Tuesday, February 20, 2024
But is it basketball?
The NBA All-Star game is a weird ritual. Because the game is meaningless, the players have kind of a non-aggression pact; well, really, it is more of a no-defense pact. The score this year was a 211-186 victory for the East. Yes, really-- almost 400 points total, including heaves from half-court.
I'm not really into the NBA, but this was oddly compelling. If you look at the highlights above, you'll see that the defense played is pretty performative-- a player will make a show of jumping past someone before he shoots, with no real chance of interfering with the play.
If nothing else, it means there are very few fouls (and injuries)!
