Tag: 2023 nba all-star game

LeBron James’ suspicion when Giannis Antetokounmpo picked Damian Lillard at the NBA All-Star draft proved true

LeBron James knew something was up with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard way back in February.

The Milwaukee Bucks trading for Damian Lillard has many dreaming of what he’ll be able to do with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the court.

Well, it seems that Antetokounmpo has had his eye on Lillard for quite some time as a possible teammate.

During this past February at the NBA All-Star Game, Antetokounmpo led one of the All-Star teams alongside Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.

With his first pick in the schoolyard-style draft, Antetokounmpo chose Lillard, which earned quite a reaction from James about which player the Bucks superstar didn’t pick first.

“Giannis has changed this weekend,” James quipped on the stage. “You know, he always talked about loyalty, being loyal, and all that stuff, right? So I knew for sure his first pick was going to be Jrue [Holiday], so I don’t know what’s going on with Giannis.”

Indeed, Holiday, Antetokounmpo’s longtime Bucks teammate, was not the first pick for Team Giannis that night. Lillard was.

As fate would have it, Holiday would be traded on Wednesday to the Portland Trail Blazers in order for Lillard to make it to Milwaukee.

It looks like James really was on to something way back in February when it came to why Antetokounmpo made the pick he did.

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The 12 players who can save the NBA All-Star game by playing way too hard, from Giannis Antetkounmpo to Jose Alvarado

Just call the squad First Team All-Try Hard

I hate to admit it, but the All-Star game needs saving, man. Again. This year’s game just didn’t have the vibe that is required to make the game, well, good.

Instead, the players just hot-dogged it up and down the court. They were just out there getting cardio. It’s cool to see all the star power on the court, but it’s not as fun when they’re not actually trying. The fans notice that — that’s why they tuned the game out.

So, with that being said, the For The Win NBA team here is dedicated to fixing it. We’re going to solve the problem that is the All-Star game.

How does one fix this game? By getting the players to play a bit harder. We figured out the perfect way to do it — by only picking players who are going to play hard.

It’s genius, y’all.

Myself, Bryan Kalbrosky, Prince Grimes and Cory Woodroof put together a serpentine draft to select 12 players total with 3 going to each of us. The only goal for each person’s 3-man squad was to put together a team that would not only win, but also give the maximum effort on the court for our star-studded exhibition.

Below, you’ll see all of our individual picks and why we picked them. The crux of it all is this: We know these dudes are bringing it. And they’ll have a bit of fun, too. Because that’s just how they are.

With that being said, here let’s get into the results.

The 2023 NBA All-Star Game ratings reportedly hit a new record-low, and that’s a huge problem for the league’s future

It’s on the NBA’s players to fix the NBA All-Star game

The NBA All-Star Game — and All-Star weekend as a whole, honestly — is supposed to be one of the best celebrations in sports.

It’s a time when the biggest names of the game of basketball from the past, present and future all come together in one place. It’s an extremely special time for the NBA.

The 2023 All-Star weekend absolutely didn’t feel like it, though. Fans made that abundantly clear by, well, actually not watching the game.

According to data from Paulsen’s Sports Media Watch, the game’s viewership reached record lows over the weekend. Sunday’s contest only saw 4.59 million viewers across TNT and TBS, which was a 27 percent decline from last year according to their data and the steepest decline since the 2000 All-Star game.

“Ratings declined 29% and viewership 27% from last year’s All-Star Game (3.1, 6.28M). While All-Star Game viewership has been trending down, this year’s declines are the steepest for the game since 2000 — the first All-Star Game after a one-year hiatus due to the 1998-99 NBA lockout.”

There are a few factors at work here. The first one is pretty obvious: There was lots of star power missing from the game.

Kevin Durant and Steph Curry were both out from injury. Giannis Antetkounmpo and LeBron James left the game early with injuries of their own. Those are huge losses. That star power is a big part of what brings people to All-Star weekend. Without it, the game can certainly be a tough sell.

The players participating giving the bare minimum effort certainly didn’t help either. People tuned the game out because they had absolutely no reason to tune in. No one wants to watch a “glorified layup line,” as Jaylen Brown described it.

This is a big deal, though. The All-Star game is a huge selling point for the NBA when the league has its television rights negotiations. TNT is reportedly ready to walk away from the league.  The league is looking for $50 billion to $75 billion combined from TNT and ESPN in their upcoming television deal, Front Office Sports reported.

It’s a long shot that this actually happens — the NBA is still growing and has an incredible social reach. But the NBA still needs to give its television partners some incentive to stick around. These numbers are not that.

There’s no easy fix for this. You can’t just continuously rule change this lack of effort away. It always resets back to square one.

The only way this changes is if the players — quite literally — make an effort to change it. It’s on them. We’ll see if it happens.

Q&A: Julius Randle on the 3-point contest, his son’s viral reaction and a bounceback all-star season

“He might be more competitive than me.”

When Julius Randle was named an all-star in 2021, he was just a 26-year-old in the middle of a breakout season with little outside expectations for how far his team could go.

In 2023, he’s a two-time all-star with an entire city on his back.

It’s been clear in a resurgent season for Randle that the New York Knicks go as he goes. After missing the playoffs last year in what Randle agreed to be a down season for himself, the Knicks are rolling again and their leader is “a lot better” for the experience.

Randle’s bounceback even earned him a surprise invite to Saturday’s 3-point contest as an injury replacement. And while his 13 points weren’t the worst showing of the participants, they were just bad enough to turn his adorable son Kyden into a meme for the night.

Randle discussed that funny moment, his all-star experience and more with FTW in a conversation about his partnership with Starry, the NBA’s newest official soft drink.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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Q&A: Zion Williamson wants to be remembered as a winner and says the Pelicans will be ready come playoffs

And he’s not ready to call Pelicans-Suns a rivalry yet.

Zion Williamson couldn’t resist the temptation to make a statement.

His New Orleans Pelicans had all but wrapped up a mid-season win over the Phoenix Suns, but he had a clear path to the basket and pent up frustration from the helpless feeling of being sidelined when these teams met in the playoffs last summer.

So, with fewer than five seconds left in the game, he took flight for a one-handed 360 windmill dunk that brought fans at Smoothie King Center to their feet and Suns players to the Pelicans bench.

With that, the former Duke standout let the world know he was back — and the Pelicans weren’t backing down from anyone.

Williamson’s stellar first half of the season led to a second career all-star nod and first as a starter, something he called a “real honor,” in a conversation with FTW during All-Star weekend about his partnership with Starry, the NBA’s newest official soft drink.

The former No. 1 overall pick was unable to play in Sunday’s game due to the hamstring injury that has sidelined him since the turn of the new year, but with his return looming, Williamson believes New Orleans will be ready for the playoffs.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. 

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PHOTOS: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Joe Mazzulla at the 2023 NBA All-Star Game

All the best Boston Celtics-centric photos from the big event.

With the Boston Celtics superstar wings on the rise in the league, it probably should not have surprised to see Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown dominating the NBA’s 2023 All-Star Game held in Utah’s Salt Lake City on Sunday night. And their regular season prowess put freshly-minted full Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla at the helm of the victorious Team Giannis while Tatum set the all-time scoring record of 55 points to win All-Star MVP.

Brown, for his part, outshone his teammate in their matchup with the Georgia native tapped for Team LeBron, whom he led in scoring with 35 points of his own.

If you missed the game or just want to reminisce, check out the photos we’ve assembled below that capture the best Celtics-centric moments from the ’23 All-Star Game.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

Celtics’ Jaylen Brown vs. Jayson Tatum in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game

The two Boston stars’ duel saw defense forcing a shot clock violation in an All-Star game, and a ‘too small’ celebration.

While the event taking place in Salt lake City, Utah on Sunday night might have been billed as the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, for at least a few minutes of the annual exhibition tilt’s second half, it was more like the 2023 Boston Celtics All-Star Game. Boston’s two star wings went mano a mano.

Jaylen Brown scored on his Celtics teammate and flashed a too small sign afterward, only to find himself locked up into a shot clock violation by Jayson Tatum the next time down — and remember, this is an All-Star game, as close to a defensive desert as exists in the NBA universe.

The two Celtics also led the contest in scoring (albeit on different teams). Tatum set the all-time scoring record for the All-Star game with 55 points.

To see their duel again for yourself, check out the clip embedded above put together by the folks at the Bleacher Report YouTube channel.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston’s Tatum (55 points), Brown (35 points) lead scoring in Team Giannis’ 184-175 ’23 All-Star win

Tatum won the All-Star Most Valuable Player award as well with his record-setting performance.

With Joe Mazzulla coaching Team Giannis and Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum playing for Team LeBron and Team Giannis, respectively, the Boston Celtics were well-represented in the Salt Lake City for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game.

It did not take long for Boston’s dynamic do to start doing damage to each other’s All-Star squads. Brown and Tatum were two of the offense-oriented affair’s hottest scorers early. The sizzling matchup between the two was among the high points of the annual exhibition contest. Tatum led all scorers (and set the all-time scoring record) with 55 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists to lead Mazzulla’s Team Giannis to a 184-175 win over Team LeBron.

Brown might have had the best of Tatum one-on-one by a hair, but the Georgia native also led Team LeBron in scoring with 35 points, 15 boards, and 5 assists off of the bench, two Celtics the top two scorers of the game.

Tatum earned the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player award with his record-setting performance.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics Jayson Tatum stumbles in second round of All-Star NBA 3-point contest

Celtics Jayson Tatum stumbles in 2nd round of All-Star 3-point contest

While star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum succeeds wildly at most basketball activities he attempts, when it comes to the NBA’s 3-point shootout, the St. Louis native is 0-2.

To be fair, he faced the toughest competition in the league. However, after a decent showing in the first round, Tatum fell short in the penultimate round in the contest eventually won by Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard.

The Celtics star finished fourth with Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen, putting the Celtics star at 1-4 overall in All-Star week events. His sole victory was in the NBA Taco Bell Skills Challenge in 2019.

The loss ought to put a bit of a chip on Tatum’s shoulder for Sunday night’s main event. The Boston forward will be among the bigger names taking the court for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. The pregame draft kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Team LeBron is somehow favored over Team Giannis before the NBA All-Star teams have even been decided

Trying to predict an All-Star game is one thing. Trying to do it before the teams are decided is just wild.

For the first time since the NBA changed the format of the NBA All-Star Game to allow the voting leader of each conference to select their teams, the All-Star draft will be held directly before the game.

It’s going to make for fascinating television to see each team captain, this year LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo, pick teammates right there on the spot like a schoolyard basketball game involving superstar athletes.

It’s also going to make it hard for bettors to gain an edge, not knowing how the teams stack up until right before tip-off. Unsurprisingly that didn’t stop sportsbooks from placing early odds on the game.

Team LeBron (-125) is favored over Team Giannis (+105) at BetMGM and other sportsbooks, which sounds surprising on the surface. Most people will tell you Antetokounmpo is the better player in 2023, having more recent team and individual success. Plus, James is battling a foot injury. Judging off captains alone, you would think Team Giannis should have an edge. On the contrary, DraftKings and FanDuel have them as a two-point underdog.

It begs the question how exactly they’re determining who should be favored and by how many. The answer might just be rooted in how well James has drafted. In five straight years as a captain, Team LeBron is undefeated at the All-Star Game, including wins against Team Giannis in 2019 and 2020, and wins with Antetokounmpo as a teammate the past two years against teams captained by Kevin Durant.

It’s silly to think any past success in an exhibition where players go half-speed 90% of the time will translate in the future. So this is still a coin toss if you ask me. But based on past success, it makes sense that Team LeBron is favored.

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