In one of the most exciting NBA All-Star weekends to date, we learned much more about this season than what it might seem at first. In recent years, the All-Star weekend was becoming somewhat of a joke to most spectators.
Between the lack of defense in the game itself and (before the past two years) the blandness of the other activities, basketball fans’ interest in the event had plummeted. Toronto’s 2016 production, however, has revitalized the All-Star break into a prime event in basketball.
While this revitalization did occur, there are some questions that still loom over what we should take away from the event. So, let’s visit those questions.
First, let’s start with the Skill Challenge. In this event, Timberwolves rookie center Karl-Anthony Towns beat out Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas for the title.
But is Towns really the most skilled player in the league? Not even close.
A problem with the Skills Challenge is that the most skilled players actually rarely participate.
This year, Lebron James, Stephen Curry, James Harden and Russell Westbrook, to name a few, did not take part. While the surrounding players were seemingly ecstatic to see a frontcourt player win, they knew if Towns had to compete against Curry or James, it would be no contest.
Klay Thompson took down his teammate Crurry in the Three-Point Contest. Thompson tied Curry’s event record of 27 points in the final round. While doubters will say Curry isn’t the best shooter in the game, they are wrong.
Curry, who already has 245 threes in the season, is on pace to decimate his own record of 286 made threes. A couple rounds of set-shooting isn’t indicative of the bigger picture. Curry is still the league’s best shooter, and at the moment, the best player as well.
The Slam Dunk Contest was undoubtedly one of the best since the turn of the century and many are calling it the best we have ever seen. But was Zach Lavine’s second consecutive crown well-deserved?
The answer is yes. While Aaron Gordon’s mascot-hopping dunks were something that we have never seen before, Lavine’s dunks were some of the most incredible displays of athleticism that the sport has seen. A free-throw line windmill? A free-throw line between-the-legs slam? The second-year guard out of UCLA is as freak as freak athletes get.
Lastly, we have the All-Star Game. Kobe Bryant’s final appearance in the event was a memorable one, to say the least. The West took down the East in a 196-173 shootout, the most points ever scored in an All-Star Game.
Bryant finished with only 10 points, but the standing ovation and ensuing “Kobe” chant that filled the arena as he was subbed out for a final time sent chills down the backs off the millions that were watching.
Russell Westbrook received the MVP award for the night, but the Black Mamba was at center stage.
The All-Star Game’s career scoring and steals leader will finish this season’s farewell tour as crowds across the league chant his name and fellow players ask for his autograph. All of this is a fitting finale to the career of one of the greatest to ever do it: Kobe Bryant.
