The peculiar snowy weather in Dallas didn't prevent fans from flocking to this year's All-Star game. Instead, it encouraged them to seek shelter and catch the game live and direct, as Cowboy stadium hosted what has become the largest All-Star game in recent memory. Sure NBA All-Star weekend in my home town of Las Vegas was a weekend to remember, but it failed to set a record for attendance as 108,713 fans packed Cowboys stadium. Despite the record setting attendance mark and the game that came down to the final seconds with the Eastern Conference coming out on top by a field goal, the rest of the All-Star weekend would be better off if it was forgotten. The second year installment of the H-O-R-S-E competition failed to excite fans and instead was cut short due to the countless number of missed shot attempts. It concluded with Kevin Durant winning the event for the second straight year.However, the game of H-O-R-S-E wasn't the only fail. The Sprite Slam Dunk Contest which usually takes the cake, ended up being a major flop.
With all the hype about Laker guard Shannon Brown heading into the contest, one would think he would pull a rabbit out of a hat while in the air and somehow still manage to dunk the ball in the basket. Nevertheless, that wasn't the case. New York Knicks' Nate Robinson left the arena with the hardware for the third time, making him the only slam dunk contestant to win the event on three separate occasions. In my opinion, the only thing that helps make Kryptonate's dunks appealing, is his size. It's not everyday that you see someone at his stature (5 ft 6 in) dunk a ball. But it didn't stop this year's dunk contest from being by far the worse they've had (correct me if I'm wrong). It's clear that creativity has become a problem. Both the Three-Point Shootout and Skills Challenge entertained us as usual with Boston's Paul Peirce and Phoenix's Steve Nash winning respectively, but the game itself was undoubtedly the highlight of the entire weekend. With Kobe out and missing the opportunity to defend his All-Star MVP award, the East defeated the West by a high score of 141-139. Miami Heat star guard Dwayne Wade took home MVP honors.
One highlight that I'm sad to admit I missed, was the half-time performance that both Alicia Keys and Shakira put on. But unless the two performed a make-out scene, I don't think the weekend as a whole lived up to the words of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Prior to the 2010 All-Star weekend and after Superbowl XLIV, Cuban went as far as saying, "This year's All-Star game is going to make the Superbowl look like a bar mitzvah." For those of you who don't know what that is, look it up! That alone rose the bar and put the event on top of a pedestal in an all or nothing situation. & If you ask me, I don't think anyone would disagree that the Superbowl came out as the winner. Do you think this year's NBA ASG lived up to expectations? & If not, what could be done to help improve All-Star weekend? A friend of mine suggested that they might as well add '21' and 'knockout' to the list of events, however, he forgot to mention one of my favorites, 'around the world!'
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