While the NBA looks to put on a show every year during All-Star weekend, the game itself often ends up being a letdown for the average fan. While the game’s best players are on the court, they’re naturally not taking it too seriously considering it’s an exhibition and they don’t want to risk injury in the middle of the season.
Ahead of Sunday’s All-Star game, though, C’s star Jaylen Brown revealed there were at least some talks about upping the intensity.
“There were some discussions,” Brown said. “There were definitely some. I’m not sure how successful that was, but there were definitely some discussions. I guess guys are trying to figure out how to do that at the same time as having fun, being safe, being injury free. I guess more solutions need to be had to figure that out.”
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While the message was positive, that didn’t quite change the vibe of the game. The East All-Stars dominated in their 211-186 win over the West. The 211 points were a new record for the All-Star game as the East scored at least 51 points in all four of their quarters. That obviously requires the West to not play much defense, and that was indeed the case Sunday.
Now, there are occasionally moments of intensity down the stretch of a close game. In 2022, Team LeBron barely edged out Team Durant in a close three-point victory. That game included a target score, so it wasn’t quite the same as a normal basketball game with the ending coming via the clock. LeBron James hit the game-winner then in his hometown Cleveland, leading to some fun narratives.
But that isn’t the case every year as the All-Star game has often been a dud. Sunday was a tough look as the East kept a comfortable lead throughout the second half and there wasn’t much of an entertainment factor from the game. But that’s life for an exhibition game, which is why other leagues like the NFL have altered their format significantly, as well. So perhaps the league will try to spruce up the game in future years, but it’s a difficult line to cross as players aren’t going to play hard for an exhibition game.
“It was cool; it was fine,” Brown said. “Before, I think we were attempting to put a little more effort into it, but I’m not sure how successful that was. Hopefully as the years go on, it gets back to being what the fans want to see. But I think maybe it was a little bit more effort this time, I think. I don’t know. You guys would be a better judge of that.”
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