Last Sunday, something amazing happened: An NBA all-star game was played in Washington.
While the average weekend warrior may be saying, “”Well, duh, there’s always an all-star game around this time of the year,”” let me clarify: There was an all-star game played on Sunday, instead of the usual slopfest that the NBA likes to call “”a showcase of the best in the game.””
I have watched the NBA mid-season festivities for years, but I have not seen anything close to what I would call a real game. Previous all-star “”games”” have featured the best in the game ignoring their amazing natural abilities and attempting half-court alley-oop lobs, horrible off-balance shots and a general “”me first”” ball-hogging mentality that wouldn’t last five seconds on a high school basketball court. Even the players’ defense seemed to have been left behind in their home cities.
But this year was different. To my astonishment, the players dusted off their defensive skills and showed that there actually is an aspect to basketball other than offense. The West played hard and used its size to get in the face of the East shooters and began the game by holding the East scoreless for the first few minutes to take an 11-0 lead.
It wasn’t until Tracy McGrady’s swat of Kobe Bryant that I really became aware of the defense being played. I’m sure that’s about the time Kobe noticed it, too. Then, when Tim Duncan returned the favor by blocking McGrady, I finally put down my congealed burrito and pushed aside the bag of Doritos in order to give my full attention to the game.
What did I see? I saw players running the floor, big men pounding it inside, people playing the kind of transition defense that sometimes doesn’t exist in the regular season, unselfish passing so rampant that I almost spit out my warm root beer when I heard that Bryant was the game’s assist leader and athletes were actually working hard enough to break a sweat.
The result was a game I was compelled to watch. Allen Iverson used every inch of his 5-foot-10-inch frame to intercept a pass, Bryant tried to break apart the East’s defense and Jason Kidd threw a half-court bomb as time expired in the first half. This was 10 times better than the free-wheeling games of the past.
Sure, there was still room for the acrobatic plays that tastefully tittilate the fans, like 360-degree Vince Carter dunks, incredible Iverson shots and Bryant’s amazing athleticism. But the great thing was the whole game wasn’t all about circus plays, it was about winning and proving one team was better than the other.
It was about the East team refusing to fold under a 19-point deficit after three quarters and having enough pride in its game to come back to win.
It was about Stephan Marbury and Bryant going back and forth, trading baskets in the last few minutes of the game.
It was a game about pride, heart and determination. It was the type of basketball game I’d rather see any day than a game focused on 540-degree, one-handed windmill ollie jams with a twist.
After all, that’s what the slam dunk contest should be.
