No question, the NBA has the best all-star experience of all the professional sports leagues. However, being the best doesn’t mean it’s flawless. Here are some random thoughts on NBA All-Star Weekend.
- If you didn’t know Kyrie Irving had skills before this weekend, now you know. Every event Irving participated in, BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, Three-Point Contest, and the All-Star Game, he put on a show and proved he deserves to share the spotlight with the big boys. Irving’s quickness, ball handling skills, courtvision, and scoring ability rivals any top point guard in the league right now. And with Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo sidelined, you can argue that he and Chris Paul are neck and neck. Watching them go one-on-one was the second best matchup of the night. The first? Kobe vs Lebron, as billed.
- Ahhh man. If you missed the Chris Webber interview with Bill Russell, be sure to watch it tonight on NBATV at 9PM/ET. Bill Russell truly is a national treasure and as someone who wasn’t around when he played, I appreciate the NBA taking time away from the current players to teach us about a legend like Russell. During his interview, I hung on to every word as if I was listening to my grandfather tell a story. Overall, the NBA does a fantastic job of keeping the legacy of the legends of yesterday alive. In addition to Bill Russell, it was awesome to see Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, and so many other greats showing love and being shown love.
- Chris Bosh will go down in history for chucking up airballs, getting nutmegged on defense by Chris Paul and Tony Parker, and getting pulled to start the second half. Hands down, THE worst All-Star Game performance in the history of the sport.
- With all of the coverage about athlete’s owing back child support to their five baby mamas, it was wonderful to see so many players involve their children in the weekend. But of all the kids on the scene, Lil’ CP3 had the best weekend ever. His daddy, Chris Paul, was a team captain and busy throughout the weekend, but Lil CP3 didn’t miss a beat. He was right by his dad’s side every step of the way. Loved seeing that. There was also a fun photo op between Lil’ CP3 and one of Kobe’s mini-mes.
- I’m glad Michael Jordan only turns 50 once because I wouldn’t be able to survive another weekend of Jordan adulation. Recognition of MJ’s birthday is definitely deserved, but the heavy-handed media coverage for an accomplishment as ordinary as turning 50 was overkill. Let’s wish him a happy birthday, do a retrospective piece, and keep it moving. I must admit though, as over it as I was, the AARP stunt did cause me to chuckle a little bit.
- I hope Nick Cannon’s terrible attempt at hosting NBA All-Star events guarantees we never have to see him in this capacity again. And while I’m at it, I hope he takes his Real Husbands of Hollywood co-star, Kevin Hart, with him. Call me crazy, but Hart’s act of being the punchline of his own jokes is kind of tired, especially when he’s laughing harder than anyone else. After two undeserving Celebrity Game MVP wins, let’s retire his jersey, and make room for someone else.
- Those Adidas warmup jackets were niiiice, especially if you were swagged out like Kobe.
- Before this weekend, I never imagined I’d be over the leather trend. But after seeing everybody and their mama rock leather, I’m good.
- The in-game dunks during last night’s game were a gift and a curse. On one hand, it was a relief to finally be wowed by the best of the best. But on the other hand, it was torturous to watch because it reminded me how awful the actual Slam Dunk Contest has become. Last week, I commented on the deterioration of the contest and Saturday night’s performances did nothing to change my opinion. Also, I appreciate the sentiment behind the All Houston Everything judges panel, but come on, scoring every dunk a 50 after four attempts shouldn’t be allowed. If the NBA can’t guarantee we have the best talent in the dunk competition, can we at least get a panel of judges who have a reputation for dunking and are qualified at assessing the quality of dunks?
- And finally, the absolute worst moment of NBA All-Star Weekend was the musical acts. WTF moments galore. When the list of performers was released earlier this month, I scratched my head in wonderment. Philip Philips? Fallout Boy? Ke$ha? Ne-Yo? Alicia Keys? Really?!! None of them make sense. To add insult to injury, the sound quality was bad and the song selection was even worse. Alicia Keys lost the crowd when she opened up singing a ballady version of New York State of Mind in Houston. What was the thought process behind that? An important element of the All-Star Game is celebrating the culture of the host city. Shouting out NYC in H-Town is extremely disrespectful. Overall, it was a shitshow and complete cluster. The NBA doesn’t need all of the bells and whistles to sell their product. It’s great to begin with. Usually I’m all about the marriage between music and sports, but in this case, I vote to keep them separate. Going forward, the NBA should keep it pure and make the focus all about basketball.
What were your most and least favorite moments from the weekend?
