This weekend marks the most grandiose spectacle of offensive prowess known to man, as well as some of the worst defense in history of athletic competition ó NBA All-Star Weekend
A circus of slam dunks and seemingly infinite scoring begins tonight at 7 p.m. with the celebrity game and rookie challenge at 9 p.m., continuing through Sunday nightís score-a-thon All-Star Game.
I am a huge fan of the NBA, but even I can find little reason besides loyalty to tune in this weekend. The All-Star game, which has been in existence since 1951, has become utterly unwatchable. Though it may seem inconceivable, a game between the Golden State Warriors and the New Jersey Nets would feature more defense than the NBA All-Star Game. The participants of the game, offensive superstars voted on by the fans, go through the motions on defense and exert minimal effort on the offensive end resulting in a score that often results in a point total nearing 300 between the two sides.
In recent years the starting lineups for the game have become tainted with players who have not only been unimpressive, but occasionally irrelevant.
This yearís NBA game will feature Allen Iverson as the starting point guard for the Eastern Conference, a player who, for the majority of this season, was searching for a team to play for before eventually finding his way back to the Philadelphia 76ers. Iverson once was an All-Star caliber player, but Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose and Mo Williams have all had better seasons in the Eastern Conference than Iverson.
Luckily for prospective spectators of the game, Rondo and Rose were named as reserves, making up for the inexplicable Iverson vote.
The most deserving star to be excluded from this yearís game is undeniably Andrew Bynum who has been the only consistent interior force for the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, who hold the best record in the Western Conference. Bynum has averaged 15 points as well as eight rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. He has established himself as the premier threat in the Lakersí frontcourt, but will not be in Dallas for the weekend festivities.
Friday, and possibly the entire weekend, is highlighted by the rookie challenge in which the best first-year players square off against the best of last yearís rookies. This is the one event of the weekend which has the potential to resemble anything slightly similar to basketball. The two sides are selected by the coaches rather than the players and the contest becomes a game for bragging rights amongst some of the leagueís best young stars. The game, while not touted as the most important game of the weekend, will be the event most closely resembling an actual, competative basketball game.
Another aspect of All-Star Weekend which, when not irrelevant, is often forgotten is the three-point contest. While contestants progress through five racks of five balls in pursuit of the perfect score of 30, there is no opposition except the 60-second shot clock.
This yearís competition has the potential to be exciting. Tomorrow night, six of the leagueís best shooters will take to the arc in a high-scoring event that will prove to be more competative than the All-Star Game on Sunday
What has emerged from the weekend as the most popular and often entertaining event is Saturdayís slam dunk contest, but even this year I cannot deem the contest worth watching. Last year Dwight Howard and the ìSuperman” persona brought a real buzz to the contest that was eventually won by Nate ìKryptonate” Robinson.
This yearís participants leave a lot to be desired. While fans would hope to see the likes of LeBron James, Robinson, Howard and Vince Carter, they will be subject to Gerald Wallace, Shannon Brown and two-time champ Robinson joined by either Eric Gordon or DeMar DeRozen. Howard chose not to participate this year and James annually refuses to provide the show everyone wants to see.
The NBA All-Star weekend has the potential to be the greatest spectacle in all of sports, but because of fan voting, a lack of effort and playersí unwillingness to participate at a high level, the game and the weekend remain an under-viewed blip on the national sports radar.