Yawn
America’s most boring professional All-Star game was held last night in Phoenix, Arizona, with the NBA’s Western Conference All-Stars defeating their Eastern counterparts by a score of 146-119.
As usual, no defense whatsoever was played, while on the offensive side of things Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant shared MVP honors … awwwww.
Of course the real story is that even one of their egos could fit inside the US Airways Center … let alone the egos of all of their “me-first” multimillionaire teammates.
Like the NBA itself, ratings for the All-Star game have been sinking for years – bottoming out last year at 6.3 million viewers.
That’s about ninety million fewer viewers than the Super Bowl, in case you were wondering.
For whatever reason, Americans don’t appear to enjoy watching a bunch of self-aggrandizing drama queens not hustling much.
In fact, the only real action at the NBA All-Star game has been off-the-court, like the shooting incident involving NFL bad boy Pacman Jones during the 2007 All-Star weekend in Las Vegas.
There was at least one bit of irony, however, as President Barack Obama delivered a pre-recorded message at halftime urging public service.
Comments
By Gen. Longstreet on February 16th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Haw! Is this that sport old Jimmy Naismith came up with in 1891? I told that boy his new game would never catch on. Boy, guess i was sure wrong about that! Though I must say, in watching that contest on the television last night, I can’t as how those players were following all of the original 13 rules Jimmy came up with (I’ve printed those rules below). Y’all sure it’s the same game?
1. If the player is knocked out of balance by the other team player its called force out.
2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands, but never with the fist.
3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man running at good speed.
4. The ball must be held in or between the hands; the arms or body must not be used for holding it.
5. No shouldering, holding, striking, pushing, or tripping in any way of an opponent. The first infringement of this rule by any person shall count as a foul; the second shall disqualify him until the next basket is made or, if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game. No substitution shall be allowed.
6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violations of Rules 3 and 4 and such as described in Rule 5.
7. If either side makes three consecutive fouls it shall count as a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the meantime making a foul).
8. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stays there(without falling), providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.
9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field and played by the first person touching it. In case of dispute the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds. If he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on them.
10. The umpire shall be the judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have power to disqualify people according to Rule 5.
11. The referee shall be judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made and keep account of the baskets, with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee.
12. The time shall be two fifteen-minute halves, with five minutes rest between.
13. The side making the most points in that time is declared the winner.