All-Star Weekend Introduction
Unfortunately, the end of All-Star weekend is here, and it contains many events. One returning event was the Rising Stars Challenge. Twenty-one NBA rookies and sophomores to split amongst three coaches. While one team had only G-League players. The four coaches included former NBA players: Joakim Noah, Deron Williams, Pau Gasol, and Jason Terry. The games are run by attempting to reach a target score of 40 for the semifinals, and for the championship, it was set to 25. The games provided great excitement for the fans as they watched the future of the NBA compete on a huge stage. Team Pau came out with a score of 25-20 vs. Team Deron. Jose Alvarado was named the MVP after hitting the championship-winning shot.
Skills Challenge
The next day brought a lot of surprises as it was the beginning of Saturday All-Star night. It included three events that display the star’s athletic capabilities. The events are the 3-Point Contest, Slam Dunk Contest, and Skills Challenge. The Skills Challenge had three teams of three players. One team included Alex and Thanasis Antetokounmpo, who was joined by Jrue Holiday. The other team included Jabari Smith Jr, Paolo Ranchero, and Jaden Ivey. The last team included Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, and Walker Kessler. The teams were the Brothers, the Rooks, and the Jazz. The event had three competitions, each giving 100 points, and the team with the most at the end won. Team Jazz emerged victorious over the other two teams, defending their home court.
3-Point Contest
The next event was the 3-Point Contest which was very competitive. Tyrese Halliburton started as an early favorite, scoring 31 points in the first round, a tie for the most ever. Damian Lillard finished in second for the first round with a score of 26, followed by Buddy Hield with a score of 23. The “Starry” ball was a new inclusion to the Contest, which gave a player three points by making a shot from 30 feet. Buddy Hield was trying to add a second championship trophy to his belt scoring 25 in the final round. Lillard hit his last four shots and scored 26, making him the winner. Lillard overcame the two Pacers and brought home his first 3-point contest trophy.
Dunk Contest
The Dunk Contest had a component this year which has never been done before. They had a player from the G-League included in the NBA Dunk Contest. Mac McClung was the Rookie of the year for the G-League last year as he played for the South Bay Lakers. His athletic ability and skill landed him in the dunk contest and signed him to the Philadelphia 76ers. This year’s dunk contestants included Mac McClung, Jericho Sims, Kenyon Martin Jr, and Trey Murphy III. Mac McClung dominated this competition as he received all perfect scores, except for one of his dunks. McClung caught the attention of the judges and the world, as he could pull off extravagant stunts while only being 6’2″.
All-Star Game
The All-Star game had a very rough start from the beginning. Giannis Antetokounmpo got injured earlier in the week due to a wrist sprain. LeBron James also got a right-hand contusion while attempting to block a shot during the All-Star game. This means that this game did not include either of the teams’ captains for most of the game. Despite the casualties, the internet slandered the game for the lack of competition.
Players are known not to stick to stagnant defense but to no defense until the last few minutes of the match, bringing rage to the fans. Team Giannis came on top with a win against Team LeBron, resulting in a score of 184-175. Jayson Tatum won the MVP for the game with a 54-point outing while shooting 71% from the field. This was the most points ever scored in an all-star game.
The fun in Salt Lake City is all over now; it is time for teams to focus on the second half of the season. Over the last few weeks, the trades and changes to organizations have fans dying to see what is upcoming in the NBA.
Written by: Willie Hurt
Sources:
NBA- 2023 All-Star Weekend
NBA- Team Pau wins Jordan Rising Stars
CNN- Mac McClung steals the show
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Erik Drost– Flickr Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Erik Drost– Flickr Creative Commons License