The answer to the title is yes – the NBA All Star game sucks. In brand with this site we can officially call it “Trash”.
Why does the game suck?: No one tries and the effort is just not there. Fans have been complaining about lack of defense in the league for a long time. Well, don’t watch this game if you want to see any kind of defense (As I’m writing this the half time score of this year’s game is 100-80…… LMAO). Just watch the clip below to see the kind of defense that is played during the game:
Now, while this play is pretty cool off first glance, the underlying effort and game is just plain bad. Though I’m not lying to you I wish I could see these two play together in the future (biased Warriors fan take here). This game is a glorified exhibition where the players don’t give any effort.
Do we even need an All Star Game?: While some sports have made the game actually mean something (like the MLB where in years past the winner got homefield advantage), most sports leagues just have it be an extra game for the players to play. First off, do we really need a game between the all stars? Does anyone actually enjoy the game? I can’t remember the last time I sat down and watched the NBA All Star Game (as a matter of fact I can’t remember the last time I watched any sports’ all star game). Can’t we just have the all stars be called all stars that year and not play an actual game? Most NBA fans will agree that the best part of all star weekend (or day thanks to covid this year) are the extra events that take place before the actual game. The slam dunk contest and the three point shootout are the only watchable events of the entire weekend. The skills event is also hot trash – no one gives a damn about that.
Possible solutions to make the game not suck:
- Create a 2×2 tourney: Now I think this has been brought up by others or even talked internally with the NBA. Create a half court 2×2 tournament between the players selected to the all star game. The logistics for this could be tough though; how do the players team up? Do they get to choose each teammate? Or should it be random? I’d side on random part to make it fair and more interesting. It could be easy for the top echelon players to team up and then destroy the rest of the teams. Randomness would even the playing field.
- Incorporate different rules or court: This is an interesting idea – as other leagues and tournaments have played with this. What about trying out a 4 point line? Trick shots or underhand shots count for more? Those are just a couple of ideas of ways to make the game more interesting since its strictly an exhibition – why not add some wonky rules to see different shots the players can make?
- Simply, don’t play the game: The game as it is right now is trash. Why don’t we just throw it away like trash should be? Instead of playing the all star game, come up with some fun events in addition to the Slam Dunk Contest and the Three Point Contest. Some ideas: Horse/Pig game, Half court challenge (though they’ve incorporated this before), 1×1 exhibitions – king of the court style where winner stays in and the loser goes out. They do this a lot in youth camps and they are pretty entertaining.
Where do we go from here?: Something needs to change. The All Star Game right now sucks. To make it more entertaining, there needs to be some changes. I’ve highlighted some that could work in this post but I’m sure there are many other ideas to make for a better game/weekend for the All Stars.
Verdict: The Current edition of the NBA All Star Game is Trash
TrashFire 