Really Everything went perfectly to plan.

Other than the fact that Ben Simmons and Joe L and B being ruled out due to last last second because of Covid, the game really went off without a hitch.

Team LeBron controlling things from start to finish Your honest your game.

M v p A.

Perfect 16 for 16 from the field.

Steph Curry shooting from outer space like he always does in her usual dame time coming through in the clutch.

A half court shot to steal the deal for Team LeBron beating team Durant 1 70 to 1 50.

All right, Stephen A.

Now that it's all said and done, do you think the NBA was justified in playing the All Star Game last night?

I think so.

Initially, I did not feel that way.

To be quite honest with you, I rolled with LeBron James and Paul George.

Uh, why London and others who lamented the fact that the game was being, uh, played, particularly in Atlanta, Georgia, which was a bit open and needless to say, despite the fact that the that the weekend ended up going very, very well.

Uh, as an aside, I want to make sure I make the statement that I I saw her.

I got a whole bunch of family and loved ones in Atlanta, Georgia, and I saw some of the footage of the stuff that was going on there in terms of how wide open the city was.

I mean, damn people.

Damn okay.

I mean, we ain't out of the woods yet.

I mean, my goodness could just Could you chill out and relax?

With the parties and everything else acting like everything's wide open, it's not okay.

Having said all of that, I thought that the NBA did an outstanding job, considering everything was done in one day.

I love the three point shooting contest.

Watch what Steph Curry did.

That was a beautiful thing with Mike Conley giving him a run for his money.

The skills competition.

Obviously, the slam dunk contest with this kid Simon's.

I mean, had he kissed the rim, Max, that would have been I mean, that might have been a greater dunked in Jordan or Vince Carter or Tracy McGrady if he really had ended up kissing the diamonds that it was special happens.

I'll tell you what kissing because even the fact that he just kissed it, it showed you where he was.

Exactly.

It did happen.

And then the game itself.

Listen, John, this was the M v p 16 for 16, but if it didn't miss a shot was perfection.

All night long, I get all of that.

But that damn Steph Curry and Damian love I mean, game time, Damian Lillard.

I mean, pulling up from half court.

Each of them did that pulling up from the look.

I mean, it was special.

It was special to watch.

And then when you consider the fact that the only hiccup was Ben Simmons and Joe L and B or not being able to play, I think that the weekend ended up well.

And by the way, I'm not holding it against A and B And and And Ben Simmons, Dammit, we all need haircuts.

We need here because here comes our important okay, And it was in silly.

All right, and And how the hell are they supposed to know that the barbers, you know, this is gonna end up testing positive, so I don't blame them?

for that one bit.

You gotta do what you gotta do.

In the end, it ended up being a successful weekend.

It was a television production.

Clearly they lived up to that, and I applaud the NBA for pulling it off.

Well, at first I liked the idea of the All Star Game.

I turned around when I started hearing LeBron James complaining.

I said, Okay, hold on.

If you have a young guy complaining De Aaron Fox or someone like that, that's one thing.

But then you have LeBron complaining about it.

It's his league.

I if you have that kind of spectrum of players, ages and circumstances in their careers, complaining, there's not gonna be a lot of enthusiasm.

That's not what I saw.

I thought what I saw it all.

I saw LeBron having fun, like if someone had to ask me, you think LeBron was happy to be there, I'd say Yeah, and you know what I think was his the favorite part for him and he's made some comments since then.

He got to play with Steph Curry, been watching him since Davidson, right?

He got to play with Steph Curry and you could see how much LeBron was digging that and Steph put on a show the All Star Game, as long as you have it without fans, as long as you make it clear we're doing everything in this time frame.

This is a made for TV event, only because realize all star games in every sport are actually primarily made for TV events.

But they also are great for the economy of that area and the fans and that in the building.

But mainly it's a TV event.

This was exclusively a made for TV event.

League was explicit about it.

The mayor was explicit about it.

And if you ask me, do I think it's a good All Star game, the best All Star Game?

It descends from baseball, basketball, football because the more contact you have, the less the players are going to take it seriously and play it like it's a real game.

So that's why the pro you know, pro ball Come on and the NBA All Star Game is not gonna be played like the Major League Baseball All Star Game.

There's not gonna be any defense at all.

They're going to be trying to put on a show, but they did.

They put on a show.

It was fun to watch.

I had a good time.

I would say they were justified.

They were justified.

I I don't think anybody can refute that.

At the end of the day again, you know, it's about generating revenue.

It's about entertaining.

The fans is about appeasing and patronizing the patrons that you know that obviously take care of your product.

And so when we look at it from that perspective, I definitely think that the NBA ended up handling this as well as they could handle it.

One of my boys just text me and said it was actually worse for the Super Bowl in Tampa in terms of the fans and how wide open they were was actually worse in Tampa than it was in Atlanta.

I don't know what he's probably right.

He's knowing him.

He's probably there for crying out loud, but this is what it is.

Uh, so when you look at it, I just say to myself, Listen, you you hope for the best you expect.

Maybe not the worst, but something worse than what actually ended up happening.

And I think in that regard for us to walk away from All Star weekend.

The only positive, the only positive situation was Ben Simmons and Joel and Jehu did not test positive, by the way, they ended up testing negative.

I think the only hiccup here is this, you know, because of contact tracing and what have you.

They couldn't they couldn't go.

It's a damn shame that they ended up test the negative and still couldn't play.

Uh, that's unfortunate shows you that they're being careful.

But that's the only that is the only thing that was the only blemish whatsoever outside of that, any kind of blemish.

I couldn't blame her LeBron James, but that's only having fun with it because damage that he stacked the deck.

I mean, you had trees and the Joker and Yana said that you had you had two of the greatest shooters.

We've seen a Damian Lillard and Steph Curry.

Of course.

I mean, damn just stacked the deck.

So we all knew what the outcome was going to be.

And LeBron give him credit for being an astute GM because the man knows how to pick talent.

I mean, maybe maybe that's his future he wants to be an only wants to own an NBA team.

Um, at least he's gonna happen when he ain't gonna be.

No.

Like I'm saying, I'm saying he could put a team together.

Brandi trying to save GM.

He's gonna own a team.

Otherwise he ain't gonna be working for anybody.

I can tell you that.

Let me say this.

You said it showcase the NBA All Star Game is a showcase for the fans to say, Hey, look at the best that we have as ambassadors for the sport and it was a success, But we can't pretend that wasn't a success.

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