The NBA All-Star Game: nothing but a rat race

By Ryan E. Smith

The NBA All-Star Game is a lot like rat basketball.

Though it has yet to catch on, rat basketball features rodents in a cage with a mini-hoop at each end. One rat affectionately called "MJ" runs down the court (no traveling calls in this game) and dunks over his furry opponent named "Shaq" or "Little Penny." It is a contest of individual skill and, although an exciting novelty for a few minutes, it quickly becomes repetitive.

When the 47th Annual NBA All-Star Game is played at Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, I have no doubt that these same qualities will accompany it. (Anyone who doubts the relevance of the rat basketball to the NBA need look no further than Vinny Del Negro.) Year after year, this event becomes a chance for a bunch of tall hotdogs to fight for the spotlight.

Exceptionally-skilled players ought to be honored, and in this capacity the game serves its purpose. I'm happy that my hometown favorite Terrell Brandon is finally getting the recognition he deserves. Despite its high-profile participants, however, the All-Star game lacks the intensity that makes even a regular season game fun to watch. Sure, each player would like to win, but showing off is more important. This makes for a high-scoring contest, in which even the biggest fan can quickly lose interest.

Last year's 129-118 score-a-thon, featuring great dunks, incredible shots, and absolutely no defense, provides a historical model to support this. Such histrionic plays ought to be reserved for the Shootout and Dunk contests. Both are wonderful opportunities for players to impress the fans with their incredible skills, and accordingly, the competitions remain among the most popular segments of the All-Star weekend. No one will ever forget Michael Jordan's dunk from the foul line in 1986. But his performance in last year's All-Star Game?

What the All-Star game is missing is what makes my man Brandon so successful: team. The Cleveland Cavaliers have not won a single game this season because of the antics of one extraordinary player, even with Brandon and rookie standout Vitaly Potapenko on the squad. They focus on a team defense that stifles the opposition, frequently holding opponents to point totals in the seventies and eighties.

All-Stars tend to forget that it takes a team effort to win. MJ can run around as fast as he can, dunking over opponents left and right, but the fact is that rats can do that too. What should distinguish MJ is an inner fire and an applied awareness of his four teammates on the court, something that disappears come All-Star time.

This unfortunate trend is not limited to basketball, rat or otherwise. The NFL's Pro Bowl on Sun., Feb. 2 was a perfect example of what can happen when a bunch of individual standouts come together for a game.

It featured an 80-yard touchdown pass and a three-point overtime victory. What more could a diehard football fan want? How about quality play? Cary Blanchard, who made the game-winning field goal, missed two of his three previous attempts. John Kasey of the NFC was even more pathetic, missing three of four. The excuses given afterwards included problems in timing with the new centers. Again, the concept of team is thrust to the forefront.

No matter how great individuals may be, they don't amount to much without their teammates. Blanchard may be a great placekicker, but give some credit to the guys on the field helping him out. Likewise, cheer Emmitt Smith, but also realize that the enormous offensive line of the Dallas Cowboys could make any running back look great.

All-Star games are a wonderful concept, but many players approach them with the wrong attitude. Instead of giving the fans what they really want, an exciting game where every great player is playing his best along with four other great players, NBA All-Stars just give fans another dunk-fest

My brother recently told me that he won some free tickets to the NBA All-Star game. At first, I felt a mixture of excitement and jealousy. Then, I thought, "rat basketball," and resolved to watch the X-files instead. At least Scully and Mulder ensure a little suspense...I already know what's going to happen in the NBA.

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