Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum scored an All-Star Game record 55 points on his way to earning MVP honours as his Team Giannis rolled over Team LeBron 184-175 in the 72nd edition of the NBA’s mid-season showcase on Sunday night.
As has been in the case in recent years, the All-Star Game saw the teams captained and picked by the Eastern and Western Conference’s top vote getters – Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James. Additionally, the four quarters were like their own contained games with the winner of each quarter earning money for the respective charity it was representing.
The fourth quarter was played without a game clock and instead tasked the winning team to reach a final target score of 182.
Team Giannis entered the fourth quarter leading 158-141 and came away with the win as Damian Lillard drilled his eighth three-pointer of the night to put an end to the game and give a James-captained team its first-ever loss in an All-Star Game.
Unfortunately, unlike before, the final target score didn’t make for a very competitive final frame and there was an apparent aversion to defence from start to finish.
Such is the way, sometimes, with all-star games.
Here’s a look at a few more takeaways from Sunday’s NBA showcase.
Jayson Tatum put on the perfect MVP showing for this high-scoring season
The 2022-23 NBA season has been defined by high-scoring individual performances, where it’s become almost expected that we’ll see a player go for 50 or more at least once a week.
Well, this week that player was Tatum, who went for a double nickel in the all-star game, breaking Anthony Davis’s previous record of 52 from 2017 to win the game’s MVP honour.
The Boston Celtics star went 22-for-31 from the field and shot 10-of-18 from three-point range, while also adding 10 rebounds and six assists.
There really wasn’t much of an attempt to prevent Tatum from going off from anyone on Team LeBron, but his display of shot-making – especially in the third quarter when he scored an all-star record 27 in the frame – was a sight to behold.
Playing in his fourth All-Star Game already at age 24, the performance Tatum put on has firmly established him as one the game’s true superstars.
Uncompetitive sports aren’t very fun to watch
Back to the general problem with Sunday’s game. While Tatum and many others had remarkable performances that leap off the box score – Donovan Mitchell had 40 points, Lillard scored 26, Jaylen Brown went for 35 points and 14 rebounds and Kyrie Irving had 32 points and 15 assists – it wasn’t anywhere near as fun to watch as seeing such incredible feats in an actual game because the All-Star Game, ultimately, is just an exhibition.
Players don’t want to get hurt – such as Antetokounmpo and James, who both exited early nursing injuries – and they don’t want to hurt each other in such a low-stakes environment. I think we all get that.
However, even with the astronomical scoring, the game was boring to watch. To quote Team LeBron head coach Michael Malone, “that was the worst basketball game ever played.”
No argument here, coach.
We watch pro sports because we want to see remarkable feats of human athleticism done in a high-pressure environment. The Elam Ending target score has been the saving grace of the All-Star Game the last few years, but that motivation is no longer there.
It should be back to the drawing board for the NBA for next season, because another snoozer could spell trouble for the event.
The live draft was great fun
Unlike the actual game, doing the draft live was a ton of fun.
From James bringing out a piece of paper with his prep work and Antetokounmpo using a notebook for his, to the Greek superstar prematurely selecting Ja Morant (starters weren’t eligible to be selected when he was called) only to be able to get him later and Nikola Jokic ensuring he wouldn’t be taken last overall, the live draft was a solid addition to the game, and was probably the evening’s highlight.
In case you were wondering, here’s a look at the teams the two captains drafted:
At first glance, James’s squad probably looked better from a balance standpoint, but the shot-making prowess of Tatum, Mitchell and Lillard – and the fact Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was coaching Team Giannis and probably wanted to give his guy a bump – proved to be the difference in the game.
Regardless how the game turned out, the live draft deserves a big thumbs-up.
Pascal Siakam had himself a good all-star weekend
Another positive from the entire all-star weekend, in general, was the amount of fun Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam seemed to be having.
Accompanied the whole way by his trusty camcorder, Siakam was a big viral hit taking in the Mac McClung dunk show on Saturday night, and was seen having a blast while both introducing and vibing along to the Afrobeats-centric halftime show with artists Burna Boy, Tems and Rema.
Siakam had a solid performance in his second all-star appearance, scoring 12 points and adding seven rebounds and four assists on 6-for-8 shooting from the field.
Considering the All-NBA kind of season Siakam’s been enjoying for the Raptors, he was among the big initial snubs before he was rightfully added as an injury replacement.
That initial slight didn’t seem to bother him this weekend.
Tatum vs. Brown was the coolest moment of the game
The one-on-one exchange between Celtics teammates Tatum and Brown to end the third quarter was a highlight.
This has to be the millionth time these two have gone o
ne-on-one with each other, but it’s the first time it’s happened in an NBA game – with millions watching.
The moment was cool because the two actually appeared to be guarding one another to some degree.
This, sadly, was probably the most defence played in the entire game.
Another cool moment was, this Lillard shot from beyond half court.
