Well, it's all over now. The 2011 NBA All-Star Game is but a memory (or a DVRed show), Kobe Bryant kept the MVP award in Los Angeles, and the West survived a late push by the East (and LeBron's triple-double). Now it belongs to the historians, who can start asking the important questions, like whether LeBron's performance was the best in losing effort ever, whether it was worth adding Kevin Love to the West roster (two points, several outlet passes) and whether any of the shoes worn this weekend will find their way into the 25 best All-Star Game shoes of all-time. We rounded up 15 of our favorites from the weekend, let us know if we missed any of your favorites in the comments...
Gotta start with the MVP. Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 37 points in his "All-Star" Nike Zoom Kobe VI, which got a lot of camera time.
LeBron James put his Air Max LeBron 8 V2s to work, messed around and got a triple-double. Those knee braces look serious, too.
Ray Allen wasn't the only guy to wear the Air Jordan 2011 in the big game (Dwyane Wade), but he was the only one to get a pair of PEs. Good looks, JB.
Derrick Rose swapped shoes at halftime, going from his adiZero Rose to the adiZero Rose 1.5. We preferred the former, which he broke out in bright yellow.
The Durantula, Kevin Durant, started slow but finished strong, helping put the East away in the end. He shone bright, his All-Star Zoom KDIIIs shone brighter.
Favorite son (he got the chants, not Kobe) Blake Griffin was in a PE version of the all-new Hyperdunk 2K11 for the big game. Exclusive kicks for Clippers? Who knew?
Dwight Howard said "hello world" (and hello, Russell Westbrook) in his all-new adidas Superbeast. Superbeastin'.
Kevin Garnett didn't play too many minutes -- those old legs need rest -- but his iridescent Antas still stood out.
L.A. native Paul Pierce actually got booed during introductions -- that's what happens to Celtics in the Staples Center. He still got a PE version of his signature Nikes that adults can't buy.
FRIDAY and SATURDAY
We didn't want to limit ourselves to Sunday's main event, so here's a few bonus kicks from the rest of the weekend.
ROOKIE/SOPHOMORE CHALLENGE
Blake's Hyperdunk 2K11s were nice, but these tri-color Air Max Flybys may have been even better.
A late addition to the game, James Harden matched his OKC uni perfectly with the "Orange County" Nike Zoom Kobe VI.
SKILLS CHALLENGE
Chris Paul actually blew a layup in the Skills Challenge, but at least his Jordan CP3.IVs were dope.
John Wall rocked these fan-designed Reebok ZigSlashes in both the Skills Challenge AND the Rookie/Sophomore Challenge.
THREE-POINT SHOOTOUT
Ray Allenhas no shortage of Jordans, but he still got these special makeup Evolution 85s for the three-point shootout.
SLAM-DUNK CONTEST
JaVale McGee had as many kicks in the dunk contest as he did baskets and balls combined. PEAK kept him laced.