The 2023 NBA All-Star Game took place on Sunday in a game that was ridiculously high-scoring, finishing with a 184-175 final score with Team Giannis beating Team LeBron. One NBA All-Star got brutally honest about the game following its conclusion, calling out the horrific defense on both sides.
According to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown said that the All-Star Game was “not basketball” and even went as far as to call the game a “glorified layup line”, saying that no defense was played in the game.
“That’s not basketball,” Jaylen Brown said. Called the game a glorified “layup line” and said he hoped there was a way to make the game more competitive. Obviously no real defense played tonight
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) February 20, 2023
Brown notably score a whopping 35 points in the game, while his Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum finished with an All-Star Game record 55 points.
And he wasn’t the only one on the sideline who felt that way about the matchup. Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone, who was coaching Brown on Team LeBron, also did not mince words about his feelings on the game.
“It’s an honor to be here. It’s an honor to be a part of a great weekend with great players. But that was the worst basketball game ever played,” Malone told Vic Lombardi of 92.5 FM Altitude in Denver. “They put on a show for the fans, but that was a tough game to sit through. I’m not going to lie.”
Malone called it “the worst basketball game he’s ever seen.” @AltitudeTV pic.twitter.com/LgULYM2prz
— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) February 20, 2023
This is a sentiment that some fans shared as well on social media during the game, blasting the defensive competitiveness on both sides.
All-Star Game defense is usually bad but this feels like an all-time low lol
— Zion (@ZionOlojede) February 20, 2023
I forgot All-Star game means all show and no defense whatsoever 🤦🏽♂️ what a waste of time @NBA @NBAAllStar
— Zayn Jinah (@zaynjca) February 20, 2023
I’m officially “They don’t play enough defense in the NBA All-Star Game!” years old.
— Alex Myers (@AlexMyers3) February 20, 2023
Being an NBA Official for the All-Star game must be a sweet gig.
No defense until the 4th quarter. No fouls calls until the 4th. Just jog baseline to baseline and watch the best in the world put on a globetrotters esque show.
— Scott Prather (@ScottMimic) February 20, 2023
While defense has never really been the main point of emphasis in the All-Star Game, it would certainly be fun to see the best players in the world competing on both sides of the ball, which was obviously not the case on Sunday night.
[Dan Woike on Twitter, Vic Lombardi on Twitter]
