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USA Today via Reuters
Feb 18, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Eastern Conference guard Jaylen Brown (7) of the Boston Celtics dunks the ball during the second half of the 73rd NBA All Star game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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USA Today via Reuters
Feb 18, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Eastern Conference guard Jaylen Brown (7) of the Boston Celtics dunks the ball during the second half of the 73rd NBA All Star game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The NBA All-Star Weekend, once a pinnacle of the basketball season, has slowly but steadily lost its glamour. This year’s event, hosted in Indiana, was no exception, with many fans and analysts disappointed by the weak performances and overall lack of entertainment. The Rising Stars game, which highlights the league’s up-and-coming talent, went completely unnoticed, with few people even knowing it was taking place.
The skills competition, which includes numerous tasks that test players’ basketball talents, was labeled as cringeworthy, while the Dunk Contest, a fan favorite, struggled to keep spectators involved, forcing the presence of G-League players to give the event some much-needed enthusiasm. Even the main event, the showdown between the Eastern and Western conferences was a complete letdown looking at which an NBA analyst made a suggestion that might be able to change the fate of the prestigious All-Star game.
Ben Simmons suggests to get rid of three-pointers
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Ben Simmons, the American sportswriter and analyst, was disappointed with this year’s All-Star game. So, looking at that he suggested as to how the NBA can make the games more interesting saying, “Here’s my idea, let’s get rid of three-pointers. It’s just twos and ones and we can say in the last 6 minutes of the fourth quarter now people are allowed to shoot threes. But up until the last 6 minutes, just twos and ones, then we won’t have people taking 45 fu****g three-pointers, nobody wants to watch that.”
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He suggested that because this year’s game, which the East won 211-186, ended up being a contest that showed a lack of competition and effort. That was because players appeared to go through the motions and hit a staggering 168 three-pointers in total, displaying a style of play that was more similar to a pickup game than a professional basketball game.
Damian Lillard’s MVP performance included a few pull-up half-court jumpers, and Tyrese Haliburton’s excellent three-point shooting was among the few bright spots of the dull and exhausting game. The lack of defensive effort and general competitiveness on show even overshadowed Karl-Anthony Towns’ brilliant 50-point outing.
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The league experimented with numerous formats and innovations, such as the Elam Ending, which was introduced to increase excitement about the game’s conclusion but failed to create a buzz after its initial appeal wore off. So due to that, the NBA All-Star Weekend continues to be an event that was once great and has lost its charm now. So, unless the players, league, and fans can work together to find a way out, the All-Star Weekend might just remain a memory of what it was and what it could have been.
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