1. The 68th NBA All-Star Game
People can bemoan the lack of defense played for the majority of the game all they want, but this is still the highlight of All-Star weekend. It’s the one time every year we see the greatest collection of basketball talent on the same court and teams, and if they play six minutes of defense the whole game, is it really much different than a mid-January regular season game?
The teams are as stacked as you’d expect an All-Star game to be. LeBron James drafted a wing-dominant team while Giannis Antetokounmpo stayed true to his word of drafting Stephen Curry first and teaming Joel Embiid with Russell Westbrook (although he had to trade Ben Simmons for Westbrook).
How did @Giannis_An34 do drafting #TeamGiannis for #NBAAllStar 2019? pic.twitter.com/OroU8NVZYV
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 8, 2019
Honoring Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade as All-Stars one more time is another plus to the game. Who doesn’t want to see one more Wade to LeBron alley-oop, or a Dirk pick-and-pop with Giannis or Steph?
If the game brings out the competitive nature last year’s did, then we’re in for a treat. Who emerges to close out the game? Who rises up to the challenge of being on this stage against the best players? Teammates will be against each other and others will be reunited, such as LeBron and Kyrie Irving.
The skills competitions are nice, but everybody is here to see the world’s best players entertain for 48 minutes. Having J. Cole as the halftime performance is an All-Star game enhancer, giving the game another homecoming feel to add to the weekend. Save your complaints about lack of defense and just marvel at the talent and show these players will put on until the NBA season resumes.
Winner: Team LeBron