The NBA has never seen a game like Sunday night’s All-Star Game.
Many irate fans hope to never see one like it again. Others absolutely loved it.
The Eastern Conference All-Stars defeated their Western Conference counterparts, 211-186, in the highest scoring game in NBA history. It’s exactly what some fans predicted and/or feared after the NBA tweaked the format for this year’s game, returning to the traditional East vs. West matchup and ditching the “Elam Ending” target score experiment.
That format had prevented teams from running up the score in recent years (the Western Conference team set the previous NBA scoring record with 196 points in the 2016 game).
So defense was nowhere to be found Sunday night as the two teams traded uncontested dunks, layups and 3-pointers. It’s worth noting that Karl Anthony-Towns scored 50 points, becoming just the fourth player to reach that mark in an NBA All-Star Game.
Karl-Anthony Towns just became the fourth player in NBA history to score 50 points in an All-Star game, joining:
• 55 – Jayson Tatum in 2023
• 52 – Anthony Davis in 2017
• 50 – Stephen Curry in 2022pic.twitter.com/LyqADvEkyn— Canis Hoopus (@canishoopus) February 19, 2024
The East led 104-89 at halftime, and many fans could see history in the making. Some were appalled. Veteran sportswriter Bob Ryan sent out a couple of tweets calling the game a “disgraceful farce.” He concluded one tweet with a message to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, saying, “What a waste of time. Adam, you must do something. It’s embarrassing for your sport.”
i know the allstar game is for the kids but this might be what bob is talking about 😂 pic.twitter.com/FCnJMOQoBE https://t.co/M3Mpxl1b7a
— brad auerbach (@CelticsPost) February 19, 2024
Other fans thought that the game is exactly what the players and fans need at this point in the long season — a chance to have some fun. The two fan contingents battled on X after the game.
all-star games in general are obsolete. Was a great idea once upon a time when it was the only chance people with 3 channels had to see the best guys from out-of-town, etc. Now everyone sees them every night.
The guys clearly don't want to play and hard to blame them
— Brandon Ginsberg (@bginsberg2) February 19, 2024
We need things like the NBA All-Star Game so we can protect the tradition of old sports writers getting unnecessarily angry at things. https://t.co/UZYbjHuv7P
— Jeff D. Lowe (@JeffDLowe) February 19, 2024
I actually really enjoy watching this lmao, I don’t wanna watch a grind it out slug fest 😂 https://t.co/S5ry3Ufnmm
— Celtic Husker (@celtic_husker) February 19, 2024
I am a big believer in defense, boxing out, crashing the boards and shooting free throws. But it is THE All-Star Game. Time to have some fun in the middle of the dog days of the season. https://t.co/p0E7mxlPvZ
— David Burge (@dburge1962) February 19, 2024
The only All-Star game is baseball. Players are doing everything to win. What’s so hard trying to make an effort to guard somebody https://t.co/deClDPkASn
— Bob Jarzomski (@bjarzomski) February 19, 2024
All the major sports all-star games have sucked in recent years, but the NBA All-Star game is the most unwatchable by far. And I’m a huge NBA fan.
— Joe MacDonald (@JoeAMacDonald) February 19, 2024
The players and the NBA should be ashamed for turning the game into a mockery for the fans. No one paid to see a circus act. It was truly disappointing. #NBAAllStar2024 #NBAonTNT
— Sports101_USA (@sports101usa) February 19, 2024
