• About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
      Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
    • First-Year Students Reflect on Their Expectations for College, One Semester In
      First-Year Students Reflect on Their Expectations for College, One Semester In
    • “We Want to Fundamentally Change the Culture,” International Student Union says
      “We Want to Fundamentally Change the Culture,” International Student Union says
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
      Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
    • The block system is a joke
      The block system is a joke
    • Spineless nonpartisanship: how the Girl Scouts convinced me they no longer care about girls
      Spineless nonpartisanship: how the Girl Scouts convinced me they no longer care about girls
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • Harry Styles de-typifies masculinity in Vogue’s December Issue, but is this enough? (spoiler: it’s not)
      Harry Styles de-typifies masculinity in Vogue’s December Issue, but is this enough? (spoiler: it’s not)
    • Music Performance Courses Adapt to an Altered Semester
      Music Performance Courses Adapt to an Altered Semester
    • Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of “Rebecca” fails to deliver compared to its classic counterpart
      Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of “Rebecca” fails to deliver compared to its classic counterpart
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
  • Health and Wellness
    • No image
      Athletic impacts of Covid-19
    • No image
      A new kind of PE
    • No image
      Maintaining wellness as the cold sets in
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • Miscellanea
    • No image
      Remote students experience existential crises; change class years in email signatures
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
      Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
    • The Artichoke
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Laura Brindley Sports and WellnessFebruary 17, 2016

NBA All-Star Game recap: too much emphasis on scoring?

Lebron James defends his championship

This weekend, the NBA All-Star Game in Toronto saw hundreds of fans, Instagram posts from Drake and a record number of points scored in the annual game of the best players from the Eastern Conference facing the best players from the Western Conference. Guard Isaiah Thomas was the sole selection from the Celtics for the Eastern Conference team, and also made a stellar appearance in the Skills Challenge, in which he came in second to Karl-Anthony Towns, a seven-foot tall center from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Though Thomas’ impressive skills gave him notoriety in the Skills Challenge, the Eastern Conference was not able to overtake the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. The Western Conference won 196-173, which broke the record for the highest number of total points scored in the NBA All-Star Game, with 369 in total.

Although it is exciting to watch the greatest players in the NBA score copious amounts of points, one could argue that constant scoring can take the thrill of scoring away from the game if it happens too often. This year’s record high of 369 points easily overtook last year’s record of 321 total points scored, which overtook 2014’s record of 318 points. The past three years have each set the bar higher for the following year, and it appears each All-Star team has a goal to encapsulate the previous year’s record. As young athletes, many were told by coaches “points win games, but defense wins championships.” In the NBA All-Star Game, however, this assertion does not show to be true, as both teams scored insanely high amounts of points, and defense was a mere footnote in the game’s highlights.

In order to have an exciting game of basketball, a few interceptions and defensive fouls are necessary to keep the audience on the edge of their seats and keep the game close enough that either team could take a lead at any moment. Unlike football and soccer, where it can be evident who will win the game early on, basketball is known for its quick turnarounds and emphasis on defense and plays. Of course, the team that scores the most is the more successful team during that particular game, but watching players simply alternate who scores baskets makes the excitement of a regular basketball game diminish and mainly profiles the accomplishments of players that would appear to be “ball hogs.”

Hopefully, next year’s NBA All-Star game will be a more exciting game of basketball with more defensive plays and less emphasis on slamming the ball into the basket as quickly and frequently as possible.

Photo courtesy of CBS Sports

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleATHLETE OF THE WEEK: GABRIELLA WYNNE ’16
Next articleBoston Sports Update

You may also like

Athletic impacts of Covid-19

A new kind of PE

Maintaining wellness as the cold sets in

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

  • Harry Styles de-typifies masculinity in Vogue’s December Iss...
  • Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2021 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top