NBA: 3 February takeaways and 3 March predictions

February Takeaway: That was the best ASG ever

When I was really young, I thought everything on T.V was real and couldn’t really grasp the concept of a movie or show not being about real people. It led me to believe the Power Rangers were real, and as a fan of board games, that Jumanji was the scariest movie in the history of cinema.

Looking back, it seems pretty ridiculous to think that way – but I think that’s more defensible than the fact that I thought the All-Star Game was going to be bad when I made February predictions. I couldn’t have been more wrong about that.

The first three quarters slowly increased in intensity, but if I didn’t know any better I would have thought that the fourth quarter was a playoff game. Between the high-level physicality and Kyle Lowry acting like he got hit in the face with a baseball bat every time someone touched him, it made me forget that the game doesn’t actually mean anything. The players cared and it showed.

Of course, there are always people who will try to downgrade it and say it shouldn’t end on free throws but I had no problem with that. There was real pressure on Anthony Davis to hit one of those shots – especially after he missed the front end.

You can say it’s a scrimmage, but he had a packed arena, a nationally televised stage, and the best current and former players in attendance all watching him try to end the game. If he doesn’t feel that pressure then he’s not human.

The 2020 All-Star Game set the standard for this game going forward and made it the best All-Star game that any sport has to offer which is obviously great for the NBA. I never thought I’d be looking forward to the next All-Star Game so soon, but an intense 2021 game that adds Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, and possibly Zion Williamson to the mix? I think any basketball fan can get excited about that.