42 three-pointers, the All-Star turned sour! James scored only 8 points, and the Western Army lost by 25 points
The 2024 NBA All-Stars will be held in Indiana, and this year's All-Stars are back in the East and West confrontation, with James and Durant and Curry, the three superstars joining forces for the first time, which is undoubtedly full of reverie for fans. However, in the end, the Eastern All-Stars still beat the Western All-Stars by 25 points 211-186.
Compared with last year's All-Stars, this year's All-Stars have improved their defense, especially Durant, who led by example in the first quarter and led the team's defense, but the Eastern All-Stars felt hot, three-point like rain, shot 97 three-pointers in a single game, and hit 42 three-pointers, while the Western All-Stars only shot 25 of 71 three-pointers, which is undoubtedly the key to the outcome of this game.
Many fans said that such an All-Star has somewhat changed its taste, and both teams are crazy about shooting three-point shots, especially in the East, where more than two-thirds of the shots are outside the three-point line, and such a game is somewhat boring. However, this is how times have changed, the era of small ball has arrived, and the projection ability of the players is unmatched, which cannot be denied.
James only played in the first half, 4-of-10 shooting, 0-of-3 three-point shooting, 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, Durant 18 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, Curry 16 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists, the three superstars did not exert their strength, Towns hit a game-high 50 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists, Alexander also had 31 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, and Doncic had 7 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
The East can be described as a hundred flowers, Lillard got 39 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists, and successfully won the honor of MVP. Haliburton shot 11-of-15 from the field, 10-of-14 from three-point range, and also had 32 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, while Brown on the bench had 36 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists, and as many as three players on the team scored 30+. Antetokounmpo had 23 points and 7 rebounds, and Tatum had 20 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
The 2024 NBA All-Star Game is a big change of style. Although superstars such as James, Durant, and Curry teamed up, fans didn't get to see the exciting matchups and confrontations between them. Instead, the game became a three-point carnival and a contest of projection ability. The Eastern All-Stars were super hot with a three-point shot, and the whole team was crazy about shooting three-pointers. The Western All-Stars, on the other hand, have a relatively low three-point shooting percentage. This three-pointer-based style of play makes the game monotonous. Many fans say that such an All-Star Game has lost its original flavor.
Still, the projection ability of the players is truly amazing. Whether it's Lillard and Haliburton in the East or Curry and Durant in the West, their three-point shooting skills have reached a new level. This also reflects the impact of the small-ball era on the game of basketball. It's worth noting that James didn't play his best in this game. He only played the first half and scored 8 points. An ankle injury still affects James, limiting his playing time. But even so, he is still one of the focus of attention of the fans.
Overall, the 2024 NBA All-Star Game has changed dramatically, but the players are still performing well. The rise of the three-point shot and the improvement of shooting ability are the inevitable result of the changing times. Perhaps in the next few years, this style of play will become the norm. However, for the fans, what they would like to see is more skill and confrontation from the players on the field.