Do fans ever go wild watching the warm-ups for a basketball game? Hey, I've got a great idea: Why not have the best players in the NBA get together and, rather than playing a game, just have the shootaround that traditionally comes before the game?
That is what Sunday's NBA All-Star game amounted to. We should change the name of the event to "the NBA Shootaround: Featuring the Best Players in the League Who Are Too Lazy to Play." We must wonder if any of the players even worked up a sweat. Lax defense? On many plays, there was no defense at all.
It was a sham, a charade and a travesty. It cheapened the whole NBA brand. It sullied the reputation of the league. After watching that, die-hard fans suddenly were considering abandoning their status as fans. It disrespected those who spent big money for their tickets. When players play like that, they have no honor. It doesn't matter what format you use -- East vs. West, Team Lebron vs. Team Giannis, International Stars vs. American Stars -- if they don't play defense, it becomes a farce nobody can stomach to endure.
"The ratings are in for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, and yikes. The news isn't great," read the beginning of one news story. Surprise, surprise.
Of course the ratings were terrible. People were turning off their TVs in disgust five minutes into the game. The fans in the arena should have booed the players right off the court.
These days, the All-Star game is nothing more than the best players in the league playing like they are the worst players in the league. They should be demoted to the G-League for playing like that.
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