First MVP Kept Feet on Ground - LA Times

[Snoopy the Celtics Beagle <snoopy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 02:56 PM 2/11/2004, CeltsSteve wrote:

>"There's so much stuff going on now, so much entertainment, it seems like 
>the game itself is secondary, and that's not good," Macauley says. "The 
>NBA has to remember to keep the game the primary thing."

This strikes to the heart of what bugs me about the All-Star Game.  I'm 
looking at the websites on ESPN, NBA, TNT, etc...

They all say the same thing.

The Slam-Dunk contest, and who will--or won't--be in it.  The Rookie Game, 
the best chance for non-Cavs fans to see LBJ.

Tape delays--as if Dennis Rodman was doing the halftime show.

The three-point shootout, the celebrity game, the statue of Magic 
Johnson,the idiocy of Charles Barkley...it just goes on and on like an 
extra-long version of "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang: it sounds nice 
unless you have to live through it.

I'm tired of the hype--and the Hype.

All I'm really interested in is seeing some of the best players in unique 
combinations on the court play a game of basketball.

One of the most enjoyable moments I saw in such a game was the year Magic 
retired.  At the end of the game, the WC just handed the ball to Magic and 
he went one-on-one with the EC All-Stars.  Each time, despite their best 
efforts, another Magic highlight ensued.  Then, one more time, is was Bird 
and Magic.  Larry was--fittingly--the only guy who stopped him, and it was 
a gesture of respect--no easy hoops--that showed both men still doing their 
incomparable best.

We've all heard--and in some cases, posted--how player "X" would be much 
more effective if only he was surrounded by better players.  Here we have 
them.  Forget the corporate snowjobs, where everything has to have a 
sponsor to squeeze a few more dollars out of an event that already turns a 
decent profit.  Leave behind the interminable "what if" player B had been 
chosen over player A to be in the game.

I'm hoping--that as once upon a time did---that we tune in to an 
entertainment spectacle, and are pleasantly surprised by a basketball game.

Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
Please visit the <http://www.celticsbeagle.net/>Celtics Beagle Website