Final: Well, that does it for the Sprint Celebrity Game. Be sure to keep it here at VAVEL for the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge Live commentary. Good night, folks!
Final: Kevin Hart is announcing his retirement from the Celebrity Game. Could it happen? Nahh!
Final: There you go. Kevin Hart wins his fourth consecutive MVP award. Anthony Anderson is in disbelief.
Final: Kevin Hart finishes with 15 points. Shoni Schimmel had 17 for the East. Pera had 13 points and Diggins also added 13 points for the West.
4th Quarter (:00): That does it. Team West wins, 59-51. So who gets the MVP?
4th Quarter (:10): Hart commits a hysterical intentional foul on Mullin.
4th Quarter (:23): Schimmel throws up a tough shot from the corner and misses. That should do it.
4th Quarter (:40): Skylar Diggins hits two clutch free throws. West - 55 East - 51. East ball.
4th Quarter (:58): This is a close one, as Allan Houston drains a three to cut it to two.
4th Quarter (1:30): West - 51 East - 48.
4th Quarter (2:11): Pera on a give and go move to the basket.
4th Quarter (2:40): Kevin Hart with an easy layup. He is actually playing a solid game this time and could be deserving of that MVP award.
4th Quarter (4:03): Kevin Hart is trash talking to Mike Golic, reminding him who the three-time MVP is.
4th Quarter (5:03): Jesse Williams goes down with an injury. Seems to be his knee.
4th Quarter (5:46): Kevin Hart blows by Pera for a layup. Diggins answers back. Things are getting a bit heated.
4th Quarter (8:58): Schimmel drains a three. 16 shots in 16 minutes. Team East only down two. She has 17 points.
4th Quarter (9:20): Nick Cannon has been quiet.
4th Quarter (9:44): Schimmel hits a jumper. She keeps on shooting and shooting.
- Team West - 42 Team East - 37
3rd Quarter (:00): The two NBA legends go at it to end the quarter. Houston hits a long jumper after a fake, and Mullin rolls home a three.
3rd Quarter (:31): Robert Pera is looking really good here. MVP?
3rd Quarter (:51): Shoni Schimmel has already taken 14 shots. She is firing it up.
3rd Quarter (1:22): Both teams on a little drought right now.
3rd Quarter (3:36): We got a timeout on the floor.
3rd Quarter (4:10): Diggins with a nice feed to Butler for the finish.
3rd Quarter (4:58): Schimmel with a fake and attack to the basket. East now leads by one.
3rd Quarter (5:23): Schimmel knocks down a three, and it's only a one point game.
3rd Quarter (5:59): Kevin Hart screaming his heart out after taking away the rebound from Win Butler.
3rd Quarter (6:38): Mike Golic brings back his secret weapon: Robert Pera.
3rd Quarter (7:37): Diggins shot an air ball, but she redeemed herself with a crafty reverse layup.
3rd Quarter (8:47): Wow Kevin Hart with a nice hesitation move to the basket. He is looking to win the MVP again.
3rd Quarter (9:31): Kevin Hart comes out and takes it coast to coast for a layup.
Halftime: Anthony Anderson predicts that his team will win, and they will shut down Michael Rapaport. So far, so good.
Halftime: MAGIC! has taken center stage for their halftime performance.
- Team West - 32 Team East - 24
2nd Quarter (:00): That does it for the first half.
2nd Quarter (:13): Allan Houston knocks fown a three.
2nd Quarter (:25): Meanwhile, Kevin Hart is asking to get a technical.
2nd Quarter (:37): Mike Golic is friendly trash talking to Mike Greenberg.
2nd Quarter (2:22): Sarah Silverman over throws her shot for an air ball.
2nd Quarter (2:56): What a defensive play Hart forcing a jump ball.
2nd Quarter (3:32): Anthony Anderson with a flip shot.
2nd Quarter (4:17): Tina Charles hits a shot, stopping a 10-0 West run.
2nd Quarter (4:42): We are back in action.
2nd Quarter (4:42): A little delay on the court. In the meantime, Patrick Beverley and Isaiah Thomas talking about the Skills Challenge, as the two will matchup against each other.
- Team West - 28 Team East - 17
2nd Quarter (4:42): Robert Pera with another nice move, this time an up and under. Timeout East.
2nd Quarter (5:06): Diggins with a beautiful feed to Elgort who blows the layup.
2nd Quarter (5:40): Team West leading by nine now. Kevin Hart still on the bench.
2nd Quarter (6:09): Robert Pera making an early MVP case. He looks like he is 25 years old, by the way, but he is actually 36.
2nd Quarter (7:19): And Rapaport is still....throwing up air balls.
2nd Quarter (7:39): Skylar Diggins with a nice stutter step move and finish. West pulling away.
- Team West - 18 Team East - 17
(1st Quarter :00): That does it for the first quarter.
(1st Quarter :08): Kristen Ledlow forces a jump ball with Anthony Anderson. What a fiesty play by Ledlow.
(1st Quarter 1:08): Leeper dishes to Shoni Schimmel for a layup. Beautiful transition play.
(1st Quarter 1:45): Robert Pera with a strong take. Nice move.
(1st Quarter 1:57): Kevin Hart goes to the bench.
(1st Quarter 2:45): Win Butler with the post move, and Jesse Williams ripped Kevin Hart who is complaining.
(1st Quarter 3:37): Leeper puts in a three. Team East with a three-point lead.
(1st Quarter 4:52): Kevin Hart tries to post up Mo'ne Davis and gets fouled. He is a little anxious to get back at her.
(1st Quarter 5:12): Oh my, what a cross over by Mo'ne Davis and a finish at the rim!
(1st Quarter 5:36): Skylar Diggins drains a three, and Allan Houston, who is a familiar face in the Madison Square Garden answers.
(1st Quarter 5:56): Rapaport gets a techincal. What a poor start for him.
(1st Quarter 6:23): Chris Mullin hits an open three. No defense by Rapaport.
(1st Quarter 8:35): Jesse Williams puts the West team on the board.
(1st Quarter 9:42): Kevin Hart attacks the basket for the first points of the game. What a tremendous start for the three-time MVP.
(1st Quarter 10:00): Okay, here we go. Kevin Hart and Mo'ne Davis jumping it up. Hart wins the tip.
So it's actually four, 10-minute quarters with a running clock until the two-minute mark.
What a nice honorary piece on Stuart Scott.
Team East: Common, Chadwick Boseman, Shoni Schimmel, Allan Houston, Tina Charles, Kristen Ledlow, Kevin Hart, Blake Leeper, Abshishek Bachchan, Michael Rapaport.
Coaches: Mike Greenberg, Isaiah Austin, Carmelo Anthony
Team West: Anthony Anderson, Ansel Elgort, Mo'ne Davis, Win Butler, Robert Pera, Jesse Williams, Skylar Diggins, Chris Mullin, Sarah Silverman, Nick Cannon, Kristen Ledlow.
Coaches: Mike Golic, Spike Lee
Here we go. Let's meet the teams.
We are in for an entertaining All-Star weekend. Keep it here at VAVEL for more All-Star coverage.
The game will be four, eight-minute quarters with the clock running at all times, except when a timeout is called.
The game will be played in The World's Most Famous Arena, the Madison Square Garden, at 7 pm Eastern Time. Following the Celebrity Game, NBA's youthful bunch, the rookies and sophomores, will take court at the Barclays Center.
"The Star-Spangled Banner" will be sung by actress Keke Palmer. During halftime, Canadian reggae band MAGIC! will hit center stage to perform their hit single "Rude."
New York Knicks All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony and Knicks number one fan, Spike Lee, will be the coaches along with ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike" hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic. Isaiah Austin will be an assistant coach as well.
The NBA legends who will take part in this game will be Allan Houston, who is a two-time All-Star and currently New York Knicks Assistant General Manager, and Chris Mullin, who is a five-time All-Star. The WNBA stars who will join in are Shoni Schimmel, Tina Charles, and Skylar Diggins, who makes her second consecutive appearance.
Others include actor Michael Rapaport most famously known for his role in the hit series "Prison Break", gold medal-winning U.S. Paralympic athlete Blake Leeper, "NBA Inside Stuff" co-host Kristen Ledlow, and Memphis Grizzlies owner Robert Pera.
This year, Kevin Hart will be joined by film star Ansel Elgort, Anthony Anderson who plays in ABC's "Black-Ish" and many other films, musician and actor Common, Little League star Mo'ne Davis. Also joining the mix is musician Win Butler, actor Chadwick Boseman who played in the hit movie "42", and "America's Got Talent" host Nick Cannon.
Fan voting presents a problem in games like this, but thankfully Kevin Hart graciously handed his MVP award to Arne Duncan, because it was evident that Duncan stole the show in that game. In this year's match, Duncan will not take part, which will be interesting to see who steps up in his absence.
Last year, Kevin Hart took his third consecutive Celebrity Game MVP even though he played an extremely poor game. The fans were the ones who voted Hart MVP of the game because of the comedic energy he brought to the contest. The true MVP should have been United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Duncan put in a Celebrity Game record 20 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists to lead Team East to victory, while Hart had seven points and four assists for the losing West team.
The Celebrity Game has always been more about the actions on the court rather than basketball. The game itself is still at times exciting, but we tend to watch to see what kind of antics guys like Kevin Hart will have in store for us.
Hello, everyone! Welcome to the 2015 Sprint Celebrity Game, the first of many events that will be featured during an exciting weekend of All-Star basketball.