Thread by @readjack

I don’t want to sound old but they really did used to play defense in the All-Star Game. 4th quarter is amazing now but we haven’t recovered from 192-182 in 2017.

https://twitter.com/russbengtson/status/1627486854042746881

Incidentally, 2017 was the first All-Star Game after Kobe retired. He kept the competition level high, no Elam Ending required.

https://twitter.com/readjack/status/1229213375789436930

The TNT crew is complicit. Stop cheering on this non-competition.

Give me Bob Costas drilling Adam Silver at halftime about the lack of BASKETBALL at the #AllStarGame, ‘93 Stern style.

One guy could play real basketball for like 90 seconds and win the MVP.

Real basketball in the 1993 #NBAAllStar Game, the last game in Utah. (We've had defense since then, but fun to look back at this for the symmetry.)

This game went to overtime and was 135-132. Last time we had a score that low was 2008, 134-128 East.

The backboard dunk is only fun with defense.

I mentioned the 2017 #AllStarGame earlier as the year after Kobe retired and the score ballooned (started in 2016, got crazy in '17). Entering that game, Wilt had the ASG scoring record at 42. AD broke that record with 52. Jayson Tatum now has 53.

https://twitter.com/readjack/status/833522369767567360

If you could change the NBA All-Star Game to any of these formats, what would you choose?

* East vs. West
* Old vs. Young (select the 24 players and then split them down the middle by age)
* USA vs. The World

@russbengtson @HoopsNBrews @TheJeffSchlegel

Perception survey:

The 2023 NBA All-Star Game was ______ compared to the typical NBA All-Star Game.

@russbengtson @HoopsNBrews @TheJeffSchlegel

Adam Silver: "And now for the MVP. I don't think there's much suspense."

.@Candace_Parker mentioned the @alleniverson-led NBA All-Star Game of 2001. My favorite All-Star Game hands down!

https://twitter.com/readjack/status/1108203332911460352

"It's an honor to be here ... but that is the worst basketball game ever played."

How do you fix it?

"I don't know if you can fix it."

Nuggets / All-Star coach Michael Malone. The NBA has to figure this out, and it has to come from the players.

One idea I love: old vs. young.

1. Vote for 10 starters regardless of conference: 4 backcourt, 6 frontcourt
2. Coaches pick 14 backups
3. The teams split by age: 12 oldest vs 12 youngest

Prior to injury replacements, the split would have been 28-up. Possible starters in yellow:

Telling 24 players to play for a chance for home court in the Finals... I dunno. I don't think that will do it.

Heed the lesson of the GOAT All-Star Game: 2001. That was incredible bc of the personal stakes: the East kept hearing they were the lesser conference and the lesser team. It was the champs + all bigs out West vs. "too many guards" on the East. And look:

https://twitter.com/readjack/status/1108199692805042178?s=20

I need to hear from The Hoops Whisperer on how to fix the All-Star Game. @B_Craw4D

The guys who carried the All-Star Game torch in the 21st century were Kobe and Chris Paul. 5-0 together. I'm not sure you can policy your way to a competitive NBA ASG. That ultimately has to come from the players.

My guy @B_Craw4D's idea to fix the All-Star Game: cancel it for a few years. (Remember, there was no dunk contest between Kobe in '97 and Vince in '00. Canceled in '98, no ASG in '99.)

https://twitter.com/B_Craw4D/status/1627777888572395538?s=20

Lots of great stuff here from @RRM1277 but the key point is the impact of PGs. They have traditionally been the reason that ASGs work. When the main PGs are scorers (Steph, Kyrie, Trae Young, Russ, even Luka or Harden), the game suffers.

https://twitter.com/RRM1277/status/1627831188164423680