NBA fans condemn ‘horrendous’ All Star Game spectacle
One of the NBA’s biggest events has hit ugly new depths with social media lighting up as fans call for immediate change.
The 2023 NBA All Star Game has been run and won by Team Giannis despite losing their captain only seconds into the game.
As is now the case with any All Star Game, it looked more like a casual game of pick-up basketball than a serious contest.
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Holding a 17 point lead entering the final term, it was always going to be near on impossible for Team LeBron to overcome the margin as Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum erupted for an All Star game record 55 points, scoring a record-breaking 27 points in the third quarter.
Team Giannis claimed the dominant 184-175 victory, with Tatum claiming the easiest MVP trophy to be announced.
Like each and every year the contest produced some eye-watering highlights, mainly coming in the third quarter.
Portland’s Damian Lillard showed off his out of this world range as he pulled up before he even crossed the halfway line, hitting nothing but the bottom of the net.
DAME HITS FROM HALFCOURT 😱#NBAAllStar | Live on TNT pic.twitter.com/A4kMV21GBc
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2023
Celtics teammates Tatum and Jaylen Brown then went head-to-head on multiple possessions as every other player on the court stood back and watched the action unfold.
JB vs. JT 🿠pic.twitter.com/G2sFAlKzmR
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 20, 2023
Sadly that was about as good as it got in 2023 with players putting in even less effort than has been displayed in years gone by.
The damning spectacle has become nothing more than a glorified uncontested shooting contest between some of the biggest names in the game.
“That is the worst basketball game ever played,” Nuggets coach Mike Malone said.
“I don’t know if you can fix it. I give Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving (credit), those guys were competing.
“Joel was imploring some of the guys to play harder, to try and get some defence in ... that is a tough game to sit through, I’m not gonna lie.”
Fans watching on were quick to condemn the showing and call on the league to make an immediate change to the format to bring the All Star Game back to its glory days.
Man, this is just horrendous lol. Might as well just grab a ball bin and take turns free shooting around the gym
— Josh Eberley 🇨🇦 (@JoshEberley) February 20, 2023
That’s the worst All-Star game I’ve watched
— Chris De Silva (@cdesilva23) February 20, 2023
There’s little incentive for these players to try, so this type of basketball is what the All-Star Game will continue to be unfortunately.
— Chris Walder (@WalderSports) February 20, 2023
It has its merit, but no one wants to get hurt (too late already tonight) and the outcome means very little if anything at all.
The NBA All-Star game is dreadful.
— Aaron J. Fentress (@AaronJFentress) February 20, 2023
That was a pathetic game. Just cancel it and let the globe trotters do trick shots.
— Mike Vigil (@protectedpick) February 20, 2023
Even by All Star Game standards, that sucked lol
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) February 20, 2023
The NBA have to put something bigger on the line in years to come, if not the All Star Game will just continue to be an absolutely nothing showcase that will only alienate fans further.
If the players aren’t going to care about the game, why should the fans.
Thankfully now we don’t have to worry about the All Star Game again for another 12 months.
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