NBA Allstar Game…
Hi All!
It has been a long time since I posted, and I apologize for that. Honestly there has been a lot going on and I will continue to share more over time. I want to talk the most about is the NBA Allstar Game this past weekend. Man, there is a lot to unpack here….
First, this is a tough challenge to crack because this is technically a midseason break for players that have put their bodies through a lot of pain and work through the season so far to date and the season is a tough grind, especially for playoff teams. Second, this whole thing is a huge money scheme by the league to continue to drive profits and bring in more revenue that is shared between execs and players.
Areas that I did like:
I liked seeing players that are teammates going against each other in the game, seeing Shai vs Jdubs was fun (even if it was for like 2 mins total….)
I liked seeing the effort level go up a little bit from last year, last year was a tough watch and at least the players put a little more emphasis on this, this year, especially guys like Wemby, even Kyrie, Cade, etc….
Areas that I think need improvement:
This whole allstar game felt like a tv show with basketball as a side quest… Do not need a commercial break every 2 mins that last 10 mins long
Difficult for players to play for 2 mins sprints then sit for 20 mins, to come back and try playing without being stiff, etc.
Playing to 40 points was way too low, these players are the best, the games were way too short
Rising stars, I love young guys but they should not be in the allstar game until they receive the nod. Would have rather expanded the all star rosters by a few and get some additional deserving players like Sabonis, LaMelo, Lavine, etc.
Overall, I think the direction seems to be moving forward in the right way but there is still work to do. I agree with Charles’ take that the league is trying many different things (almost too often) because they are trying to figure out what this current generation of players wants to do and play. I think if we simplify the game back to being focused on basketball, and allow players to have some type of stake on the line we can get a balanced place again. Nobody needs to go 100% in this game, and they should not, but would like the game to focus back on the stars and basketball, get rid of the TV gimmicks, and get the guys in a good place to play a good game (or set of games?).