NBA All-Star Weekend concluded on Sunday night with the annual All-Star Game and the level of play ... left something to be desired.
“That’s not basketball,” Jaylen Brown said. Called the game a glorified “layup line” and said he hoped there was a way to make the game more competitive. Obviously no real defense played tonight
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) February 20, 2023
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz discussed whether NBA All-Star is broken and what can be done to fix it.
Dan notes that seemingly everyone spent the weekend talking about all the things wrong with NBA All-Star Weekend, which represents a quick turnaround after the introduction of the Elam Ending brought a certain level of fun and competitiveness. He also points out that the NBA-Star Game was really most relevant in the age before cable television when it wasn’t easy to see all the game’s stars on a nightly basis.
Stugotz agreed that there used to be a specialness to seeing East vs. West and matchups that we don’t normally get to see. Dan says we’ve outlived the usefulness of exhibitions like this and are left with the question of how to dress this up for the next generation of fans, who are perhaps not on cable and are less interested in sports and in the nostalgia of the All-Star Game.
Mike pushes back a little bit, saying that, on the whole, he thought the All-Star Weekend was great. He notes that despite questions going in, the Dunk Contest was very memorable and the takeaway from the weekend. He also says he doesn’t think the NBA has to go to the extremes the NFL did in making changes to the Pro Bowl.
Mike also says not all the games can be winners, but he gives the NBA credit for being more progressive than most in making changes to spice things up, such as the draft.
Stugotz says he never actually cared about the All-Star Game, what he cared about was the Dunk Contest and NBA All-Star Saturday Night. To that end, he agrees with Mike that NBA All-Star Saturday Night was actually pretty good this year.
Meanwhile, Amin has his own take ...
“I’m sick and tired of begging people to do the dunk contest…I gotta beg you to play basketball?”
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) February 21, 2023
- @DarthAmin argues that off-season pickup games between NBA players are more competitive and entertaining to watch than the NBA all-star game.
https://t.co/2MdaM3y5jA pic.twitter.com/zHNBlVzrtS
SHOW BREAKDOWN
Local Hour: Drunk Chris Meets Drunk Amin
- Le Batard, Stugotz and the guys discuss the crew’s trip to Salt Lake City for NBA All-Star weekend. Drunk Amin and Drunk Chris met for the first time, Mike tried super hard for a mediocre time and Chris shares an embarrassing moment he had with Rudy Gay.
The Big Suey: It’s Electric
- Juju ranks the Salt Lack City crew’s outfits. Has this show gotten too old for All-Star games? Do the Heat deserve credit for always finishing 2nd place when trying to land a superstar? The wheel of topics makes a return!
Hour 1: X-Ceptional
- Mike Ryan has become a big XFL fan. Will the rest of the nation be? Plus, does Stugotz want Derek Carr as the quarterback for the Jets.
Hour 2: Respect the All-Star Game
- Amin Elhassan joins the show to give you youngsters a piece of his mind. Stugotz shares his Weekend Observations.
Postgame Show: Stugotz and Kelce
- How close was Stugotz to landing the Kelce pod? Will Travis Kelce be good on SNL?
Watch more below!
VIDEO:
Check out the Le Batard and Friends YouTube page for more and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow the show on Twitter @LeBatardShow.
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