Opinions expressed in the Op/Ed section of The Knight Crier are not necessarily reflective of the views of the entire staff of the KC.

A local little league has a better defense than the defense played during the NBA All-Star Game. I am over it.

The annual All-Star Game declares who is the best of the best in the NBA. How is that supposed to get declared if the players only try for fifty percent of the game? Tight defense makes basketball so intriguing and I am so disappointed that the competition level decreases each year.

Team Lebron vs. Team Giannis could have had so much potential. I do think it is impressive all the skills they utilize during the game but if the game was taken more seriously, I believe that the number of viewers and interest in the game would increase. There’s just no point in watching each player dribble up the court and show off as much as they can while the other team just stands there and watches them. The All-Star Game has the potential of having everyone on the edge of their seats but instead has everyone changing the channel and turning something actually enjoyable to watch.

“I think the All-Star Game in general needs a little revamping because it used to be competitive and fans want to see the best pick-up game in the world because that’s what it is. They don’t want to see you running up and down and dunking and doing all this crazy. They want to see what happens when you get this collection of best basketball players on the planet and they play and they go head-up against each other,” Kobe Bryant said on the Knuckleheads podcast.

There are many ways to go about this problem. Everyone loves money. Having the players play for money or for charity could increase the competitive level very quickly. Another way is to add more competitions other than the dunk contest. By adding a half-court competition or dribbling competition, players can then show off without having to ruin the game.

It’s time to play real basketball. The NBA should be making these changes to create a game that fans actually want to watch. The lineup already shows what players are All-Stars but it’s time to start proving who is actually one.