Let’s face it: the NBA All-Star Game is a joke. No matter how many formats the league tries, the game is broken beyond repair. During media availability on Saturday, Anthony Edwards essentially confirmed this.
When asked if there is more to come effort in this year’s All-Star Game or if it is what it is at the moment, Edwards simply replied: “Yes, that’s what it is right now.”
Likewise, when Edwards was asked if the US vs. World format could in any way duplicate the intensity of the Olympics, he responded: “No.”
Kudos to Ant-Man for keeping it real with his reaction. Either way, these comments are exactly what fans don’t want to hear, and it all but guarantees that we’ll have another forgettable All-Star Game.
Anthony Edwards’ All-Star Game comments are disappointing but not surprising
While Edwards’ comments are off-putting, they are far from shocking. Outside of the 2020 All-Star Game, the first year of a “target score” and the third year of team captains, every All-Star Game in recent history has been forgettable (at best), and it’s clear that players are putting in minimal effort.
After six years of the captaincy format, the NBA switched back to East versus West one year, and the results were disastrous, so they went to a mini-tournament. And now they’re trying out an international versus American format in hopes of sparking some legitimate competition.
In theory, the new format sounds like a good idea, as players are more likely to play with a sense of pride. Still, a three-team round-robin tournament is illogical and difficult to follow even for die-hard fans. Even with the added motivation of representing your country, it would be shocking if we see a significant increase in effort, and Edwards’ comments confirm this.
Adam Silver and the NBA are grasping at straws to find ways to improve the All-Star Game. I sincerely appreciate Silver’s commitment and willingness to make changes. Nevertheless, the All-Star Game could simply be a lost cause. It’s a pointless practice game that’s really aimed at a younger audience, and once players stop caring about it, it’s very hard to change that.
At the end of the day, players don’t want to play on their break, and that’s something Edwards mentioned it two years ago. The NBA will likely look for new ways to add excitement to the All-Star Game after this year’s format inevitably flops. However, I don’t think there is a realistic solution to get players interested in a meaningless game.
This is an unfortunate reality that fans have to accept as we all have fond memories of the All-Star Game in the past, but when you hear comments like this from one of the league’s brightest young stars, it’s hard to think otherwise.
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