Kyrie Irving and Team Shaq lost Friday night but the former No. 1 overall pick still managed to steal the show.

Irving found Brandon Knights trying to check him late in the second half and he went all Uncle Drew on him not once, but three times.

Irving’s handles are really in a class by themselves. He’s so smooth and makes it look so easy. Not even Knight who is a great defender in his own right can keep up with Irving.

Irving’s display was not enough to get past Team Chuck who won the game 163-135 thanks to a 90-point first half.

Kenneth Faried was the MVP scoring 40 points and he got the most help from Ricky Rubio who had 10 dimes in 15 minutes.

Rubio is perfect for this game as alley-oops and sick passes often dominate the game. Faried and his motor only know one speed so going for 40 against the smaller Team Shaq was made easy for him.

There is no better warm-up for the dunk contest than playing in a game like this with Rubio. Faried will compete in the dunk contest representing the Western Conference Saturday night.

This was the second year that the Rising Stars Challenge teams were drafted by Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley. Barkley is 2-0 in the series.

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

The new tradition at NBA All-Star Weekend regarding the game between the rookies and sophomores is letting Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley draft teams from a pool made up of the two classes.

Last year was the first time the NBA did this. Barkley’s team won 146-133 as rookie Kyrie Irving captured MVP honors with 34 points and nine assists.

The two were back at it again last night drafting their teams. So which team is the favorite this year? Who had the better draft?

Well, you nearly have to give them both failing grades because Irving wasn’t taken until the third pick. Shaq went first and took rookie Damian Lillard then Barkley picked the No. 1 overall pick from the 2012 NBA Draft, Anthony Davis.

The fact that Shaq at least still ended up with Irving gives him a pass for now. Barkley taking Davis isn’t a horrible idea either since the game often hinges on who can finish the most alley-oops, something Davis is already one of the best in the league at. It’s still a head scratcher that Barkley wouldn’t draft his MVP from last year.

The key to this game is not only dunks but point guard play and three-point shooting. It also doesn’t hurt to end up with a few guys who are going to play hard.

Let’s break down which team is made up of the most of these four categories:

Dunkers

Team Shaq: Andre Drummond, Harrison Barnes, Dion Waiters
Team Chuck: Anthony Davis, Kenneth Faried, Tristan Thompson

Point Guards

Team Shaq: Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker
Team Chuck: Ricky Rubio, Brandon Knight, Isaiah Thomas

Three-Point Shooters

Team Shaq: Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson
Team Chuck: Bradley Beal, Brandon Knight

Going to Hustle and play a little D

Team Shaq: Chandler Parsons, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Tyler Zeller
Team Chuck: Kenneth Faried, Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Vucevic, Alexey Shved

As you can see, the amount of each type of player that each team has is pretty even. You gave to give Team Shaq a big advantage when it comes to point guard play and shooters. Team Chuck has better dunkers and finishers of alley-oops and also has better alley-oop passers with Rubio and Shved.

A key matchup will be Parsons and MKG vs. Faried and Leonard in the hustle category. You know MKG only knows one speed and should have a big game but who on Team Shaq is containing the Manimal?

At the end of the day, it will probably come down to which team has a player who is likely to just go off and take over. This is where Team Shaq has the edge. Between Irving, Lillard and Thompson, one of them is probably going to knock down five-plus treys. Team Chuck simply doesn’t have a player like that.

The edge goes to Team Shaq but it’s only a slight advantage.

The game will be played Feb. 15.

Feb 6, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) attempts a free throw after a technical foul on the Charlotte Bobcats in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal each have drafted their teams for the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge that will be played on Feb. 16 at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Houston, Texas.

There was a pool comprised of 20 rookies and sophomores that Barkley and Shaq got to pick from.

Here’s how the draft ended up going:

Team Shaq

1. Damian Lillard
3. Kyrie Irving
5. Andre Drummond
7. Klay Thompson
9. Harrison Barnes
11. Chandler Parsons
13. Dion Waiters
15. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
17. Tyler Zeller
19. Kemba Walker

Team Barkley

2. Anthony Davis
4. Kenneth Faried
6. Kawhi Leonard
8. Bradley Beal
10. Ricky Rubio
12. Tristan Thompson
14. Nikola Vucevic
16. Brandon Knight
18. Isaiah Thomas
20. Alexey Shved

The big shocker was Irving not going No. 1 but amazingly Shaq was still able to draft him No. 3 overall. Irving will be playing in the All-Star Game as well and may even be a starter in that game replacing Rajon Rondo.

This is always a game dominated by point guards and who can throw and catch the most alley-oops. Team Barkley is led by Davis and Faried as great dunkers and they will have Rubio throwing them lobs all day.

It’s nearly impossible to predict a winner for this game. Usually someone just gets hot from the field and their team pulls away. That’s what happened last year when Irving took over and earned MVP honors.

Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

The pool of rookie and sophomores available for the 2013 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge for All-Star Weekend has been announced.

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving will headline the pool of sophomores. Joining him will be Kenneth Faried, Brandon Knight, Kawhi Leonard, Chandler Parsons, Klay Thompson, Trsitan Thompson, Nikola Vucevic and Kemba Walker.

The No. 1 overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, Anthony Davis, headlines the pool of rookies. Damian Lillard, Harrison Barnes, Bradley Beal, Andre Drummond, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Alexey Shved, Dion Waiters and Tyle Zeller will join him.

The game no longer pits the rookies vs. the sophomores and instead two 9-man rosters will be drafted by Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal.

Irving will likely be the first pick and then rookies Davis or Lillard should expect to be drafted next. Last year, Irving was the MVP of the game scoring 34 points as he led TEAM CHUCK over TEAM SHAQ 146-133.

This game is notorious for its lack of defense and intensity. It often just turns into some sort of dunk contest by the second half while players just stand around watching each other.

Shooters like Klay Thompson and Beal should have big games. Bigs like Drummond and Davis will make good participants by catching a ton of alley-oops.

The game will take place Friday, Feb. 15 and broadcast live on TNT at 9 p.m. EST. The drafting of the rosters will be done live on TNT Thursday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. EST.