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Arlington, Texas. The largest crowd to watch a basketball game saw an all too familiar sight, Dwyane Wade dominating a big game in Texas, as the Eastern Conference beat the West 141-139 in Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game.

Wade had 28 points and won MVP honors in a game watched by 108,713 at Cowboys Stadium.

Chris Bosh make the winning free throws for the East with five seconds left. The West had a chance to win it, but Carmelo Anthony’s 3-point attempt came up short.

“To be in front of 108,000 fans, that was actually what it was, that was not a false number. You could look up in the stands, and there was not a seat open,” LeBron James said. “To be part of history is something that you always wish and dream for.”

The largest cheer of the night came earlier, when Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones came onto the court to announce the record crowd, which was also the largest in the $1.2 billion building’s short history.

They were booing at the end when Wade went to the line and made two free throws with 12.7 seconds left. Dirk Nowitzki of the hometown Mavericks tied it with two of his own five seconds later before Bosh put the East on top for the final time.

James scored 25 points, and Bosh finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds for the East. For the West, Anthony scored 27 and Nowitzki had 22.

Wade’s performance brought back memories of his MVP performance when Miami won the title in Dallas.

“I’ve had a little luck in Dallas. Of course, 2006 is very, very memorable, winning the NBA championship, and I was lucky enough and blessed enough to win the MVP there,” Wade said. “To come and do it again is special.”

The real star, though, was the venue. The NBA brought its midseason showcase to a football stadium, and the arrangement worked perfectly. The league predicted about 90,000 but ended up blowing past Jones’s and Cuban’s hopes to pass 100,000.

It easily shattered the previous record for the largest crowd to watch a basketball game of 78,129, set for a college game between Kentucky and Michigan State at Detroit’s Ford Field in 2003.

The thrilling finish more than salvaged an occasionally rough All-Star weekend for the league. Injuries knocked out favorites such as Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul. Commissioner David Stern and players association executive director Billy Hunter indicated the sides were far apart on a labor agreement that would prevent a work stoppage in the summer of 2011, and the slam dunk contest wasn’t pretty even with the presence of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.

NBA

Associated Press