Kevin Durant looked to put his stamp in this year's All-Star Game, but not by breaking yet another record in the game's history, but by removing the plaguing stigma of having become a joke over the last few years.
Fans had started to lose interest in what had become an open court for alley-oop practice and 3-point shootouts, virtually a glorified exhibition game.
This contest took the respect for the game seriously, despite a high-scoring 148-145 game — one that saw key defensive plays, hustle, and most importantly, both teams' will to win.
“We wanted to kind of change the narrative of the All-Star Game being a joke,” Durant said, according to Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports. “Today we wanted to make it a real basketball game.”
Both teams changed leads multiple times during the game, and made it a close affair as it went down to the wire, as Durant and Team LeBron ultimately got the last laugh by double-teaming opposing captain Stephen Curry in the closing seconds of the game, not allowing him to get a shot off due to their sheer length.
“It worked out not only for the players, not only for the league, but for our fans, for everybody,” added James. “It was a great weekend and we capped it off the right way.”
The NBA capitalized on their emphasis to make this a respectable and competitive game, and it showed, while still providing plenty of entertaining air-defying moments and a clean outcome at the end.
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