Big Easy showcase: Boozer makes the most of his limited minutes

NEW ORLEANS — It wasn't enough that Carlos Boozer had to miss last year's All-Star Game due to a broken left fibula after being picked to the team.

Sunday night, finally getting to make his All-Star debut, Boozer had to miss the entire first quarter before West coach Byron Scott finally summoned him as last man off the bench.

But playing a nice Jazz riff in his franchise's original home city, Boozer didn't take long making up for that lost time at New Orleans Arena. Try eight points and six rebounds in a 9:08 stint in the first half. How about a typical Boozer "double-double," 14 points, 10 rebounds for the night in just 19 minutes.

About the only thing he probably wasn't pleased with was the outcome, with MVP LeBron James leading the way for the underdog East with a near triple-double, 27 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in a pulsating 134-128 win.

"I had a blast," said Boozer. "There was a lot of anticipation, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

"It was fun to watch and I think it was entertaining for the fans."

After watching King James and "Superman," a.k.a. new slam dunk champion Dwight Howard, put on a high wire act that wowed everybody over the first three periods, the last thing anyone had to be suspecting was for a basketball to break out.

But when the West, which had trailed by as much as 95-79 late in the third and 106-93 after three, caught fire in the final period to first tie, then take the lead, suddenly this one was up for grabs. Watching from one of the best seats in the house, Boozer loved it.

"It was exciting," said Boozer, who loved sharing the experience with his family, blowing a kiss to his wife in the second row and waving to his parents further up in the stands.

"There were a lot of great plays being made. It was good to watch and be a fan, because there was some great basketball being played."

His five year wait — which, of course, began in Cleveland before shifting over to Utah, finally over — Boozer couldn't wait to make his all-star debut.

"It was tough," he said before the game. "You make your first All-Star Game but you can't participate. That was was tough for me. So this year's gonna be sweet. I'm gonna savor every moment of it."