When I think of an ideal day for a sports fan, this past Sunday comes to mind. We had the Daytona 500 in the afternoon followed by the NBA All-Star game at night. What? The Daytona 500 was not on Sunday? That’s right. For the first time in the race’s history, it was cancelled due to rain.
The so-called race last night was a prime example of why racing needs to be performed during the day. There are certain sports that we see only being played during the daytime. Two that come to mind is NASCAR and golf. Not to take anything away from Matt Kenseth, who recorded his second Daytona 500 victory, but the race being moved to Monday night, with less than ideal weather conditions, had a tremendous impact on the top drivers.
It took less than two laps for the problems of the nighttime and weather to occur. One of the most talked about drivers, Danica Patrick, and the most polished NASCAR driver in recent memory, Jimmie Johnson, were involved in a multi-car wreck. The crash ended the long awaited race early for Johnson, whereas Patrick was able to return to the race, but did not factor in the winning decision.
The race seemed like it was running smoothly, until Juan Pablo Montoya decided to add to the excitement of the race. Montoya crashed into a truck carrying over 200 gallons of jet fuel, forcing an explosion. With fire on the track, there was no other option but to delay the race.
After 2 hours of waiting, and anticipation from the fans and the drivers, the race got back on its way. Just around 1:00 A.M. on Tuesday morning, Kenseth crossed the finish line just ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished in second.
I usually tune in to NASCAR races to see some excitement via crashes, but this case was different. Due to the circumstances, I believe racing at night and dealing with all the crashes and delays were bad for the sport. As fans, we spent more time watching delays than we did watching the actual race. Fans from all around the world usually cannot wait for the Daytona 500 to come along, but the events this year did an injustice to the sport. There were circumstances that were uncontrollable, but I would rather see them wait out another day and race during the daytime than to watch the drivers put themselves in danger, which showed Monday night.
One scheduled event that was not cancelled on Sunday was the 61st NBA All-Star game. The game was the closing ceremony to what I believe was an awful All-Star weekend. The festivities began on Friday with the Celebrity Game, followed by the Rising Stars game. With all due respect, I do not think anyone would mind me skipping over talking about the Celebrity Game.
Instead of doing the annual rookie versus sophomore game, they intertwined this year’s squad via a draft. The teams were selected by TNT analysts Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley. I liked the twist, but the results were the same. Another high-scoring, no-defense game filled with highlight reel dunks. In the end, Team Barkley defeated Team Shaq 146-133.
The majority of the festivities took place on Saturday; the shooting stars and skills competition, followed by the three-point and slam dunk contest. Usually, I cannot wait for All-Star weekend to arrive, mainly for these events. After witnessing this weekend’s attempt to entertain, I can say with great disappointment, that if they cannot fix these events, they will have to get rid of them. The Slam Dunk contest alone was one of the more boring ones in recent history. A quick fix would be for the NBA to try everything in their power to get contestants that people want to watch.
With All-Star weekend on life support heading into Sunday, the brightest stars in the league needed to put on a show to regain life. They did not disappoint. This year’s All-Star game was one of the more entertaining in recent history.
It would be hard to top the last time the game was held in Orlando in 1992, when Earvin “Magic” Johnson made a miraculous comeback and scored 25 points, earning himself the game’s MVP.
Although this all-star game did not reach the pinnacle of excitement the 1992 all-star game brought, this year’s stars still gave fans everything we could have asked for.
The main story coming into the game was Kobe Bryant’s ability to score 19 points, to pass Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list in an All-Star game. Bryant gave us that answer in the third quarter with a routine dunk, making him the all-time leading scorer in this prolific game. The real show was stolen by the leaders of the two best teams in the league. Both Kevin Durant and LeBron James recorded 36 points. While Durant sprinkled his scoring throughout the game, James really turned it on in the fourth quarter, almost single-handedly bringing the East back from a 20-point deficit, only to fall short 152-149. With the win, Durant earned himself his first All-Star game MVP award. In a losing effort, Dwayne Wade recorded the third triple-double in all-star game history.
With All-Star weekend now past us, it is time to refocus on the second half of the season. Who are the teams to beat? What players do we need to look out for?
From what I have seen in the first half of the season, it is going to be hard to stop the Miami Heat. Unless teams find a way to defend Chris Bosh, Wade, James and company, I expect to see a party down in South Beach come June.
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