Some Celtics-related thoughts on All-Star weekend

Some quick thoughts on All-Star weekend and Celtics related news

All-Star weekend came and went. As usual, there were some fun moments and a lot of reasons to feel disenchanted with a spectacle that continues to miss the mark. The league currently finds itself in a catch-22 situation. They want the All-Star game to showcase the best players in the world. They can’t, however, risk a star player getting injured and missing a chunk of the season.

Could you imagine the backlash? Especially if that injury derailed a championship push? Would players still want to take part in the weekend? Would fans still be clamoring for a competitive game the following year? A lot of criticism and questions get thrown around at this time of the basketball year.

For me, I just love basketball. Yes, I prefer it when things are competitive. But I don’t mind a glorified Globrotter’s event once a year. I’m down to see some wild shots. Some cool ball handling. And some ‘I’m putting this loosely’ in-game dunks. Others will disagree, and that’s perfectly ok. No one should be policing how we enjoy consuming the game.

It’s far too easy to forget that basketball is supposed to be fun. And we all experience fun in different ways.

Now, onto the events of the weekend.

Jaylen Brown’s dunk contest

One of the biggest gripes regarding the dunk contest is that everything has been done before. We’ve seen hundreds of variations over the years. It’s very difficult to stand out. I mean, it too Matt McClung jumping over Shaq to earn the win. Yet, Brown found a new avenue; he did something totally different…It just wasn’t widely appreciated at the time, as is the cost of most art.

Rather than leaning into his explosiveness and athleticism, Brown took a contemporary route. He made art. Every dunk told a story. Every dunk held meaning. Were they the best dunks of the night? No. McClung deserved his win. However, this was something new. Something different. Something that was uniquely designed and re-defined how people could approach the dunk contest in the future.

How long will it be before someone repliactes the winning dunks of the 90’s? Or pays homage to the battle between Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine?

Somehow, Brown found a way to upcycle the dunk contest. He made it into something fresh and new. If we start to see more players follow in his footsteps of telling a story through their dunk choices, we will be looking back at Brown as a visionary. Not all art is appreciated at the time of its conception.

Of course, some haters also emerged from the woodwork. After all, Brown failed to win the contest. Some of his dunks were timid. There’s a genuine reason for criticism. I can’t sit here and lie and tell myself, and everyone reading this, that he deserved to win — it’s not the truth.

What is the truth, though, is that Brown was the first All-Star to appear in the dunk contest since 2018, and even then, it was Victor Oladipo. He was trying to bring some star power back to an event that was once a primary draw of the entire weekend. Is Brown a big enough star to have made a huge difference? Probably not. But he’s an All-Star. He’s an All-NBA forward.

The hope is that by seeing Brown put himself out there while trying new things, other players around the league find themselves drawn to competing next season or even the year after. The best way to entice other stars into competing is by putting yourself out there.

Unfortunately, given how Brown was treated on social media, his appearance will unlikely make a difference. That’s the problem with the dunk contest, especially the version you see now. There’s no winning. You either win and meet expectations, or you lose and get trolled for it.

Where’s the upside?

Tatum meets Larry Bird

What’s not to like? A Boston Celtics legend meets a future Boston Celtics legend. Tatum appeared to be elated with the opportunity. He said it “got some juices flowing.” It’s easy to forget that the stars we spend so much time watching are human beings. They grew up idolizing the same players we do. They learned from their game tape.

“I remember saying, ‘I’ve never met Larry Bird. I’ve never been in the same room as him.’ As crazy as that sounds, it’s never worked out,” Tatum said. But before tip-off, part of the Celtics PR staff spotted Bird and ran Tatum down…I got a chance to go meet him, tell him how much of an honor it was to meet him, and he told me that he was looking forward to meeting me. That was crazy to hear him say that. He was a lot taller than I thought he was. What he means to the game, what he means to the city of Boston and the Celtics — he’s the ultimate Celtic. It was an honor to meet him.”

When I woke up this morning, I saw some bullshit online about how Tatum only just meeting Bird was a bad look for the Celtics. Hot garbage. We all know Bird isn’t around the league like that these days. I’m happy for Tatum. I’m happy for Bird, too — he’s an important part of league history, and it's enjoyable for everybody whenever he makes an appearance.

Tatum and Brown’s ASG performance

Tatum only had 13 shots in the game. THIRTEEN. That’s a travesty. Brown took TWENTY THREE from the bench. Ok, I’m joking. I thought the game itself was a snooze fest. But, as I said above, i’m ok with it. Tatum and Brown both looked like they were having fun. Neither got hurt. Both will be back in Boston soon enough and then, we will see them working toward being the best version of themselves ahead of the postseason.

"All Star weekend is special and it's even more special when you get to share it with a teammate or two,” Tatum said. “I've been fortunate enough to share it with him 3 times now. It’s great. It’s great to have a teammate. A familiar face around. We get to share the same locker room. It’s a special weekend for us. Our families. Our team, the Celtics. It’s been great.”

Boston has eyes on the 2029 All-Star weekend

According to Rich Gotham, the Celtics have held preliminary talks surrounding a potential bid to bring the All-Star game to Boston in 2029.

“We’ve had those conversations with both the NBA and the city of Boston and a lot of different constituencies, including TD Garden and Meet Boston,” Gotham told The Globe. “We’ve had some preliminary conversations, and there’s enthusiasm from all the parties to bring the game to Boston. We’re working at it.”

Boston last held the event in 1964. The first-ever ASG was also in Boston, dating back to 1951. The Celtics are arguably the best team in the league right now. Hopefully, that gives them some additional weight during their bid. Other teams/cities will have interest, too. It won’t be a straightforward process for the Cs, not by any stretch.

A little note

I’m just trying different styles out for the newsletter. This one is more of an aggregation from the weekend — do you like these? Should they be a regular segment in newsletters moving forward? Let me know in the comments.

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