{"id":4085,"date":"2017-01-31T09:28:06","date_gmt":"2017-01-31T14:28:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/?p=4085"},"modified":"2017-01-31T09:28:06","modified_gmt":"2017-01-31T14:28:06","slug":"2017-nba-star-weekend-make-even-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2017\/01\/31\/2017-nba-star-weekend-make-even-better\/","title":{"rendered":"2017 NBA All-Star Weekend: How To Make It Even Better"},"content":{"rendered":"

The very awaited stage has been set for this year\u2019s 2017 NBA All-Star Weekend. The line-ups are in place, the venue in historic New Orleans at the Spectrum Center is spectacular in itself, and the match up against two powerhouse conferences (the East vs. the West) will be an incredible show to watch. The NBA and TNT are sure to feast from this fortunate weekend harvest.<\/p>\n

To add to the weekend spectacle there is the \u201cSkills Challenge\u201d with a very intriguing line-up, as well as, the famous \u201cSlam Dunk Contest\u201d, and many other quality events. With so much to offer to the fans, what could possibly make the All-Star Weekend any better? Well, we\u2019ve come up with a strategy that could make the All-Star game and the weekend more interesting, more alluring, and at least more competitive. The inspiration for this strategy leans more towards the obvious than to actual virtuosity.<\/p>\n

2017 NBA All-Star Weekend: How To Make It Even Better<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cIt is what it is,\u201d said Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook<\/a><\/strong>. \u201cIt\u2019s the nature of the business, the game. I don\u2019t play for All-Star nods or All-Star bids. I play to win championships, and every night I compete at a high level. It will work out. Just continue to do what I\u2019m doing and play the game the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Westbrook not being voted to the starting line-up is old news at this point. The All-Star roster has been finalized for days now. Averaging a triple-double for a full season and being the second player ever to do so, just isn\u2019t enough to persuade the fans to vote Westbrook over guards Stephen Curry<\/a><\/strong> and James Harden<\/a><\/strong>. Westbrook still gets to play in the game, he\u2019ll just be coming off the bench. \u201cIt is what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

This could very well be the greatest All-Star Weekend in the history of NBA basketball. That being said, what could possibly make the exhibition any better? First of all, let\u2019s take a look at the line-ups.<\/p>\n

Western Conference Starters<\/strong><\/h3>\n

PLAYER\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 TEAM<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stephen Curry<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Golden State Warriors<\/strong>
\nJames Harden<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Houston Rockets<\/strong>
\nKevin Durant<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Golden State Warriors<\/strong>
\nKawhi Leonard<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 San Antonio Spurs<\/strong>
\nAnthony Davis<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 New Orleans Pelicans<\/strong><\/p>\n

Western Conference Reserves<\/strong><\/h3>\n

PLAYER\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 TEAM<\/strong><\/p>\n

Russell Westbrook\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Oklahoma City Thunder<\/strong>
\nKlay Thompson<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Golden State Warriors<\/strong>
\nGordon Hayward<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Utah Jazz<\/strong>
\nDeMarcus Cousins<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Sacramento Kings<\/strong>
\nDeAndre Jordan<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Los Angeles Clippers<\/strong>
\nMarc Gasol<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Memphis Grizzlies<\/strong>
\nDraymond Green<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Golden State Warriors<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eastern Conference Starters<\/strong><\/h3>\n

PLAYER\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 TEAM<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kyrie Irving<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Cleveland Cavaliers<\/strong>
\nDeMar DeRozan<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Toronto Raptors<\/strong>
\nLeBron James<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Cleveland Cavaliers<\/strong>
\nGiannis Antetokounmpo<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Milwaukee Bucks<\/strong>
\nJimmy Butler<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Chicago Bulls<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eastern Conference Reserves<\/strong><\/h3>\n

PLAYER \u00a0<\/strong> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 TEAM<\/strong><\/p>\n

John Wall<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Washington Wizards<\/strong>
\nIsaiah Thomas<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Boston Celtics<\/strong>
\nKyle Lowry<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Toronto Raptors<\/strong>
\nKemba Walker<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Charlotte Hornets<\/strong>
\nPaul George<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Indiana Pacers<\/strong>
\nKevin Love<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Cleveland Cavaliers<\/strong>
\nPaul Millsap \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Atlanta Hawks<\/strong><\/p>\n

How To Make The All-Star Weekend Even Better<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Without question, neither of the three, All-Star guards (Curry, Harden, or Westbrook) deserves to be selected to the reserve squad. All three very-talented players are having phenomenal seasons for their teams. By sticking Westbrook in with the reserves, what it did actually was strengthen the reserve line-up.<\/p>\n

After examining all of the roster line-ups, an idea suddenly dawned. If the NBA were to implement a playoff, say, the \u201cstarters\u201d against the \u201creserves\u201d, we would know without a doubt who the real starters should be. The two playoff games (four teams) would air on Saturday and on Sunday night, the real All-Star game would commence.<\/p>\n

The interest level for such a profound match up is already intact. Revenue-wise, it would be a gold mine for both the NBA and for TNT. Competitively, you can throw exhibition out the window. No player wants to be a bench-warmer at the All-Star game. No true \u201cstarter\u201d wants to be beat out by a \u201creserve\u201d player.<\/p>\n

Of course, all of this is surely just a pipe dream. It is far too much basketball for the players to have to endure, especially for exhibition. Besides, any bright ideas or fresh implementations wouldn\u2019t be considered by the NBA until next season. If any changes were to be made, a play-off in the All-Star Weekend could never happen. Or could it? Fervent, money-spending fans will just have to wait and see.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

James Harden Houston Rockets (Photo by Mark Downey Lucid Images\/Corbis via Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 2017 NBA All-Star weekend is packed with a very exciting format. Basketball fans will not be disappointed. How can we make it better?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1638,"featured_media":1897,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,2],"tags":[65,444,96,636,53,48,708],"class_list":["post-4085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-featured","tag-basketball","tag-james-harden","tag-nba","tag-nba-all-star-weekend","tag-russell-westbrook","tag-stephen-curry","tag-tnt"],"modified_by":"Harrison Marcus","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4085\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}