S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night

Boobie’s incredible run almost continued to roll on All-Star Saturday night, but he was going up against a force of nature in the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout.

Daniel Gibson – the MVP of the Rookie Challenge on Friday night – took reigning champion, Jason Kapono, to the limit. But the Cavaliers’ sanguine sophomore fell in the final round by a final score of 25-17. Gibson scored 17 points in each round, finished strong in each round and consistently canned the money ball.

But Kapono – the man selected by Cleveland in the second round of the “LeBron James Draft” of 2004 – set a record with his 25-point performance and defended his title from one year ago.

“I don’t know where I’m going to put it,” said the laid back former Bruin. “I’m thinking the bathroom or something. Maybe every time I take a shower or I go in and brush my teeth, I’ll start my day out staring at this beautiful trophy right here.”

All-Star Weekend is much about the fashion, fun and pageantry as it is the actual game. Of course, the nattily-dressed LeBron James is always a trendsetter in this area. He crushed it again on All-Star Saturday night – sitting courtside, rocking an open-collared shirt and a three-quarter length trench coat.

One of the more surreal experiences of the weekend was media dining in the Superdome.

Because of the influx of media from all over the world, New Orleans Arena used an area where the field would be in the Superdome – which is right across the street – for the media mess hall. It’s strange, not just because you’re eating this tiny meal in the midst of the cavernous, empty 70,000-seat stadium, but also because of the memories of what the Superdome was like after Katrina – and all the history and heartbreak related to it.

Some of the celebrities on-hand for All-Star Saturday night were Chris Tucker, Alyssa Milano, Terrell Owens, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and of course, Harry Connick, Jr.

Not to be outdone in the wardrobe department, Damon Jones was sporting a wine velvet sport coat and matching striped tie, and sat directly across from LeBron, flanked by – among others – Dikembe Mutombo, Chris Bosh, and the Junkyard Dog, Jerome Williams.

The Sprite Slam Dunk contest had its moments. The problem with the competition is sometimes the best dunks are done in the earlier rounds. Orlando’s Dwight Howard won the competition – mostly due to his “Superman” dunk in which he donned a cape and literally threw the ball down through the hoop.

Gerald Green finished second, but had maybe the best dunk of the night, when he put a lit cupcake on the rim and blew it out after doing a between-the-legs dunk. Green finished with an anti-climatic dunk in his socks and Howard took home the trophy.