Grading the West All-Stars

Pau Gasol scored perhaps the quietest 14 points in All-Star Game history. AP

Grading the West players from Sunday's NBA All-Star Game: (RECAP|BOX SCORE)

Shaquille O'Neal, A
The Big Cactus gets an 'A' for entertainment for his smooth performance with The Jabberwockies during the pre-game introductions. O'Neal was pretty good on the floor, too. In his return to the All-Star game after a one-year hiatus, he had his finest performance since 2004, scoring 17 points.

Tim Duncan, B
The workmanlike Duncan doesn't draw oohs and ahhs from the crowd (a 15-foot bank shot just doesn't have the same appeal of a windmill dunk), but like in San Antonio, Duncan didn't miss one defensive rotation. Take that, Kobe!

Dirk Nowitzki, B
Nowitzki has had a number of explosive scoring nights in Phoenix, but Sunday night wasn't one of them. He did make the most of his 14 minutes, pumping in eight points with his trademark high-arcing jump shot.

Pau Gasol, B+
Gasol deserves extra credit for being part of fellow Spaniard Rudy Fernandez's spectacular behind the backboard dunk Saturday night. He deserves even more credit for scoring the quietest 14 points in All-Star game history.

David West, B-
West tied Dirk Nowitzki with a team-low 14 minutes. And he had six points. And he didn't do much else.

Tony Parker, A
Parker's grade gets a boost thanks to the superior performance of wife Eva Longoria, who by the end of the first quarter had converted John McCain and his wife into a Parker fan. The former Presidential candidate was spotted cheering raucously alongside the Desperate Housewives star after every Parker bucket.

Brandon Roy, B+
Typical Roy. He's the West's most efficient perimeter player and half the crowd didn't realize he was on the floor. Some day, when the Bryant's and O'Neal's are retired, Roy is going to get some much deserved recognition. I think.

Chris Paul, A
Steve Nash's heir-apparent wreaked havoc in the passing lanes all night, finishing with three steals, and took frequent advantage of the officials' "reluctance" to make traveling calls. He also was part of the play of the night in the third quarter, a give-and-go with O'Neal that began with Shaq threading a bounce past through the legs of Dwight Howard

Kobe Bryant, A
Here's why Bryant, who scored 27 points, will be a favorite in every All-Star game he's in: He plays to win. There were no trick shots in Bryant's bag Sunday night, just a steady stream of runners, fadeaways and three-point shots. Like Kevin Garnett, Bryant doesn't seem to have an intensity-off switch.

Chauncey Billups, C
Suiting up for the West for the first time, Billups didn't exactly distinguish himself. That's OK though ? Mr. Big Shot must be saving it for the playoffs.

Amare Stoudemire, A-
The buzz on press row before the game was that Stoudemire, whose name has been attached to trade rumors all week, would make a strong run for the game MVP award. He did, finishing the game as the West's second-leading scorer. Could this be the last time Stoudemire graces the U.S. Airways Center in a home uniform?

Yao Ming, D
The West's low scorer struggled all night, even having a shot swatted away by Dwight Howard in the second half. Perhaps the burden of having to carry the Rockets all season slowed him down.