Much has been said about the All-Star Game and how boring it has become. The reality is that the NFL’s flag football format and even the MLB’s All-Star Game haven’t been that exciting in recent years. Plus, the loudest complaints often come from former players, almost as if they want to discredit the younger generation. I actually liked this new format, but personally I’d prefer a return to the classic East vs. West. I doubt that will happen, but as a suggestion – one that won’t be heard – instead of the “Rising Stars” team, which Draymond Green had no problem criticizing, I would replace it with one of two options: a WNBA team, which would add intrigue, or a “Snubs” team, featuring the players who just missed the cut for the All-Star Game.
Kyrie Steals Money from MrBeast
Aside from Kevin Hart, whose participation was unpopular with almost everyone, including me and some players, one of the big guests at this year’s All-Star event was MrBeast, YouTube’s most subscribed influencer, known for his challenge videos where people compete for large sums of money. That’s exactly what he did at the All-Star Game: a $100,000 challenge. A young contestant, Jaren, beat Damian Lillard with a buzzer-beater to win the money. But what happened next was caught on camera – Kyrie Irving took or even stole some of Jaren’s money while laughing with James Harden and Stephen Curry.
The story didn’t end there, as Kevin Durant grabbed the money from Kyrie and put it back where it belonged. Of course, Irving was probably just joking, and while I couldn’t see the denominations of the bills, he was probably going to give them to an All-Star Game staffer. It’s not like he needs the money – he’s in the second year of his three-year, $120,000,000 contract with the Mavericks. Good for Durant for not hesitating to give the money back to the lucky kid who’s probably on vacation right now.
NBA Season Closing Stretch
If teams keep up the pace they’ve set through the first 50 games, we’re in for a spectacular finish in both conferences as teams battle for play-in and playoff spots. In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers (44-10) hold a five-game lead over the second-place and defending champion Boston Celtics. The Cavs have dominated the conference since their incredible 15-0 start and need to win 23 of their remaining 28 games to surpass the franchise record 66 wins set in 2008-09 with LeBron James. The rest of the conference is competitive, with just five games separating the fourth and ninth seeds.
It’s a similar story in the West, though the Oklahoma City Thunder (44-10) have an even bigger lead – eight games over the second-place Memphis Grizzlies. They need 17 more wins in their final 28 games to break the franchise record set in 2012-13, which seems very doable. The battle for seeding and play-in spots is also intense, with only five games separating the fifth and tenth seeds. After almost a week off for the All-Star break, NBA action resumes tomorrow with just one game – the Hornets visit the Lakers. These two teams had discussed a trade involving rookie Dalton Knecht, but in the end no deal was made.
