The game is over, and the West has won. Bully for them. I wouldn't say this game stood out in any particular way, except for getting to see Joe play, which was the highlight for me. JJ ended up playing the entire fourth quarter, which was exciting. He finished the game with 12 points, third-best on the Eastern Conference team, which though it doesn't mean a whole lot I think it helps him continue to edge his way into the American basketball conscious.

I joined the fray to talk to him after the game, and to be honest, he said all the things you'd expect him to say: he was happy to be here, he enjoyed being in the game and spending time with the other players over the course of the weekend, etc. But I wanted to ask him one thing, and so I did. I wanted to know about his dunk.

I thought his response was pretty funny. Speaking of funny, here is the interview I did earlier this evening with Jimmy Kimmel.

Well, that about wraps it up for me from Vegas. I had a blast, I hope you all enjoyed reading along with me as well. And, wouldn't you know it, I actually have a ticket into a party tonight after all, courtesy of Hawks CMO Lou DePaoli, a stand-up guy if there ever was one. Everything works out in the end! Yay Vegas!

I leave you with a few more pics from tonight, mostly of a few pre-game shots and some post-game interview shots. If I am able to chat up any celebrities (please let it be Chappelle!) later tonight, I will post something about it tomorrow.

Good night!

Louis Gossett, Jr!

Sir Charles signs something for Greg Anthony's son (I assume)

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goldman addresses the media. It's good to be the king.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith listens in to questions asked to Dwyane Wade before probably shouting something to someone

D-Wade had a quiet night with 10 points and 3 assists

Joe talks to the media after the game

Anyway, I will post the audio in just a little bit - it was about what you'd expect from a guy like Kimmel, who has made a career out of catering to a guy's sense of humor. Which is to say I thought he was funny, but it's possible you may not appreciate it as much.

I also saw Louis Gossett, Jr., but he was wrapped up in a conversation and I didn't want to bother him. I did love his work in Diggstown, though.

Ok, they just had Seigfried and Roy say a few words, and now Wayne Newton is performing. I have heard of him, but I have to say, one thing that surprises me about Vegas is how many of the "top" performers are people I have never heard of. Some guy named Clint Holmes sang the national anthem last night, and he must be talented if he is a headliner here, but it's not like he's ever had a hit song or anything (at least to my knowledge). Just seems odd, that's all.

Pregame intros are just finishing up - hey, Wayne Newton plays the fiddle! - and then it's go time. My early pick for MVP? Gilbert Arenas. This just seems like the season for the Hibachi.

For awhile now, we on the website have been planning on making the trek cross-country to the City of Sin in the event that Hawks employees were asked to participate. Well, that didn't work out exactly as we'd hoped. First Shelden and Marvin got overlooked for the rookie-sophomore game, then no one was asked to participate in any of the skills competitions (I think you'll see Joe in the 3-pt shootout one of these years), and of course, JJ was overlooked when the original teams were announced.

Just like that, the trip to Vegas was shot. But, a faint ray of hope began to shine this week when Jason Kidd's back started acting up (I swear I had nothing to do with it), and wouldn't you know it, just like that, the trip was back on.

So, amazingly, just when all hope seemed lost (and all reservations had been cancelled), suddenly all systems are go, and I am proud to announce that the Hawks BasketBlog will be in the house to witness what really should be one of the most unique sporting events (and scenes) the world has ever seen: NBA All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas. There is no turning back now, sports - you were destined one day to take up residency in the Nevada desert, and here is the first real chance to see what it might be like (sorry, XFL).

As it stands now, due to the last-minutedness (a word?) of the trip, I am not getting into Vegas until tomorrow evening, so I will most likely miss the Friday night festivities. But, from there on out, I will be blogging daily about the sights and sounds of the weekend, including interviews with players and A-List celebrities (A-List defined in this case as "those who are willing to talk to me"). In addition, I will be live-blogging the All-Star game Sunday night from press row, which I am very much excited about. Plus, I will have my camera with me, and I promise to post a ton of photos of my experience (at least in the places where cameras are allowed).

It promises to be a great time - if you have any recommendations of things to do, or have questions you'd like me to ask, let me know in the comments.

Vegas baby...Vegas!

One of the ATL's favorite talents made it out to Philips Arena Friday night, as musician/actor Bow Wow took in the Pistons game from courtside. We had a chance to catch up with Bow Wow, who just released his fifth album "The Price of Fame" on Dec. 19, at halftime:

Hawks.com: The Hawks seem to play well when you are in the crowd - do you take any credit for that?

Bow Wow: It's crazy - every time I come here, it seems like they always play well. It's cool to come out and see the home team win - that's all I want to see anyway. I have a lot of friends on the team, like Josh Smith and Josh Childress, so its great to get to come out here and see them all be successful.

Hawks.com: The Hawks have suffered through a lot of injuries in the backcourt. Do you think you could play a little and help them out?

Bow Wow: You know I haven't given it much thought. Every time I am out here though, I watch and say to myself, you know, I'm not ready yet, but if I really buckled down...you never know. There are a lot of little guys in the league - Nate Robinson, Allen Iverson, maybe I could do it, but right now I don't think I'm there yet mentally.

Hawks.com: The team has been struggling some of late - what do you think they need to do to get some more wins?

Bow Wow: Honestly, they just need to get healthy. Injuries have killed this team - Joe, Josh Smith, Tyronn, everyone is dealing with it. It's hard for them to develop the kind of chemistry they need to be successful when they have to shuffle so many people in and out of the lineup. I just want to see everyone get back in sync with each other - I think we are seeing some of it tonight against Detroit, some of the up-tempo game these guys are capable of, we just need to get everyone back and then we'll be ok.

Hawks.com: We've had T.I. perform this year and Young Jeezy as well - are we going to see you perform after a Hawks game anytime soon?

Bow Wow: You never know, you never know (laughs)...