Brand a Star Among Stars

Even if he hoped to get here sooner and began to wonder what it would take, Elton Brand made his All-Star debut Sunday, scoring six points and taking 10 rebounds in 19 minutes.

The first Clipper to appear in the game since Danny Manning in 1994, he said he was overjoyed.

He also admitted it would have hurt to miss another one.

“It definitely hurt,” he said. “I’d see all the festivities and all the fun the guys would be having. I’d be, ‘Oh, I don’t want to see that.’ ...

“I just felt like it’ll come, my time will come. And it’s an honor that it came now.

“I’ve been here on the baby level, the Rookie Challenge two years. On the adult level, it’s a lot of fun. It’s different.”

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Joy Nelson, recovering from breast cancer, joined her husband, Don, on the bench late in the game.

“It was fun,” Don said. “She doesn’t get to tell her story very much to the television audience and I think it’s an important story. Early detection saved her life. She preached early mammograms and took them and as a result, it saved her life. And same with me. Early detection saved my life.

“I had cancer about a year ago and thank God that we follow our message ourselves.”

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Maybe he should have put it another way: Boston’s Paul Pierce, asked what happened to the East: “Kevin Garnett at the three [small forward] spot, killed [Michael] Jordan. That hurt us.”

Mark Heisler

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Playing only 16 minutes might have upset some All-Stars, but Alonzo Mourning of the East team appreciated every one.

The 32-year-old Miami Heat center was voted to start last year’s game, but he could not play because of a serious kidney ailment that forced him to miss all but 13 games of the regular season.

Mourning’s comeback has been astounding--he is among league leaders in blocked shots and field-goal percentage. And he made the most of his time in the All-Star game, making six of seven shots for 13 points and grabbing three rebounds.

“The weekend was a blast,” he said. “Just watching little kids having a good time and seeing the smiles on their faces because they are around players they look up to makes it worthwhile.”

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Former UCLA guard Baron Davis was a late add to the East team, taking the place of the injured Vince Carter.

Davis, a third-year player with the Charlotte Hornets, had five assists and two points in 13 minutes, and left with a keepsake--he had his teammates sign his jersey.

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The West’s 13 three-point baskets and 30 attempts set All-Star game records, breaking marks of 12 and 29 set by the East in 1997. Gary Payton made four three-pointers for the West and Peja Stojakovic had three. Ray Allen made three for the East.

Steve Henson

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Brand One

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