The 66th NBA All-Star game is now in the books and it’s safe to say it was not a defensive showcase. The 192-182 final score was good for the highest scoring contest in history. It was a glorified pick-up game, only less competitive. And as a life-long basketball and NBA fan, I’m okay with that.
Indeed the mid-year spectacle was not always this way. There was a time in the ‘80s and ‘90s when it was truly a competitive matchup between the best players in the world. Unfortunately, those days are gone and I’ve accepted that. The All-Star game has changed forever, and it is time to stop pining for the old days.
The All-Star game is in fact not a “game” at all, it is an exhibition, much more spectacle than sport. It’s the one time a year that we get to see the best players in the world all on the court at once. Of course, we would all much rather see these great competitors actually give 100 percent or even 50 percent, but going back as far as 2012, that just has not been the case.
The focus has shifted from competitive basketball to a laid back, fun weekend for the players. That relaxed mindset still produces its fair share of entertaining moments. I still thoroughly enjoyed moments like Steph Curry laying down to avoid getting dunked on or LeBron James making a three from half court. Here are these unbelievable athletes having fun like they were kids at the school yard all over again. I may be different from some of the other game’s viewers, but if the players I am watching are having fun, I am having fun watching them.
Alas, the day after the East-West matchup fans and sports journalists alike were up in arms over the lack of defense. They proceeded to put forward any proposal they could imagine, that they think could “fix” the game.
Throwing extra money at the players will not work. Guaranteed contracts and some of the biggest money deals in sports are so common that, the players are not exactly worried about the bottom dollar. How about making the game matter? That will give the players incentive! All we have to do is look at our friends in the MLB to see how that worked out.
The fact is that it is an All-Star game, so it should not matter. There should not be a debate on what we should do to incentivize players. This is the players break from a long and arduous season. They are not required in any way to play in the game, let alone show any type of effort.
They have been giving tremendous defensive effort all season and will continue to now that the break is over. The playoffs are just a few months away. By that time, we will be getting the most competitive basketball we have seen all season.
Let’s not forget all the things the NBA has done right with the grand weekend. Just this year, league Commissioner Adam Silver moved the game from Charlotte to New Orleans over North Carolina’s controversial HB-2 law. Furthermore, while the NFL struggles with making the Pro Bowl a weekend event with dodgeball of all things, the NBA has had the big event concept locked down for years.
All-Star weekend is a celebration of the game and the celebration of the host city. There is a reason it is called All-Star weekend and not just the All-Star game, it’s truly a grand event.
So, with all the talk about how unwatchable the game was, quite a lot of fans still watched. The game averaged 7.8 million viewers, the best rating since 2013. As mentioned before, this brand of All-Star game has been going on for years, yet millions still continue to tune in. The league must be doing something right if the viewers keep coming back.
The All-Star game should be taken with a grain of salt. It is not a serious game that is meant to be analyzed by the sports media. So All-Star game haters, please relax about the All-Star game. Enjoy it for what it is, and I have a feeling you will be back again next year.
