Kleeman's Last Word

All-Star: Why the NBA gets it right

I will be watching the 57th NBA All-Star Game tonight.

Count me as one of 10 to 11 million people who can stand watching pro basketball's creme de la creme talent compete in a showboating contest. It's easy to write off the annual East vs. West showdown as a glitzy, unnecessary forum for overpaid athletes to boast.

But, here's why I watch it: the NBA gets it right. Other leagues do not. Showboating is what makes All-Star games worth showing. You want a competitive game that feels like two conference champions clashing in an NBA Finals classic? What planet are you from?

I detested Major League Baseball's decision to let its All-Star contest decide World Series home field advantage. Playoff positioning and home court should be decided in the regular season, not in a game destined to be meaningless. Viewers have not aligned with Commissioner Bud Selig's vision, as MLB game ratings continue to tank.

David Stern admits the game achieves nothing more than providing fans a glimpse at their favorite players' ridiculous abilities. That is why fans vote in the starters and why they now decide the slam dunk champion. These games are about the fans, not ballsy, arrogant sports writers who demand purity where it does not exist.

I will be watching my two favorite players Yao Ming and Tim Duncan throw up or attempt to finish preposterous lobs. Save the blood, sweat and anguish for that Western Conference Finals match up I dream about.

When the two conference squads tip off tonight, defense will be scarce, organized play will be wishful thinking and the score will look more like a heightened blood pressure reading than a game result. Stern continues debating whether to tabulate the final score in Scientific Notation.

Those who remember the 70s, 80s and 90s mistakenly affix a greater meaning to the All-Star games of those eras. The contests Larry Bird and Michael Jordan played in did not mean more. They were incredible players with talents who transcended superstardom. You should not confuse that with meaning.

Players will compete tonight, but they will do so in a goofy manner. All-star games should be defined by absurdity and star power.

The NBA gets it. Others do not.

posted by Robert Kleeman @ 4:12 PM