NBA All-Star weekend: Five things we learned
By Ethan Barlow
It’s one of the landmarks in the basketball calendar (Image: Getty Images
This weekend, Indianapolis was host to the NBA’s 73rd All-Star weekend, where many were left disappointed by the integrity of the league’s best players amid Sunday’s highest-scoring All-Star match ever (211-186). Here were some of the key takeaways from the weekend’s action:
The All-Star match disappoints again
Antetokounmpo was not enamoured with the prospect of the All-Star game (Image: Getty Images)
This year’s showcase left many fans upset, yet again. The lack of effort and respect shown by players towards the “NBA’s Super Bowl”, as it was branded by Eastern Conference team captain Giannis Antetokounmpo, was poor and disappointing.
The highlight of the NBA calendar is supposed to be a pickup-style game where the best basketball players from across the world display their skills and show why they are the best on the planet. Nowadays, it seems the majority of the players involved don’t put in the required effort to make an entertaining spectacle for viewers. No one is expecting the players to play like it is the NBA Finals but the level of effort especially on the defensive end makes for a lacklustre showing, demonstrated by the record-breaking scoreline.
It wasn’t always this way, as back in the 90s and even 2000s, some of the game’s greats like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant hated losing this match. Players in today’s game see the match as an injury-hazardous, glorified friendly. As recent as the 2020 edition, it was an entertaining match. This year, LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo captained the two teams, but due to the previously added Elam Ending format (point goal instead of time limit) in honour of Bryant’s death, the match was exciting. This format caused a climatic fourth quarter as both teams raced to the point goal and many fans have called for this style to be reinstated.
This year’s match was filled with long-distance threes and uncontested dunks, but if you weren’t a basketball regular tuning in for the league's marquee selling point, you honestly wouldn’t know who are the “MVP candidates” or the “best players”.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver appeared disappointed when congratulating the Eastern Conference team on their surprise triumph. The West came into the game as favourites, but with not everyone playing close to full pace, any team could have been victorious. Silver seemed confident of a better showing this year, but the players once again let him and the fans in the Lucas Oil Stadium down. If the players don’t care about the match, the fans will soon follow, unless Silver steps in to make a positive change to save the historic occasion going forward.
Pacers’ players shine in front of home crowd
Pacers stars Tyrese Halliburton, Myles Turner and Benedict Mathurin (Image: Getty Images)
The three Indiana Pacers’ players involved across the weekend had success both individually and as a team. On Friday night, sophomore (second year) guard Benedict Mathurin competed in the NBA Rising Stars tournament. The tournament consisted of four teams, three of which were made up of rookies or sophomores drafted by the three coaches, and the other was made up of the G League’s hottest talents. The four-team tournament had two first to 40-point semi-finals before a 25-point target final. Mathurin was drafted as the ninth pick by former Pacer, Jalen Rose.
Mathurin’s team faced off against former WNBA star Tamika Catchings’ team featuring 2022’s number one overall draft pick, Paolo Banchero in the semi-finals. Rose’s team ran out 40-35 winners with Mathurin scoring 19 points and spicing the match up in the process. Mathurin was mic’d up and while speaking to Detroit Pistons’ guard Jaden Ivey, he said: “Even in Rising Stars you can’t guard me.” This injected the type of intensity needed from the actual All-Star match. Mathurin got the better of the Ivey but had nothing but respect for his fellow sophomore. after the tournament, he said: “He’s a great player, I love playing against him. There’s no hate, he’s a great guy.”
Mathurin team met surprise opponents in the final as the G League team led by former Pacer Detlef Schrempf were victorious over Team Pau, featuring Victor Wembanyama and company. The team of G League players put up a good fight in the final, but Rose’s team came out on top in the end, 26-13. Along with winning his second Rising Stars tournament, Mathurin was awarded tournament MVP, over teammates like Chet Holmgren and Jaylen Williams, and deservedly so.
On Saturday night, the Rising Stars MVP, All-Star starter Tyrese Haliburton and Pacers’ centre Myles Turner teamed up for the Skills Challenges event. The three home players won both the dribbling and shooting challenge, and the passing challenge to kick off the event. Team All-Stars, made up of Trae Young, Scottie Barnes and Tyrese Maxey were victorious in the third challenge, a shooting drill. This sent the three-team tournament to a tiebreaker. The tiebreaker was decided by whichever team took less time to score a half-court shot, in which Haliburton beat out the time previously set by Maxey. After half-court success, Haliburton competed in the three-point contest but fell just below the ridiculously high standards set by the competitors.
On Sunday in the league’s showpiece event, Haliburton’s pre-match introduction was cheered louder than any other, to celebrate the inclusion of the hometown superstar. The man leading the Eastern Conference team’s backcourt was arguably the best player of the night, but fellow guard and three-point contest champion Damian Lillard picked up MVP. This rounded off a great weekend for not just the three players but the Pacers’ fans and organisations as a whole.
Steph v Sabrina proves to be an excellent idea
Steph v Sabrina could be a watershed moment for women’s sport (Image: Getty Images)
The highlight of the weekend was possibly the highly anticipated Steph v Sabrina three-point contest. After breaking Stephen Curry’s three-point challenge record, WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu challenged the four-time NBA champion to a one-on-one to see where she ranked against the greatest shooter of all time. Ionescu was up first, and she left a worried look on Curry’s face as her 26 score was very impressive considering she shot from the NBA three-point line (different to WNBA three-point line). Curry stepped up next and just came out on top, by three points (29-26). Ionescu might always have her 37-point record score over Curry’s 31, but the Golden State Warriors man came out on top on this occasion.
This event was very well received and massive credit needs to be given to the NBA. This example of men and women being able to compete, without it being excruciatingly unfair, is a massive step in the right direction for not just women’s basketball, but women’s sport as a whole. After how enjoyable the event was for fans, we will likely see something similar at the 74th edition of All-Star weekend.
Lillard cements his place as an all-time three-point shooter
Damian Lillard was crowned All-Star MVP (Image: Getty Images)
Damian Lillard has earned his name as one of the best three-point shooters of all time. With historic buzzer beaters and unmatched range, “Dame D.O.L.L.A” has a beyond-the-arc resume only bettered by very few. This season, away from the Portland Trailblazers for the first time and joining Antetokounmpo at the Milwaukee Bucks, Lillard has had his second-worst season for three-point accuracy, and many have pointed the blame of the Bucks’ lack of productivity on offence at him.
This weekend has reminded people of why Lillard is such a special talent in the league. As reigning three-point contest champion from last year, Lillard would defend his title to become back-to-back champion amid some very serious competition. Lillard’s three-point excellence wasn’t limited to Saturday’s night performance as the part-time rapper scored not once but twice from half-court in Sunday’s All-Star match. Lillard helped the Eastern Conference team to a win and was awarded the match’s MVP. Not a bad weekend: Winning both the three-point contest and All-Star MVP. Lillard proves he is no joke from range.
Mac McClung is going to be hard to topple
Mac McClung: The king of the dunk (Image: Getty Images
Mac McClung burst onto the scene last year when he amazed the All-Star crowd in the NBA Dunk Contest. Despite only appearing in the NBA four times, McClung has made a name for himself as a “professional dunker”. The 25-year-old brought some dunks to last year’s competition that hadn’t been seen before and delivered some special dunks once again this year as he retained his title.
McClung is such an entertainer, but his NBA career hasn’t taken off yet. He currently plays for Orlando Magic’s G League team, Osceola Magic. McClung was one of the standouts in the Rising Stars tournament, as part of the G League team but many were in anticipation of what he had up his sleeve for this year’s dunk contest.
McClung was by far the best dunker on the night, beating out Jacob Toppin, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Jaylen Brown in the final. Standing at 6’2, McClung’s dunk over Shaquille O’Neal earned a 50 out of 50 from the judges who were heavily criticised by the crowd on the night.
McClung has blown the competition out of the water in consecutive years, and if he returns to defend his trophy next year, he will certainly be considered the favourite to retain the title of having the world’s best dunk.