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Joakim Noah's final All-Star Game numbers weren't all that flashy in the vein of Eastern Conference teammates Kyrie Irving ( All-Star Game MVP) and Carmelo Anthony (set record for most threes in an All-Star Game), but he certainly made his impact felt in a 163-155 comeback victory for the Eastern Conference. Noah showed off his brilliant passing ability and also brought some defensive intensity to a game that didn't really have any until the final minutes.
Noah finished the game with eight points, five rebounds and five assists in 21 minutes. Noah did much of his damage in the fourth quarter, notching six points, three rebounds and two assists in the final frame. Jo played the entire fourth quarter and helped shut down the West in the closing minutes as the East finished the game on a 10-0 run.
Noah and LeBron James hooked up on several plays in the fourth quarter, including this one (via _MarcusD_):
There was also this one that gave the East their first lead since the first half:
Prior to the game, I'm sure many people were curious to see what Jo would do when introduced. He did do something, although I have no clue what the significance was (via _MarcusD_):
Anyway, pretty awesome to see Frank Vogel go with Noah the entire fourth quarter. And it was super cool to see Noah have such an impact. Also, LOOK AT THIS:
New York Knicks Carmelo Anthony photo of him during the All Star Game with Joakim Noah. Are they buddies now? pic.twitter.com/ZBBTiXVDAt
— Chicago Bulls Rumors (@chicagobullsbot) February 17, 2014
This means Melo and Jo are close friends, right? RIGHT?! So I'm just going to go ahead and jump to the conclusion that Melo wants to come to Chicago.
In other Bulls/All-Star stuff, Benny the Bull was up to his usual tricks. At one point, he was even joking with LeBron on the bench:
Here's what Benny probably said to LeBron:
Told him he could put the Bulls over the top RT @NickFriedell: What did @bennythebull say to LeBron? Get that Bull a mic.
— Jason Patt (@Bulls_Jay) February 17, 2014
Finally, I want to recommend checking out SB Nation's cool post about the organist who was pretty badass throughout the game. Also thought the pre-game stuff with Pharrell and all the "old" rappers as well as the halftime show was dope. Now get ready for what should be an interesting final few months of the year.