Spinning the Block: NBA All Star Weekend 2024

https://newsletter.threefourtwo.com/p/nba-all-star-basketball-wemby

The All-Star Break has come and gone and before regular NBA action returns, wanted to highlight some of my favorite moments from a thrilling All-Star Weekend. 

• The Celebrity All-Star game featuring Puka Nacua and Micah Parsons on a mission to prove they could hoop and delivering the football classics (face up, through the legs, cross over, spin move, finish) 
• Team Jalen taking the Rising Stars Challenge with a team built on size (Chet Holmgren, Dereck Lively II, Walker Kessler, Jeremy Sochan, Jalen WIlliams, Benedict Mathurin). The fun for me was realizing they were daring teams to shoot because the size was in the paint and they could attack on the other end. 
• Victor Wenbanyama cursing on National TV by quoting Pop. I just was not ready. 
• Anthony Edwards talking about how strong his left hand three was in the lead up to the All-Star Break and then going all in on the left hand bit during the Skills Challenge which resulted in one shot off the side of the backboard and a second miss. Add Victor’s post game quote of “They wanted to have fun”, pausing and adding “Fun is winning” and I will be seated for the Wolves/Spurs matchup on February 27th. 
• All Tyrese Maxey + Scottie Barnes Skills Challenge Content. They can’t catch a break on the team ups. 
• The 3-Point Contest featuring a four way tie for first with 26 points between Trae Young, Tyrese Haliburtion, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Damian Lillard. Which lead to Damian Lillard prevailing in dramatic fashion in the Final with 26 points. 
• That 26 points is the same amount that Sabrina Ionescu got in her challenge vs. Stephen Curry by the way. An important and fun moment that should be highlighted in the proper fashion. 
• Jacob Toppin likely should have advanced but Mac McClung once again put on a show. I respected Jaylen Brown leaning into the left hand bit, even if Donovan Mitchell did not share the same confidence. 
• The All-Star Game featured the East scoring 211 points and I am sure a lot of discourse. I salute Tyrese Haliburton for scoring 15 points early in under two minutes, Damian Lillard responding by side eyeing the MVP trophy and unleashing a barrage of deep threes. Jaylen Brown tried to sneak his way in there, Karl-Anthony Towns was determined to get to 50. 
• My favorite moment was Nikola Jokić pump faking everyone on two dunks. That or Luka Dončić getting a dunk, trying to throw it off the backboard and missing, immediately followed up by Damian Lillard hitting a pull up from half court. 

—Steve