The NBA really goes to town for the All Star game. They do their best to up the level of entertainment provided so that you are not really able to feel bored. Unless you don’t like the entertainment.

The five starters for each team are voted for by the fans. The remaining players are selected by the coaches. The players are announced to the crowd one at at time, they appear on a stage and then make their way down to the court. This provide just a little more entertainment than the normal player introductions. 

 
As it was Kobe Bryan’s last All Star game there was a moment to pay tribute to Kobe before the start of the game. I think the NBA handled it pretty well, it could have been over the top but it was a fitting tribute without detracting too much from the main event. 

  
All Star games don’t feature a huge amount of defence – though there are usually some pretty good blocks and the occasional sneaky steal. 

The main element of these game is the flashy offence; the players are more relaxed than in regular season games so they can go for a dunk or focus on lay ups (looking at you Steph Curry). I think Russell Westbrook summed it up post game when he commented that he likes to smile at All Star as he knows people comment on the fact that he doesn’t smile much during games.

The players do all look like they are having a lot of fun during the game and it’s great to see them mix it up and try things a bit out of their comfort zone during the game.

Russell Westbrook having fun is clearly good for his game as he won MVP for the second consecutive year. I was a little surprised that they didn’t find a way to give the trophy to Kobe but then he did play limited minutes. I think Paul George had a better game and was more deserving but as he was on the losing team I guess they felt they couldn’t award it to him.