February 24, 2012; Orlando FL, USA; TNT anchor Kenny Smith introduces Team Shaq general manager Shaquille O[gallery]

Let’s take a look at some questions going into the competition.

Q: If you were the coach of one of the Rising Stars teams, who would you make your No. 1 pick?

A: If I were coach of either team and had the first pick, there’s no doubt in my mind that I would take Kyrie Irving. Watching Irving play, the only weakness in his game are his turnovers. Denver Head Coach George Karl said it best before the Nuggets game against the Cavaliers. “Coming out of college, I knew he would be good. I knew he could create, distribute and do all of that. But to think he’d be at this level after playing just a handful of games in college is insane. The kid is going to be really good for a long time.” Irving is No. 6 in the league in scoring at 23.5 per game and is No. 16 in the league in PER (highest among any sophomores or rookies).

Jan. 12, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard (2) Kyrie Irving controls the ball during game against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. The Cavaliers defeated the Suns 101-90. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Q: Who has the better overall roster, Team Shaq or Team Chuck?

A: The two teams are so different on paper. Shaq’s team is quicker and has more depth than Chuck’s. Chuck’s team however has an extreme size advantage. Barkley selected this past year’s No. 1 pick Anthony Davis first for his squad and took the Manimal second. There’ s no doubt that Barkley’s team will have the rebounding advantage in the game, but Shaq’s team will be able to set the tempo with Irving and Damian Lillard running the backcourt. With Team Shaq’s depth and ability to run the floor, I have to give them the advantage.

Feb 13, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) drives with the ball against the New Orleans Hornets during the second half of a game at the New Orleans Arena. The Hornets defeated the Trail Blazer 99-63. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Q: Are there any players on either of the Rising Stars team that will be in the actual All-Star Game next season?

A: Absolutely. There are three that stick out to me the most. First is Irving who I mentioned his level of play in question one. You could make the case that he’s a top five guard right now. Second for me would be Lillard. Lillard came very close to making the All-Star roster this year and showed why Shaq selected him first overall.  Lillard leads all rookies in points per game (18.2) and minutes per game (38.5), as well as averaging 6.6 assists per game and 1.02 steals per game. Lillard is the only rookie to hit the 30-point mark twice this season. To put it in perspective, only one other rookie scored 30 points even once. The last one would be Faried. The Western Conference is so deep at power forward that he’ll have an outside shot. During the Nuggets recent nine-game win streak, the attention shifted out to Denver and Faried. Faried is interesting because it’s his rebounding, hustle and athleticism that makes him as good as he is. The Nuggets don’t run any plays for Faried on the offensive side of the ball at all. He converts on offensive rebounds and clears the lane for Ty Lawson to drive and dish. If Faried can develop any type of offensive game, he’ll be one of the hardest players to stop in the league.

February 12, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) dunks against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Denver 109-108. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Q: Who is going to win tonight’s game: Team Shaq or Team Chuck?

A: I hope and think it’s going to be a good game. Team Shaq has the speed and depth while Team Chuck has the size advantage. If Team Shaq is able to set the tempo and run the floor with Lillard and Irving, then I think they win 142-129.

Before Saturday’s game, Denver Head Coach George Karl said that a key would be holding Cleveland’s tough reserve unit in check and continue to shoot well from the field on the road. Luckily for Karl, the Nuggets were able to both as they pushed their winning streak to nine games in its 111-103 victory.

“I was happy of our effort and the results we got from it,” Karl said. “The Cavaliers are a good, young team and will be making noise in the years coming. This was a very good win for us.”

The Nuggets got off to a quick 8-0 lead thanks two three-pointers by Ty Lawson and Danilo Gallinari, as well as a layup by Kosta Koufos. While the Nuggets prepared for Kyrie Irving leading into the game, it was another one of the young Cavaliers who kept the game within reach early on.

Alonzo Gee, who averaged 10.2 points per game coming into the contest, scored 15 of the Cavaliers first 17 points in the first six minutes of the game. A quick timeout by Karl took Gee out of his rhythm as he only scored five more points the rest of the game.

“I was more upset with our defense than I was with the kid making shots,” Karl said of Gee. “He made some tough ones though so I knew I had to call a timeout to cool him down.”

After losing at the end of the first quarter, the Nuggets took a six-point lead going into the half and never looked back. As usual with the Nuggets, the scoring was spread around as Gallinari led all Nuggets with 19  points.

Feb 9, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Denver Nuggets small forward Kenneth Faried (35) collides with Cleveland Cavaliers small forward Luke Walton (4) in the second quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Kenneth Faried, who stressed the importance of this game during morning shoot around, contributed 17 points of his own as he was one of eight Nuggets in double-figures.

“This was a huge game for us,” Faried said. “We both came in riding high, and they fought until the end. We need to play better however if we are going to beat the Celtics tomorrow.”

While Irving was contributing in the stat book, he led all scorers with 26 points, he ran into foul trouble in the early third which allowed the Nuggets to take advantage and take an 11-point lead going into the fourth.

“I think it definitely hurt our chances,” Irving said. “When I came back in, it was almost too little too late.”

As aforementioned, Karl wanted to hold the Cavaliers bench in check, but also preached the importance of having his reserve unit outwit the Cleveland backups. The Nuggets were able to outscored the Cavaliers bench 40 to 36, but the real difference of the game was the 46-38 differential on the boards.

“I loved the hustle from our guys,” Karl said. “Eight in double-figures, we were rebounding the ball and our reserves played big for us down the stretch.”

The Nuggets as a team shot 50 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from behind the arc and 73.5 percent from the charity stripe.

The Nuggets (33-18) will travel to Boston tomorrow to take on the Celtics. That is, if they can get in thanks to Winter Storm Nemo.

“Man I’m hoping that we can,” swingman Andre Iguodala joked. “Hopefully they can open up a special section just for us.”

Karl agrees with Faried’s comment that the team needs to improve all around if they are going to win tomorrow and that along with Los Angeles, Boston is one of his favorite places to play.

“I look at Boston and Los Angeles as the top teams as far as prestige go. I’d prefer to be playing in the old Boston Garden, but the new one is nice too,” Karl said. “I”m hoping the snow isn’t too bad and we can get in there.”