I tuned in to this year’s NBA All Star Game as the second quarter was winding down, and I was only able to last a few minutes before I became bored and frustrated with the constant offense on display.
Guys were actually moving out of the way so their opposition could easily score. Players were driving down the lane for vicious dunks with no attempt at preventing them. Alley oops were commonplace; trying to stop them was not.
The 2016 All Star Game finished with a score of 196-173, the highest scoring outing in All Star Game history. In addition, this year’s All Star Game set a new total point record at 369 points – the third straight year for a new total points record, according to ESPN. As well as setting records for most three pointers made and attempted by a single team and both teams, this year’s All Star Game set records for the most points in a half – 92 by a single team, and 182 for both teams combined.
I get it – guys don’t want to play defence in case they get injured in what amounts to little more than a shootaround disguised as an exhibition game. But if the NBA want people to tune into the All Star Game, and All Star Weekend as a whole, they need to ensure that the players take it more seriously. Some of the guys selected to this year’s All Star Game are some of the best defenders in the league.
Russell Westbrook, Kyle Lowry, Chris Paul, Stephen Curry and John Wall all average over two steals a game. Anthony Davis, Pau Gasol and Andre Drummond are some of the best blockers in the league. Unfortunately, by failing to play even a shred of defence, the crowd watching doesn’t get to see those talents on display. Instead, they have to endure watching these versatile NBA superstars, many of whom are supreme two-way talents, focusing all their attention on hoisting up shots.
Maybe the All Star Game participants figure that, having already reached the echelon of being selected for an All Star Game, they have nothing left to prove, so they’ll just take it easy and have a bit of fun with it. But I know that everybody in the All Star Game is a hard-nosed competitor, day in, day out – after all, it’s why they’re playing in the All Star Game in the first place.
This criticism extends to the Rising Stars Challenge too. The final score of 157-154 was the highest scoring game in Rising Stars Challenge history. If that’s not an indicator that these events have become too offensively focused, I don’t know what is.
You’d think the young players would be even more eager to show off their defensive skills. These aren’t your Steph Currys, Kevin Durants and LeBron Jameses – they aren’t established stars. While many of them undoubtably have a bright future in the league, this is their opportunity to show off to their coaches why they should be starting.
A lot of people would say that I’m just a cynic, and that I should enjoy the All Star Weekend for what it is – NBA superstars doing what they best, scoring at will. The problem with that idea is that offense isn’t special. Anybody who plays in the NBA can shoot – albeit, some might not do it very well, but they can shoot. What makes the truly great players stand out are those who can shoot and defend.
Think of some of the greatest All Stars, and indeed some of the greatest players, to ever set foot on a basketball court. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon, to more recent players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron, Tim Duncan and Chris Paul. All of them have been selected to countless All Star teams, all of them are prolific scorers, but most importantly, all of them established themselves as fantastic defenders.
The reason those players are so highly regarded is not just because they can put up 30+ points on any given night, but because they can force turnovers, block shots and take pride in disrupting play on the defensive end.
If we saw the All Star Game played as a proper game between the best talent in each conference, it wouldn’t only just make it more enjoyable for the fans, but I’m sure the added competitiveness that comes with making defensive plays would push the game to a greater intensity.
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