Today was the NBA’s 71st All-Star game. Young players like Ja Morant and Dejounte Murray made their debuts alongside Andrew Wiggins, while the usual lineup of All-Stars were also present. Stephen Curry took the spotlight away from everyone else by dropping 50 points on 16 threes do destroy Paul George’s previous record of 9. Of course, it was LeBron who came in clutch and hit the game-winner, but it was Curry who shined with 50 points. It felt weird to not see the regular participants of the All-Star game, like Dame, PG, and Kawhi. Cleveland had 2 players in the game, which we haven’t seen from them in a while. All-Star weekend was sweet, but like with any experience, there were some highs and some lows.
Lows: Dunk Contest
I think we can all agree that the Dunk Contest was historically poor. No flashy, aerial acrobatics were on display as no one there had insane athleticism and body control. All of them were young and inexperienced. Not the best part of ASW.
Lows: 3-point Contest
Incredibly, a big man (KAT) won the 3-point contest. It should be noted that the performances from everyone else were average. I think that the absence of incredible shooters like Steph, Klay, Dame, or even Mike Conley sorely hurt the overall quality.
High: ASG
The highlight of All-Star weekend: the All-Star game. Though we got the usual “no effort on defense” game, it was so fun to see a remarkable shooting night from Curry. I really hope it’s an indicator of what’s to come. Moving to LeBron, the 37-year-old posted good numbers much like he normally does. Joel Embiid truly played like an MVP, scoring, rebounding, and passing when he need to. I think Embiid is emerging as a truly versatile scorer. He just needs to get his double step-backs right. Andrew Wiggins had a surprisingly quiet night but had a better scoring night than Ja Morant. Devin Booker posted his usual 20, 5, and 5. I think he’s becoming a truly reliable 20 points per game scorer. Back to Curry, who was balling like the man was playing in his last All-Star game. 16 of Steph’s 17 field goals were threes! Truly amazing performance. It’s no surprise he won the MVP for that game.
All in all, a legendary performance from some of the greatest players today. The NBA Top 75 list announcement was incredible to watch. A fun weekend which is still so entertaining even today.
