The NBA All-Star game was exciting at times, brilliant at others (mostly on Saturday night with the competitions) but overall, I found it to be kind of a let down. I realize that the All-Star game isn’t exactly an And1 show where ridiculous moves and dunks occur on a regular basis but it seemed, at times, like defense was stressed too much. I realize that both teams scored an erroneous amount of points, (146-119) but there were a lot of times when it seemed like someone was about to set up a play or go for a big dunk that would have excited the crowd but ended up at the free-throw line instead. I know that no one, especially an All-Star wants to get dunked on or made to look silly on national television but this game is supposed to be a crowd pleaser. Where were all the highlights? Was Shaq and Kobe’s friendly reunion really the most memorable part of Sunday night? (Apparently Kobe missed that whole video of Shaq asking him how his ass tasted. How funny would it have been if Shaq broke into that rap while he was doing his little dance during the intro? The look on Kobe’s face alone would have made the game an instant classic).

Maybe I was just expecting too much or maybe I’m a little bitter as to how badly the West beat up on the East. The East looked a little unenthused to say the least and it seemed like every player on the court (including Paul Pierce, although I hate to admit that) was just trying to put on his own show instead of being a team player. I have to hand it to KG who played great and looked like he was really enjoying his experience for the few minutes he was on the court. Ray Allen definately wasn’t on his game but neither were any of the other guys on the East’s roster. Granted they combined to put up 119 points but considering who was on that roster, 116 really isn’t all that impressive. Hopefully when it comes to playoff time, the Celtics, Cavs and Magic will look more impressive than their West Coast counterparts. The East must prevail!