Julius Erving scored 30 points in the East's 125-124 win in the 1977 All-Star Game in Milwaukee.

Coaching the All-Star Game is much different from coaching your own team. First of all, it's more of an individualistic game. Your team is made up of stars, not role players. You have great performers at each position, each with the talent and willingness to take over a game. The players are anxious to demonstrate why they were selected, and a relaxed atmosphere permeates the festive scene.

The prevailing attitude among the players seems to be: "You show me your best stuff, and I'll show you mine."

There's not enough practice time for a coach to incorporate any kind of team offense or defense. Consequently, teams fast break, then use a couple of basic sets in half court that evolve mostly into screen-and-roll plays. Defensive concentration is generally reserved for the final minutes, but the D becomes intense if the game is close.

The coach's role is to organize a simple game plan -- make substitutions and give all 12 players a chance to play -- while maintaining an awareness of which are playing best together. He'll try to take advantage of mismatches that are beneficial to his team. But overall, there isn't a lot of coaching strategy in an All-Star Game.

I coached in only one -- the year after Portland won the title in 1977. That game was also played in Atlanta. The West had better personnel -- Bill Walton, Maurice Lucas and Lionel Hollins from the Blazers were on my squad -- and we built a sizeable lead by halftime. We were still in control at the end of the third, but in the last period, we relaxed, became too one-on-one on offense, and the East came back to beat us.

	I contributed to the loss by making a mistake that I never made when coaching my own team. I became too conscious of distributing minutes among my players, rather than finishing the game with my best unit.

I contributed to the loss by making a mistake that I never made when coaching my own team. I became too conscious of distributing minutes among my players, rather than finishing the game with my best unit. When I did that, the East immediately gained momentum that carried over even after I put my best players back on the floor. It was a costly benevolence on my part that made me angry with myself.

After the game, I bumped into Celtics coaching legend Red Auerbach, who fixed me with an amused stare. Red knew what had happened.

He said, "You tried to be Mr. Nice Guy, didn't you?" I agreed that I had.

Red laughed and said, "You wouldn't do that with your team ... why do it here (in the All-Star Game)?"

Auerbach was right. I said that I'd never make that mistake again -- but I never had the opportunity.

Dr. Jack Ramsay, who is an NBA analyst for ESPN, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.