Los Angeles gears up for All-Star extravaganza

Apologies to New York and Miami, but when it comes to entertainment, LA is the place to be.

By JOSEPH D. ROBBINS
LOS ANGELES – This weekend, swarms of people will descend on Los Angeles, California. The masses will travel from far and wide.
The crowds will include celebrities, politicians and millions of viewers from homes in over 200 countries around the globe.
Welcome to NBA All-Star Weekend 2011.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the event, which is returning to the league’s brightest city for the first time in seven years.
Apologies to New York and Miami, but when it comes to entertainment, LA is the place to be.
The NBA and the City of Los Angeles have been working tirelessly for months to ensure that the “who’s who” of A-Listers flying in for the festivities will not be disappointed.
In addition to the copious amounts of parties that rival those of any Super Bowl Week, numerous basketball-related events will satiate a packed Staples Center crowd starting on Friday.
Rookie phenom Black Griffin will wow the world with the dunks that have made him a household name in the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest Saturday night. Then the League’s brightest stars will take center stage on Sunday evening.
While attendance should be less than a third of last year’s record-setting 108,713, this year’s game is even more important to the NBA as a possible lockout of next season looms.
Fanfare will be at an all-time high – think the Oscars meets the Super Bowl– as Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Western Conference All- Stars look to reclaim the crown from reigning All-Star MVP Dwyane Wade and the rest of the Eastern Conference squad.