ALL-STARS: The NBA All-Star Game has become “the world’s most talented pickup game.”
By Andrew Carlson, Staff Writer
To be selected for the annual All Star game used to be an honor for any National Basketball Association (NBA) player. Selected players were the cream of the crop, the best of the best, with a drive to compete and a will to win. However, in recent years, the All Star game has lost all sense of competitiveness, and the voting has become nothing more than a glorified popularity contest.
On February 14, 2016, the West All Stars (players from the Western Conference) beat the East All Stars (players from the Eastern Conference) by a score of 196-173. It was the highest-scoring game in All-Star Game history, which has been an annual tradition since 1951. The game’s unbelievable score illustrated the ridiculousness of the event. Critics were also upset with the overall effort shown. “The all-star game was no more competitive than if you opened the scoreboard and started counting points on pre-game warmups. Multiple dunks, a flurry of 3-pointers, a rat-a-tat-tat of shots, with no one even trying to guard the ball or someone headed to the basket,” Berry Tramel, a writer for The Oklahoman, expressed.
Obviously, an exhibition game with nothing at stake but ticket prices does not need to have intense defense, but the All Star Game was not always meaningless. Back in 1951, it was technically between the East and West of the NBA, but, in reality, it was the a competition between the two former leagues that made up the NBA, the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Basketball Association of America (BAA). As a result, that pioneering All Star Game was extremely competitive because of a historic rivalry between the two now defunct leagues. For the next several seasons, the game was considered so important that several All Stars would be delighted to play 40 minutes or more of the game (out of a possible 48), something unheard of in All Star games today (the leader in minutes was Kobe Bryant of the West with 25). So what happened to cause a competitive event to devolve into what Berry Tramel calls “basketball played at a jog, unless someone senses they can get a dunk?”
The devolution began in 1966 and worsened in 1972. In 1966, the concept of pleasing (and pandering to) the crowd came into effect. Adrian Smith of the Cincinnati Royals was picked for the East to please the hometown crowd in Cincinnati, where the game was held. Smith was certainly a good player, averaging 18.6 points per game, but he missed nearly 60% of his shots, making him more of a quasi All Star. Anyway, the MVP of the game was to be awarded a brand new car, and the East, with the encouragement of the fans, force-fed Smith the ball, turning the game into a shooting gallery so he could win.
The next travesty occurred in 1972, when the fans were allowed to vote for potential team members. Formerly, the coaches around the league decided who represented the league. This change greatly reduced the prestige of making the team. The NBA probably did this to increase fan interest in the game by letting them choose who they want to see. But do the fans want to see a parade of dunks and three pointers (139 attempted 3s this year)? Do they want to see great players playing no defense so they can get the ball back? If so, then America needs a new attitude towards how basketball should be played.
The All Star game is a great event, of course, but it has become so boring and unwatchable in recent years. True basketball fans should tune in elsewhere until the players start playing for pride instead of popularity.