NBA All-Star Game

The NBA All-Star Game 2011 will be played on Sunday, February 20, 2011 at Staples Center. The Staples Center, considered one of the world’s best arenas for sports and entertainment, have been selected to host NBA All-Star 2011, marking the fifth time The City of Angels and the second time Staples Center will be the site of the annual celebration. The NBA All-Star Game is a game held annually between the top players in the Western and Eastern Conferences of the National Basketball Association. The game is part of All-Star Weekend, held every February, which includes other exhibition activities such as the Rookie Challenge, Slam Dunk Contest, and Three-Point Shootout. Never miss the fun, excitement, in watching your favorite NBA superstar like Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Paul Pierce, LeBron James and many more in showcasing their talents in basketball Watch NBA All-Star Game 2011 on February 20, 2011.

Houston Rockets key players open NBA pre-season without them

Chinese superstar center Yao Ming and forward Tracy McGrady were among those not in uniform Tuesday as the Houston Rockets began their NBA pre-season training camp. Seven-time NBA All-Star Yao is recovering from surgery to repair a broken left foot and is expected to miss the entire 2009-2010 season while McGrady underwent microfracture surgery upon his left knee last February. "Far ahead of schedule" is how McGrady described his rehabilitation status after seven months but added, "It's not time to really rush it back. Confidence-wise - running, cutting, jumping - I have that right now." Doctors told McGrady it could take as much as a year before he would be able to return for the Rockets, but he will undergo an MRI exam November 23 to obtain a status report. "If he can play after November 23, I think he'll still be ahead of schedule, but we don't know what the MRI is going to show," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said. McGrady played in only 35 games last season before the surgery and said that even playing so long might have been a mistake, one he will not repeat with a premature return this season. "I don't want to rush anything," he said. "When I feel like I can go every day without having to play a night in practice and then sit out, until I feel that way, I'm not going to play." With Ron Artest traded to the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, the team which ousted Houston in the second round of last season's playoffs, there will be many new faces in Rocket red uniforms this season. Among them will be Australian David Andersen, signed as the Houston center in Yao's absence. "The people that we're missing are huge pieces," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "It's going to be interesting to see how the guys respond. We've become a very young team. Guys are going to have to accept different roles."