Bryant affirms place among basketball elite

Kobe Bryant put on a dazzling display in his backyard, scoring 37 points and capturing the MVP honours as the West edged the East 148-143 in the 60th NBA all-star game. The Los Angeles Lakers guard Bryant also had 14 rebounds, three steals and three assists, finishing just five points shy of Wilt Chamberlain's all-star game scoring record of 42 points. Bryant's 37 points on Sunday propelled him past Elgin Baylor and Julius Erving into fourth on the all-time, all-star scoring list with 244 points. "Being at home I wanted to come out, play hard and put on a good show," said the 32-year old Bryant, who also won the MVP in 2009, 2007 and 2002. "This feels great being at home and playing in front of home crowd. This will be my last all-star game in front of these fans. So it feels good." Bryant's fourth MVP performance overshadowed the brilliant all-star debut of Los Angeles Clippers rookie Blake Griffin who finished with eight points, five rebounds and five assists. "He just went out there and took over," Griffin said of Bryant. "It was fun to watch a player get off like that and really get his shots. He was just feeling it." New York's Amare Stoudemire sensed Bryant was up to something early in the contest. "You could tell he started out from the start," Stoudemire said. "He wanted to get the MVP. He was not passing the ball at all. But that is Kobe." Griffin, who soared over a car Saturday to win the slam-dunk contest, was the busiest all-star this weekend competing in the rookie game, dunk contest and his first all-star Sunday. "Oh man. I can barely move right now. The last time I was this tired was probably at training camp," Griffin said. "I had fun no doubt. It was a good experience. "At the beginning of the year I didn't know what to expect. It has come all at once." In a game filled with spectacular alley-oops, no-look passes, fade-away jumpers and precision shooting, LeBron James exploded for 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the East. The contest, in front of a sold-out crowd of 17,163 at Staples Center arena, was surprisingly competitive for a game with only bragging rights at stake. Just when it appeared the West might cruise to an easy victory, the East rallied in the fourth quarter behind the strength of James. "King" James pulled the East to within two points, 142-140, with 70 seconds left in the fourth but that is as close as they would get. "You know they were always coming," Bryant said of the East. "It makes for good show that's for sure." Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant iced the victory, sinking a pair of free throws with five seconds remaining for a five-point cushion for the West who have won three of the last five all-star games. Durant finished with 34 points. This is the 13th all-star appearance for veteran Bryant who said he felt energized by being on the same floor as all the young bucks like Griffin and Russell Westbrook.