The NBA All-Star Game has lost its luster in the past few years.
That is, if it ever had any luster in the first place.
It has turned into a bunch of pals chumming around with one another, playing a nice little pickup game in front of 20,000 people.
That’s cool and all. It’s always fun to see the best in the league all on the same floor at the same time. But after a while of them putting in no effort whatsoever to win the game, I lose interest.
I have no problem with the entire weekend’s festivities outside of the game itself, which includes the slam dunk contest, the 3-point contest, the skills challenge and the sophomore-rookie game, among other things.
And every few years, the NBA seems to come up with some new game to add to the weekend when another gets old.
The addition of an outside game of H-O-R-S-E a few years back was a brilliant idea. It allowed fans to watch a few of their favorite ballers, Kevin Durant included, play many people’s favorite childhood driveway basketball game.
Innovative thoughts like that keep me interested in the weekend’s festivities.
But the All-Star Game itself has become downright boring.
For the most part, it’s the same starters and bench players year after year. It gets old once you’ve watched it for long enough.
Here’s how it goes: Run down the court, jack up a three. Get a steal, go dunk. In the fourth quarter, put the starters back in so your team can try to win.
The question, though, is what exactly do they win?
Nothing.
It’s not like baseball where the winning league gets home-field advantage in the World Series. The winner of the NBA All-Star Game gets an old-fashioned pat on the back.
NBA Commissioner David Stern has to do something about this. The NBA’s All-Star game is as worthless as the NFL’s (and that’s saying something, because the NFL’s Pro Bowl is more worthless than Greg Oden has been in the NBA).
Either put some type of price on winning the game, or shake the game up a little bit.
I don’t like putting home-court advantage in the NBA Finals on the line in an exhibition game, so shaking the game up seems to be the way to go.
The NHL had the right idea this year (never thought I’d say that). They had captains pick their teams. Now that’s what I like to hear.
Put Kobe Bryant and LeBron James as the captains and have them play a game of H-O-R-S-E to determine who picks first. Go from there.
That way, you take out the fan element where Yao Ming gets chosen to start in the game when he hasn’t even touched the court in five games all season.
Fans will be more interested because you can watch Eastern Conference players on the same team as Western Conference players. Put Dwight Howard on Bryant’s team and see what type of magic they can work (pun intended).
It’s new. It’s better than what’s currently in place.
Then, Commissioner Stern, maybe you will get the All-Star Game some of its luster back.
Andy Schwehm is a 21-year-old English and psychology senior from New Orleans. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_ASchwehm.
 
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Contact Andy Schwehm at [email protected]