All-Star Game

By Rick Gano
Associated Press

Why? Michael Jordan and Glen Rice.

Gary Payton, who had 17 points and 10 assists, said he isn't "going to cry" over the West blowing a big lead.

"I'm not going to cry about it," West guard Gary Payton said. "It's just something that happened. It doesn't mean anything."

Jordan, recording the first All-Star triple-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, led a 27-7 run to end the first half, and Rice hit three consecutive 3-pointers in a 13-0 spurt starting the second.

The West's big lead and -- for the most part -- its chance of winning was over. The East went on to a 132-120 victory Sunday.

"Michael came out and sparked them. But I think Glen did most of the damage to us," said Payton, who had 17 points and 10 assists. "He was wide open and hit a lot of shots."

"You know, they got Michael Jordan and he kind of took over the second quarter. Once he got going, everybody else got into the game," explained the Lakers' Eddie Jones, playing in his first All-Star game.

"Rice is such a hard guy to defend when he's posted up or on the perimeter. They put me on him after he got going, but it was about four minutes too late."

Mitch Richmond just shook his head.

"We were trying to win the game and I thought we were off to a pretty good start," he said. "We were in a pretty good situation in the second quarter. They got on a roll and after that it was their ballgame."

What was left was for the West to put on a show at Gund Arena.

"It's just like the playground," said Payton, who set Golden State's Latrell Sprewell up for two thunderous alley-oop dunks in the final quarter, one around Chicago's Scottie Pippen.

"Gary's notorious for that and I was waiting for it," said Sprewell, who led the West with 19 points.

"He's been looking at Shawn Kemp and me on those plays and he knows what's up," Payton said.

Utah forward Karl Malone, booed during introductions because earlier he said he couldn't wait to get out of Cleveland once the game was over, called the game secondary.

It was a weekend to celebrate the NBA's 50th anniversary and to honor its 50 greatest players. Malone, who scored just four points, was one of them.

"I just enjoyed being around those guys," said Malone, who's been selected to 10 All-Star games.

"Without a doubt that was the highlight of any All-Star game I've had. Being around those guys was tremendous. It was great. It's something I won't forget for a long time."