NEW ORLEANS -- After an exhausting game to cap an exhausting weekend, Anthony Davis finally sat down and let his guard down.
“Aw, f---,” Davis said.
The biggest problem appeared to be that Davis was in front of a room jammed with media, but his harmless lapse to begin his post game press conference was collectively forgiven with a laugh.
The bigger, not-yet-know issue issue: It was too early for the Pelicans star to relax.
After handling All-Star hosting duties in New Orleans, setting an All-Star game record with 52 points and winning MVP, Davis saw the Pelicans trade for DeMarcus Cousins.
“He’s a great player, dominant in this league,” Davis said when the deal was still in the rumored stage.
Cousins will finally give Davis a star teammate and push the Pelicans closer to playoff contention. Davis said he didn’t recruit much this weekend, but he clearly delivered for New Orleans by winning All-Star MVP.
“It was amazing,” Davis said. “That’s what I wanted to do. I stressed that, I think more than enough, to the guys in the locker room before the game. I wanted to get MVP for this crowd, for this city. The guys did a great job of finding me.”
Davis played 31 minutes and 50 seconds -- the most in the last three All-Star games. His 52 points broke Wilt Chamberlain’s All-Star record of 42 points in 1962 -- the season Chamberlain set NBA records with 50.4 points per game and scored 100 in a single game.
“The next one I’m going to try to do is 100 points,” Davis said.