Just in case you were wondering what the game looks like from my vantage point...

12:00 - 34-28 East after one. Nothing of note in the first period. Amare Stoudemire hit a three, which is always one of my favorite All-Star occurences (big men three-pointers that is, not just Amare). And Joe checks in to start the 2nd. Watch out nets!

10:15 - A couple of nice plays by Chris Paul - a nice bounce pass to Brandon Roy for a lay-in and then a high-arching lay-up that draws the biggest reaction of the night from the crowd. Joe Johnson then hits a three to get on the board, eliciting the biggest reaction from the voices in my head.

9:00 - Give Joe credit - he knows he needs to put it up when he has the chance. He takes a step-back three from the corner but it's just long. 46-39 Eastern Conference.

8:15 - Joe Johnson, stat stuffer - he picks up a foul going for the steal on Carlos Boozer.

6:00 - Ok, this is what the fans came to see. A barrage of incredible alley-oops, mostly by Dwight Howard and Amare Stoudemire. I am making a mental note to make sure I watch the next time Phoenix and Orlando play each other, because the two of them are the most dominant physical specimens in the entire league.

5:00 - Joe checks back out with 3 points and an assist to his credit. Incidentally, I don't know how it looks on TV, but the jerseys this year are kind of confusing. The East team has blue on the front but silver on the back, while the West has white on the front and gold on the back. It's almost like four teams are playing.

2:30 - The Milwaukee Bucks Rim-Rockers are performing during a timeout, doing much of what SkyHawk and the SkySquad typically do. Which reminds me - what ever happened to Slam Ball? I always thought it had the chance to become sort of the Arena Football to the NBA's NFL. I guess not.

Halftime: 74-65 Eastern Conference. LeBron and "Superman" Howard lead the way with 12 points apiece for the East, while Brandon Roy has 11 and Amare Stoudemire 10 for the West. I'm going to take a quick break for a few minutes, and be back shortly for the start of the second half.