Dwyane Wade was MVP of the All-Star Game.
(Creative Commons)

All-Star Weekend was disappointing in many regards - the snow, the lackluster Dunk Contest - but the game itself was thrilling. There's no denying the excitement of a 141-139 finish, especially since the game came down to the final shot: a missed three from Carmelo Anthony.

As much as basketball fans were disappointed with the show on Saturday night, they left with a good taste in their mouth after Sunday's furious finish.

Even Reggie Miller couldn't ruin it.

Without further ado, here are my winners and losers from All-Star Weekend. 

Winners

Dwyane Wade - D-Wade was easily the highlight of Sunday's game. He earned his first-ever All-Star MVP with a game-high 28 points and 11 assists, but that doesn't begin to describe the excitement of his performance. Wade was all over the court, ripping steals away from unassuming Western guards and mashing ferocious dunks with Quaker-like regularity. And that was before he went into Dwyane Wade Destruction Mode in the fourth quarter, willing the East to a 141-139 victory. The Heat have been something of a disappointment this season, but on Sunday Wade made everyone forget that. His performance was like something from the 2008 Summer Olympics. It was great to see him in top form.   

LeBron James - LBJ was terrific as usual, playing the Pitt to Wade's Clooney for an East team that was big on theft. James added four steals to go along with Wade's five, and threw in a series of acrobatic dunks for good measure. He also showed off the most underrated part of his game, his passing, hitting his teammates with a number of cool no-look and behind-the-back passes. The only downside to James' game was his unrepentant chucking. He attempted six three-pointers, making only one of them. That always drives me crazy. Stick to what you do best, LeBron.     

Dwight Howard - Shaq is trying to revoke Howard's Superman card, but that didn't matter on All-Star Sunday. Howard put on a one-man show under the bright lights of the JerryTron, throwing down alley-oops, running the full-court break, even hitting a three. LeBron and D-Wade may have been the headliners of the game, but Howard definitely had his moments. Now that Shaq has been all but eliminated from All-Star consideration, the new Superman is primed to play the part of goofy showman for years to come.  

Deron Williams - D-Will took to the sky in the second quarter of The Big Show, throwing down not one but two highlight-level dunks. He also showed off his skills in the open court, running wicked fast breaks and crashing the lane like a wide-shouldered Dwyane Wade. In fact, that may have been my favorite subplot of the All-Star Game: D-Will unleashed. I would never wish for this, but if Williams ever got free of Jerry Sloan we would get to see this kind of play more often. Again, I'm not hoping for that. I'm just saying...

Chauncey Billups - Mr. Big Shot hit threes like he was drinking water. And I'm not talking about the 3-Point Contest. Billups hit five of eight three-pointers on Sunday, and scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to put the West in a position to win. Sadly, Carmelo Anthony, Billups' teammate on the Nuggets, couldn't capitalize.  

Jerry Jones & Mark Cuban - Dallas Stadium was packed for the big game. The Jones/Cuban duo lured a Guinness World Record 108,713 fans to the venue, making it the biggest NBA All-Star game of all-time. Fans, analysts and players all talked about the magnitude of the event as if it were the Super Bowl or the Olympics. Props to Jones and Cuban for making the weekend such a memorable one.

Tyreke Evans - 'Reke was unstoppable Friday night, delivering a trademark 26-point, 5-assist, 5-steal performance on the way to the Rookies' first Rookie Challenge win. Evans was rewarded for his performance with the Rookie Challenge MVP award, which he promptly shared with teammate DeJuan Blair (see below). It was a classy move. If you haven't jumped on the 'Reke Havoc bandwagon - and frankly, who hasn't? - you need to do so immediately.  

DeJuan Blair - Just in case there was a doubt in anyone's mind that Blair deserved to be a first-round pick in the 2009 draft, he exploded in the Rookie Challenge for 22 points and a game-record 23 rebounds. Despite the presence of 7-footers like Brook Lopez, Blair grabbed every rebound in sight. He was amazing,

Kevin Love - His team may have lost the Rookie Challenge, but Love flashed his outlet pass skills early and often, hitting Russell Westbrook on multiple three-quarters court heaves and prompting me to dub him "King Outlet" on Twitter. It was a performance Bill Simmons would be proud of.    

Omri Casspi - In addition to being named an unexpected starter in the Rookie Challenge, Israel's first-ever pro got to compete in the H.O.R.S.E. competition and appeared in his first Nike spot. Suffice to say it was a good weekend for Casspi.

Kenny Smith - Not only did "The Jet" team up with Dirk Nowitzki to win the Haier Shooting Stars competition, he also got a shout out from David Stern during Sunday's pre-game. When you're 12 years removed from the League and the Commish says you've still got it, you're a winner in my book. (Bonus points to Smith for bringing his family on stage for Sunday's Valentine's Day finale. I'm sure some people didn't like it, but I thought it was a classy move.)

Steve Nash - Nash, one of Canada's favorite sons, made a surprise appearance as torch-lighter in Vancouver Friday night. Shortly afterward, he jumped on a plane to Dallas to join the All-Star festivities. arriving just in time to kick ass in the Skills Competition. Nash beat out Deron Williams, Russell Westbrook and Brandon Jennings to grab the Skills crown.  

Paul Pierce - The old man can still shoot. Pierce put up an impressive 20 points in the final round of the 3-Point Shootout, earning the Celtics their first 3-Point title since Larry Bird won his last one. 

Nate Robinson - Not for winning the Dunk Contest. That was a default choice. Nate is definitely not a winner for his involvement in that debacle. No, this is for his broadcasting appearance on Friday night. As a guest host on TNT's live coverage of the Rookie Challenge, Nate Rob was poised, animated, well-spoken and funny as hell. He made Dwight Howard look wooden by comparison. I'd take him over Reggie Miller any day.

The Dallas Mavericks - The Mavs addressed a number of concerns Saturday with a trade that brought Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson to Dallas in return for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, James Singleton, Quinton Ross and the Nowitzki family recipe for schnitzel. Although Butler is having a rough season so far, he is a seasoned competitor with an All-Star pedigree and a reputation for playing hard. Howard was having a tough time fitting in with the new-look Mavericks, but Butler will be so happy to be out of the Hell-hole that is the Wizards that he would be crazy to complain about his role with the Mavs.

Butler is good, but Haywood is the best addition to the Mavericks in my opinion. Dallas was in desperate need of front-court depth and Haywood is a talented 7-footer who averages a near double-double. He'll give Dallas the size and toughness they need to compete with the Lakers and Nuggets in the playoffs.

With the trade, the Mavericks move from "good team with flaws" to "serious contender," making them an obvious choice for winner of the weekend.

The Basketball Jones - This team of video podcasters - front men J.E. Skeets and Tas Melas, and behind-the-scenes guys J.D. and the TBJ Intern - always do quality, entertaining work, but this weekend the group took their show to a whole new level. During a weekend wrapped in convention, the TBJ turned the All-Star festivities upside down, filling their show with hilarious skits and zany interviews. Watching their coverage was, without a doubt, the highlight of my NBA weekend. Well done, sirs. 

Losers

Fans of the Dunk Contest - The Dunk Contest is typically the most entertaining event of All-Star Weekend, but that was definitely not the case this year. After LeBron James and Dwight Howard backed out, the NBA was forced to include guys like Gerald Wallace, who clearly didn't want to be there, in the contest. Wallace was plain and passionless. His dunks were as unimaginative as they come. It was an embarrassment to everyone involved that he participated.

Rookie DeMar DeRozan provided a few sparks, but he ended the final showdown with Nate Robinson on such a low note that fans had no choice but to give Nate Rob his record-setting third dunk title.

Robinson took home the crown, but, in reality, nobody deserved to win. It was the worst contest in recent memory, and it was memorialized as such by almost every major basketball blog in the industry; from Ball Don't Lie to The Baseline to True Hoop.

If NBA officials have any sense at all, they'll find a way to revamp the contest next season or entice more high-profile athletes to compete. Otherwise they risk losing their marquee Saturday event. 

The Sophomores - Russell Westbrook scored 40 points, but it wasn't enough to hold off the Rookies. The Sophomores' 140-128 loss marked the first Rookie victory in the eight-year history of the event. The second-year team had a considerable size advantage with center Brook Lopez, but failed to utilize it. Instead they took jump shot after jump shot on their way to futility. An ugly showing to say the least.

Patrick Ewing - So much for that head coaching job he was hoping for. If Ewing can't coach the sophomore team, winners of seven consecutive games, to victory how is he going to lead a real NBA team?

Daequan Cook - For being at All-Star Weekend in the first place. Technically it's not his fault. The NBA has a ridiculous rule that says players have to defend their All-Star Weekend titles from previous years, meaning Cook was mandated to compete in the 3-Point Shootout despite shooting just 32 percent from beyond the arc this season. Regardless of why he was there, I was less than thrilled that someone more worthy than Cook - like Steve Nash for instance - wasn't able to compete in the contest. 

LetShannonDunk.com - The single most disappointing promotional campaign in NBA history. I haven't seen a backfire this bad since Yi Jianlian was almost voted into the All-Star game last year.

Shannon Brown is an elite athlete with other-worldly hops. He was supposed to wow us, thereby redeeming an otherwise irredeemable Dunk Contest. Instead Brown was unimaginative and uninspired. His best dunk was a two-handed alley-oop from Kobe Bryant. I can't even begin to describe how lame that was.

Before the weekend I was prepared to name Brown to my dream Dunk Contest foursome - along with LeBron, Dwight and Josh Smith. No more. Now I wouldn't let him sniff it with Ashlee Simpson's nose.  

Gerald Wallace - Let me preface this by saying that I realize Wallace's skill and appreciate what he brings to a normal game of basketball. But All-Star Weekend isn't normal basketball. It's a showcase, and Wallace showed poorly. Like Little Miss Sunshine poor. Two points, three rebounds in 15 minutes of play - not to mention a horrible showing in the Dunk Contest (see above). I expected more out of Crash.

David Lee - A last second All-Star sub, Lee missed his buddy's wedding to record four points and two rebounds. I know Knicks fans were excited to see him included, but come on, this should have been Josh Smith's spot all along. Putting J-Smoove in the game would have been a win-win. Fans would have received a better show and Lee would have been able to be in the wedding party. The fact that Smith was frozen out of the event (pun intended) is ridiculous.   

Kobe Bryant - For that awful Mr. Rodgers sweater. C'mon, Kobe!

Usher - The guy performed in a Kevlar vest. It doesn't get much lamer than that. Usher, who in the world is going to shoot you when you're singing All-Star intros? It's not like John Wilkes Booth is hanging out in the wings. There's nobody on the grassy knoll. Lose the Kevlar, man. 

Rick Fox - I'm cool with Robert Horry playing in the Celebrity Game, but for some reason Fox's appearance reeks of desperation. Like, I'm a mid-tier former Laker, don't forget about me! Also, calling out Fox gives me an excuse to link to this clip again. And I love that clip.  

Josh Howard - He has to play in Washington without Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, Gilbert Arenas and (possibly) Antawn Jamison. Need I say more?