’t. The Rockets aren’t exactly the Warriors.

David Gibb: Let him trail in the drive, then kick it back for midrange jumpers.

Nick Bond: With Rasheed on him?

David Gibb: He’s 7’6″, bro.

David Gibb: He’s +7 inches on Rasheed.

Nick Bond: Look what Boozer did last year against him in the playoffs, and Carlos is 6’9″.

David Gibb: I’ll give you that it’s well known around the league that you can front Yao and make him cry, but if they play in the break that won’t be an issue.

David Gibb: I’ve already conceded that a half-court game plays right into the East’s hands.

David Gibb: If they prove they can make it a half-court game, then I’ll be scared.

David Gibb: But let’s remember this is an All-Star game, after all.

David Gibb: In a game without defense, how do you stop the West’s shooters?

David Gibb: Those guys are cold-blooded.

Nick Bond: Who specifically should I be worried about? “Captain Flat-Shot” Tim Duncan or “Captain Volume-Shooter” Allen Iverson?

David Gibb: You should be worried about the best jump-shooting big man since Bird. His name’s Dirk.

David Gibb: And have you already forgotten Nash?

David Gibb: Oh, and I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a rec-league game, but when you shoot, you typically yell “KOBE!”

Nick Bond: Well, I don’t trust Dirk as far as I can throw him after the Golden State series.

Nick Bond: Nash is a very streaky shooter.

David Gibb: Streaky, yes. High percentage, also yes. He may miss 3 in a row, but he’ll turn around and make 7 without blinking.

Nick Bond: And just because Kobe is Lights Out in video games doesn’t mean he won’t miss early and often in this game.

Nick Bond: And the East have some shooters of their own.

Nick Bond: Ray Allen, Chauncey and Rip are all very solid shooters, with Ray possibly being the best in the league.

David Gibb: I’ll give you that Ray kills people when you leave him open, but all you have to do to bother him is live in the same area code.

David Gibb: Rip CAN shoot, but he really prefers to take it to the rack, anyway.

David Gibb: If he starts shooting, it’ll just prove that the West have taken him out of his element.

Nick Bond: I think it’s clear that both teams have their positives and negatives, but do you have any predictions on specifics?

David Gibb: If you want a result, I’d say The West. If you want an MVP pick, I’m gonna go out on a limb and pick Yao. Despite your hate, I think he will step up and put his skills on display for fans all around the world.

Nick Bond: Hmm, well, I mean, that’s a cute prediction. But it’s definitely going to be the East, and the MVP’ll definitely be Dwight Howard, completing the best All-Star weekend in recent memory.

David Gibb: Dwight’s a beast, I really can’t argue there. The East may have in him the most potentially dominant player in this game, but I think the West is deeper overall.

David Gibb: Luckily the game is only a few days away, so in the near future we’ll be able to settle all this.