The best thing to come out of Sunday’s 2024 NBA All-Star Game is the knowledge that now we can get back to the real games. The league returned to the old East vs. West format this year, and ditched the unique attempts at changing the scoring configuration as well. It was just a good old fashioned basketball game.
Well, maybe not a game so much as a display, or an exhibition. Even compared to its own standards, this year’s All-Star Game was sorely lacking in effort, defense, and competitiveness. The Eastern Conference, captained by Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, hit the 50-point mark in all four quarters, beating the Western Conference, captained by LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, by an appalling 211-186 final score.