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OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- In case anyone still was wondering if the Western Conference is more powerful, Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan hammered home the point. O'Neal, Duncan and the rest of the West simply were too big and too strong for the Eastern Conference, muscling their way to a 137-126 victory in the 49th NBA All-Star Game. The game's two most prominent big men shared Most Valuable Player honors as the West overpowered the East, just as it has all season. Armed with the 7-2 O'Neal and the game's four best power forwards, the West had 20 dunks -- most of the hammer variety -- and an astounding 86 points in the paint. "I think that's a historical frontline there," O'Neal said. "It was fun to be out there with those guys." "I liked Tim Duncan's lefthanded dunk at the end of the game," added West coach Phil Jackson of the Los Angeles Lakers. "It was an incredible display of versatility and power at the same time. But there were a number of ones and it would be difficult to put (highlights) together." O'Neal, the leading candidate for season MVP honors, had 22 points, nine rebounds and three blocks before sitting out the fourth quarter. The superstar center of the Lakers made 11-of-20 shots. The 7-foot Duncan, the 1999 NBA Finals MVP, collected 24 points and 14 rebounds. The power forward of the San Antonio Spurs hit 12-of-14 shots. Just for good measure, 7-foot forward Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves added 24 points and 10 rebounds. The West's size was so dominant that it won easily, despite Spurs center David Robinson and Utah Jazz power forward Karl Malone totaling zero points in a combined 10 minutes. "With Garnett's range now, he could easily be a true three (small forward), if that's what you call for," said East coach Jeff Van Gundy of the New York Knicks. "He can guard on the perimeter and then you have the dominant low post players, O'Neal and Duncan, that would require double teams. I could play guard for that team and win big." By contrast, the East had just one power forward -- Dale Davis of the Indiana Pacers, who was making his first All-Star appearance. He managed four points and eight rebounds in 14 minutes and was totally overmatched. "Size really was the difference in this game," added Jackson. "The athleticism that we had with the size was the difference." The East tried to combat the West's size with speed. Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson, also making his first All-Star appearance, collected 26 points and nine assists. He led a third-quarter surge that saw the East take its only lead. But the 6-footer was not nearly enough to overcome the West's giants. "I think it was a great game, but being competitive, being a basketball player, you always want to win, regardless of who you're playing against or how undermatched you are," Iverson said. A jumper by Milwaukee Bucks forward Glenn Robinson gave the East its only lead at 97-95 with 30 seconds left in the third quarter. Duncan immediately responded with a dunk and Sacramento Kings forward Chris Webber added a layup just before the horn to put the West ahead for good. "It's a battle of size vs. the quickness," Duncan said. "And on this given day the size won." A 3-pointer and driving layup by Dallas Mavericks forward Michael Finley and three free throws by Seattle SuperSonics guard Gary Payton extended the advantage to 109-99 with 8:07 remaining. With Iverson on the bench, the East got no closer than eight points thereafter and the West finished with a flurry of dunks to snap a three-game losing streak in the all-time series. The East still holds a 31-18 lead. Lakers guard Kobe Bryant scored 15 points and Phoenix Suns guard Jason Kidd added 11 and 14 assists for the West, which shot 53 percent (61-of-115) from the field and held a 58-46 rebounding advantage. "Three 7-footers -- rebounds for the East were scarce," said Toronto guard Vince Carter, who scored 12 points. "We had to cherish it and make it count on the other end. And it didn't happen much." Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning scored 15 points and Bucks guard Ray Allen added 14 for the East, which shot 47 percent (51-of-108). "It's not that you have to stop one guy," said Mourning, who had seven rebounds and four blocks. "They had a bunch giving us trouble, but we played hard and did the best we good." The West had only three dunks in the first quarter, but still opened a 33-26 lead. Duncan scored eight points and O'Neal, wearing funky fluorescent green and black sneakers, grabbed six rebounds. Late in the second quarter, the West took advantage of the East's small lineup. O'Neal went coast-to-coast for a layup and followed with a hammer dunk. Bryant set up Garnett for a slam and Kidd threw alley-oop passes to O'Neal and Garnett, both of whom dunked, hung on the rim and slapped the backboard. "I like the fastbreak better," O'Neal said. "My teammates were calling me the 'Big Luggage' because of my handles." The West led 64-59 at halftime as O'Neal, Duncan and Garnett were the only players in double figures. The third quarter began in similar fashion as Kidd's alley-oop pass intended for Duncan banked in off the glass. O'Neal had a pair of slams 15 seconds apart and Kidd passed off the backboard to Duncan for another and a 77-69 lead with 8:48 to go. But Iverson led a rally by the East. He scored nine points in the final eight minutes of the period, leading to Robinson's go-ahead jumper.
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