NBA All-Star Game is a Star-Studded Event

Professional sports All-Star games are kind of like new pennies. They are too bright and alluring not to pick up, but you quickly realize that they aren’t really worth much.

Of the “big 3” sports, the NBA All-Star Game is probably the best, if only because the rosters are small enough that you have some of the best stars on the court from opening tip to final horn. It is also the only one of the three where you rarely hear of a player getting a mysterious injury in the days leading up to the event.

In recent years, the NBA has turned the concept of the All-Star Game into a star-studded three-day extravaganza where the actual game can almost be anti-climatic to all the events that precede it.

The idea of special events in advance of the All-Star Game actually dates back to the ABA when Julius Erving dazzled fans with his famous foul line dunk. The NBA created its own dunk contest in 1984 and added a three-point shootout two years later. The weekend now also includes skills and horse competitions, a celebrity game and a game between first and second year NBA players.

By the time the actual All-Stars take to the court tonight, seemingly half the players in the NBA will have participated in one event or another.

Because the game rules seem to prohibit anyone from actually playing defense, the average score of the NBA All-Star Game is generally much higher than what you will see in the regular season. Last year the East won the game 134-128 and the last time that both teams didn’t score at least 110 points was in 1976 when the East won 123-109.

LeBron James has won two of the last three game MVP Awards, but watch for Amare Stoudemire of the host Phoenix Suns to have a big game. The subject of trade rumors the last couple weeks, this could be his final game as a member of the Suns and I’m sure he would like to go out in style.