The players saved the All-Star game this year and delivered for all

The NBA’s 75th All-Star game didn’t live up to what it was in the ‘80s, but it wasn’t nowhere close to the abomination it’s been for much of the millennium. It featured a round-robin format consisting of three games and Team Stars won plus Anthony Edwards was the MVP.

There were moments of weak transition defense, but the half-court intensity was much higher, and teams collapsed on the paint. Additionally, only one of four games was out of hand.

Victor Wembanyama deserves tons of credit for his intensity and for treating it like a game that mattered. Others followed his lead, particularly, Cade Cunningham, who relentlessly pierced the heart of the defense plus pressured the ball. On top of that, LeBron James played like it might be his last All-Star game.

USA Stars won the first match against Team World, on the strength of Anthony Edwards’ deep shooting

The USA Stars stayed on the court for the second game, and were defeated by USA Stripes thanks to Jaylen Brown taking over from short and long range, and De’Aaron Fox nailing the winning trifecta.

Wembanyama subsequently turned into a supernova in Game 3, invading the lane and shooting over defenders. After he subbed out for Team World, Team Stripes took advantage and Kawhi Leonard turned into the most dominant player on the floor, nailing three consecutive 3-pointers and a step-back jumper on the baseline.

The Stripes went on an 11-4 run before coach Darko Rajaković was forced to put Wembanyama back in. The Frenchman tried to one-up Leonard, but the latter sealed the deal by isolating Karl-Anthony Towns and burying a triple in his eye.

Stripes were then slotted against the Stars in the final. It started with an avalanche by the Stars after making five shots at close range, and the dead-legged Stripes had to call a stoppage while down 17. The Stars also couldn’t be stopped when finding Chet Holmgren in the lane, and they comfortably cruised to the finish line.

Edwards said after the game that former president Barack Obama is his favorite person in the world, and that they spent time together on Saturday.

Takeaways:

-Too many players in the past have given the nonsensical excuse that they could get hurt if they played hard, yet this game was a breath of fresh air for all observers. The format gets significant credit for raising the urgency, but, most importantly, the players delivered and have now set the standard for next year.

-Norman Powell was one of six first-time All-Stars, and he played over 13 minutes as a reserve for Team World, making a combined two of seven baskets.

-After the game, Cunningham was asked by On SI about his motivation for putting so much pressure on the ball, and he said, “It was a competitive game, we wanted to compete [and] had young energy on the team. So I just wanted to set the tone that way.”

-Anthony Edwards copied Michael Jordan’s style with hoop earrings and played with them on. He scored 32 points across three matches, scoring five shots in the restricted area.

-Leonard’s run in the third game was prolific, scoring 31 of his team’s 48 points in the third game, and it was the loudest moment in the building. He then missed all four shots in the final match. Additionally, he said the game was fun but still prefers the East-versus-West format. Edwards also said it was a good format.

-The Miami Heat’s PA announcer Michael Baiamonte, who is working his last season, was invited to make his regular “dos minutos” notification.

-Notably, Luka Dončić and James, the Los Angeles Lakers’ mega stars, were showered with boos when they touched the ball.