In its return to the original format and with the highest score in the history of the event, the Eastern Conference defeated the West 211-186 and won the NBA All Star Game that took place in the city of Indianapolis, for first time since 1985.
LeBron James
reached the participation record and
Damian Lillard
, who had established himself in the three-point contest the day before, was chosen MVP as a result of his
39 points
and
11 three-pointers
scored.
This All-Star Game marked the return of the East versus West duel, a decision by the NBA to try to regain competitive ground and put an end to the All-Star draft that took place during the last six seasons.
3-pointers from ALL over the court 🎯👌
The deepest shots from tonight's NBA All-Star Game: pic.twitter.com/8tg0ZgcnQN
— NBA (@NBA) February 19, 2024
But far from being met was the goal of NBA Commissioner
Adam Silver
.
The thing is that in the game there were many points that came from the facilities provided in the attacks and from
practically zero defensive attention
.
Silver made his discomfort known when he presented the trophy to
Giannis Antetokounmpo
:
"To the Eastern Conference team, you scored a record number of points... well... congratulations
. "
But the NBA commissioner was not the only one to raise his voice on the matter.
Boston Celtics legend
Larry Bird
had also publicly asked the players to take the game seriously, whose television ratings gradually declined until hitting rock bottom last year.
Beyond this controversy, the All-Star will be remembered for
the twentieth participation of LeBron James
.
The Los Angeles Lakers star played only
14 minutes
due to the problems he has been having with his ankle.
However, that time was more than enough for the 39-year-old basketball player to score 8 points and capture 4 rebounds.
"It has been an absolute honor to be able to participate throughout my career and be with the best players in the world year after year
," said LeBron James.
"It's something I will never forget. It's part of my journey
," he concluded.
The top scorer of the game was Dominican-American center
Karl-Anthony Towns
, who scored
50 points
for the West.
EVERY ANGLE of Damian Lillard's 2nd halfcourt shot of the night... this one to put the punctuation on an East W. pic.twitter.com/3yGP9IBLMp
— NBA (@NBA) February 19, 2024
Damian Lillard
's selection
as Most Valuable Player unleashed boos from the Indiana Pacers' Gainbridge Fieldhouse audience, who wanted the award to go to the local team's star,
Tyrese Haliburton
, who also shone with
32 points
and
10 triples
.
Agencies