Helluva a photo-op there, isn’t it kids? Look at that four-some. Arguably greatest-passer (Magic), greatest-player (Jordan), greatest-skilled-center (Hakeem), and greatest brute rebounder (Moses) all smunched together.
More than just that, look at this YouTube clip of the game’s highlights. Why… it… well…. LOOKS LIKE AN ACTUAL GAME!
Imagine that.
I won’t call last night’s affair in New Orleans an “abomination” or anything else click-baity like that. It was, what it was. And it’s been, what it’s been… for quite a while: a thoroughly lazy affair, where dunks and threes are the only currency accepted.
Trying? Nah. That’s for suckers.
It’s just…. well. Damn. You wonder: “How hard would it be, to ask these amazing players to just give it a 70% effort?” Wouldn’t that be pretty cool? When everyone is moving at 20% speed, then NO dunk, and NO move, is every that interesting. You are doing it against “air”. So what?
In these clips from 1987, a fancy behind the back touch-pass from Isiah for a dunk by Jordan is… well… EXCITING. Because there are actually a few guys from the West team…. wait for it… wait… TRYING TO STOP THEM!
If the league is happy with how the All-Star game looks on TV (now late night cable, instead of the mid-afternoon network affair it was back in the day). If they are having no problem lining up corporate sponsors, and selling tickets. If the biggest thing on their plate is making sure the game doesn’t end up in a state that has bathroom laws the league disagrees with… well… then carry on.
For most of us, however, the game was a 5-minute “peek-in” before we moved on to something else.
One Comment
Joe Z
All Star game was MUST SEE TV back in the day as was the dunk contest. The players played and the best dunked. It’s pathetic today and I tune in for a few minutes or watch the highlights on sportscenter. These guys get paid so much and the fans (me included) pay a ransom for season tickets. Congrats on getting paid what you do but gives the fans our money’s worth fellas! joke……..