Should the NBA All-Star Game Have More Meaning Behind It?
On Sunday night, for the first time in NBA all-star history, one team scored over 200 points. While it was nice to see Tyrese Haliburton hit five straight three-pointers in front of his home crowd fans, and Damian Lillard nailing two half-court shots in a row, this game was not competitive whatsoever. The Eastern Conference grabbed a lead quickly in the first quarter and never looked back as they decimated the West 211-186. Perhaps NBA Commissioner Adam Silver should look into revamping the NBA All-Star Game to have more meaning. Maybe, use the same format as Major League Baseball, and whoever wins the game, that specific conference gets home-court advantage in the NBA Finals.
This past NBA All-Star Game, even weekend, has not been as enticing as past ones. Adam Silver changed the game’s format back to the East vs. West to make it more interesting, and yet that was not the case at all. When there was the NBA All-Star Draft, yes Team LeBron won every year, but there were always intriguing pairings of teammates or real-life teammates going at each other on opposing teams. It was what if these two players actually played together, that made those past few all-star games great. In last year’s All-Star Draft, Milwaukee Bucks star and all-star team captain Giannis Antetokounmpo picked Damian Lillard as the first overall pick. Lo and behold just a couple of months later, they would become teammates.
If the NBA All-Star Game meant that whoever wins gets the home-court advantage in the Finals, that would be more of an incentive to compete and play defense while having fun with other all-star players. This could give players a desire to actually try and win the game instead of shooting half-court or full-court shots just to impress the crowd. I’m sure Adam Silver will be looking into how to make All-Star Weekend more fun, desirable to watch, and enjoyable for everyone in the area. Let’s hope he has some great ideas that can stand the test of time!
