NBA All-Star Friday includes Mathurin and Tshiebwe in Rising Stars action
The two young Pacers are looking forward to battling each other in the Rising Stars.
“Living in Indy? I feel like I’m living in paradise.”
Not long after Oscar Tshiebwe answered a question about how he likes living in Indianapolis, 3-4 inches of snow fell on the Circle City. While the snow gridlocked much of the city, the downtown NBA All-Star footprint continued to buzz with activity.
The show started Friday morning with the Rising Stars practice and player’s media sessions which is when Tshiebwe charmed his way through an array of questions which had him discussing his role and how he adjusts to day-to-day changes on his two-way contract to how he’s prepared to deny Mac McClung and more importantly, Bennedict Mathurin if they consider trying to dunk on him.
Oscar also revealed he was considering plans for the All-Star break when he was chosen for the Rising Stars game. He mentioned planning to go somewhere warm with water, which also sounds like paradise.
About an hour later, Mathurin wasn’t listening to any threats from his teammate, looking forward to attacking him at every opportunity. After limping into the break while dealing with an illness, Mathurin appeared healthy and ready to roll in whatever role he will play over the weekend. His activities begin on Friday night with the Rising Stars, then he is slated for All-Star Saturday night with teammates Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner in the KIA Skills Challenge.
Hopefully the weather doesn’t put a damper on all of the festivities going on between Lucas Oil Stadium (where the celebrity game is played) and the Fieldhouse (where the Rising Stars tip at 9 p.m. ET on TNT), let alone all of the other events all over the city. The rush hour traffic was nuts getting down to the Fieldhouse, almost like an actual rush hour in so many other cities. The snow should be outta here by the time anyone leaves the Fieldhouse from the Rising Stars game and no doubt, the road will be taken care of which simply leaves a very chilly Saturday for visitors to handle. Fortunately, with Lucas Oil Stadium and the Convention Center handling the bulk of the Saturday events, the indoor corridors will come in handy.
Regardless, if you make it downtown and you think you see someone famous, you probably did. Wherever you are, enjoy all of the events.