Basketball is not about shooting from long distance. It was the worst all star match in years. Nobody defended, there was no excitement, they just dribbled and scored. If I thought it would be this boring I wouldn't watch it at all. Even last year's match was better, there was at least some competition. This time it was really bad
I don't think we can bring back the days when players are competitive during this event. Team Management will always try to protect their players and I bet they already warned them to be careful in playing in an event that is no bearing. I mean, that will not give them any championships which means it will also not be for their own gains.
It's sad but it's the truth. Even since star players' contracts became 8 digits per year, the competition is gone in this All-Star event. We won't see any defense anymore because it might end up as a big mistake for them to get injured. Heck, even Lebron took a long rest in the fourth quarter because he ain't feeling good anymore.
I think the NBA management should just start focusing on the three-point shootout. I mean, that's the most fun of all from my own perspective. I like that close battle that ended up with a tiebreaker. Then, Steph and Sab also compete at a high level.
It's a different era now, we should really lower our expectations because we might not see that old All-Star anymore.