NBA All-Star Weekend 2019: Entertaining or Disappointing?

By: Matthew Lippe, Sports Analyst

This year’s NBA All-Star weekend was pretty entertaining. From Joe Harris winning the Three Point Contest, to Hamidou Diallo dunking over Shaq, there were moments that will live on in NBA All-Star history. Today we will break down the most memorable moments and also where the game can improve on for next year.

Best Moments

The Three Point Contest: Joe Harris Wins Over Steph Curry

Over the past ten years, as the three point shot has become more and more prevalent in NBA play, the Three Point Contest has become more than just a secondary contest to the Dunk Contest. It has been better if not, equal with the Dunk Contest. With a stacked lineup this year, the Three Point Contest did not disappoint. Out of the eight participants, hometown hero Steph Curry, Buddy Hield, and Joe Harris would move on to the final round, each posting 27,26, and 25 respectively. Steph Curry definitely had the momentum heading into the final round, however Joe Harris would come out victorious, scoring 26, compared to Steph’s 24 and Hield’s 19. This was an awesome moment for the league, as a true underdog was able to take out one of the greatest shooters of all-time. Having Harris win the contest, someone who had been demoted to the D-League over and over during his first couple years in the league, displayed how hard work and determination can lead to success in the end.

Dunk Contest: Hamidou Diallo Dunk

While the rest of the Dunk Contest may have been lackluster, Hamidou Diallo threw down an insane dunk. Calling up 7’1 Shaq, Diallo proceeded to jump over the Hall-of-Famer and not just finish the dunk, but put his arm in the rim and hang like Vince Carter. While hanging, Diallo revealed a Superman undershirt and it was an awesome moment to be sure. The dunk received a 50 rating, sending Diallo to the Dunk Contest Finals, where he would end up winning the 2019 Title.

All-Star Game: Steph to Giannis, Wade to LeBron, and Dirk Hitting Threes

Not going to lie, before the All-Star game itself I was little unsure on how Dirk and Wade would fit into the game. But it was awesome to see the two greats out there one more time. With Dirk drilling three-pointers and Wade tossing alley-oops to LeBron, it was the perfect way to pay respect to the two future Hall-of-Famers. However, the rest of the game was equally impressive. Team Giannis got out to an early lead, led by captain Giannis throwing down dunks. During this run, the most iconic play of the game occurred, when Steph Curry bounced an extremely high pass to Giannis, who proceeded to finish it off with an emphatic slam. This is one of those plays that will live on in All-Star history and was an amazing moment.

As the game went on, Team LeBron would make a comeback led by Kevin Durant. In the 4^th Quarter, Team LeBron outscored Team Giannis 46-33, to come back and win the game. This was a fresh change from the usual All-Star games, when one team takes a big lead and the opposition is never able to make it competitive. Durant would end up winning the MVP putting up 31 Points and 7 rebounds. Finally, the game delivered everything an All-Star game should and then some, and the addition of the two legends was the cherry on top.

Room for Improvement

While were many great moments from the Weekend, there were two specific things that if improved upon in 2020, could take it to another level.

Jerseys

In the 90s, the NBA had some of the most ambitious jerseys of all-time and many of them are still fan favorites to this day. The All-Star jerseys were no exception. From 1994-1996 the All-Star jerseys had various designs with vibrant colors that put this year’s bland jerseys to shame. The design of the jersey also tied into the city that was hosting the game, a nice touch that this year’s jerseys definitely lack. It would have been cool if this year’s jerseys had incorporated a honeycomb type design or even based the jerseys off the classic 90s Hornets unis. The NBA missed an opportunity to create a jersey that is unique to the 2019 All-Star game; instead they produced a jersey that could be used for any year.

Rest of Dunk Contest

Aside from the fantastic “Shaq” dunk, the rest of the contest was very underwhelming. First, Miles Bridges missing all the attempts of his first dunk set the contest off on a bad foot. I understand going for a difficult dunk, but if you can’t throw it down on the second try, try something different. Second, the Finals was not competitive. When Dennis Smith Jr. missed all his attempts on the first dunk of the finals and two of his attempts on his second, all Diallo had to do was basically throw down two dunks on the first attempt to win. Also, the second dunk Smith finished, after two failed attempts, was jumping over a 6’4 D-Wade; Diallo had already dunked over a 7’1 Shaq and stuck his arm in the rim. There was no chance that Smith’s dunk was going to be better than Diallo’s and this leads into my final point: too many 50 ratings on dunks. I’m someone who believes that a perfect rating is unattainable; there may be something out there that is better. Because of this, I’m not a big fan of giving out a 50 rating, let alone 4 being given out. The best dunk by far was the “Shaq” dunk and to try and pretend that Dennis Smith jumping over D-Wade on his third attempt is the same rating, is ridiculous.

Overall, while there is room for improvement, NBA All-Star Weekend was very entertaining. If the Dunk Contest returns to its former glory and the Jerseys are more creative, then 2020 will be even better.