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<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>by Samr</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br>
SpursCentral.com<br>
February 18, 2005<br>
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It’s that time of year again. Turn on the TV, pull up a chair, and grab a non-alcoholic beverage of your choice, or in buck’s case, a cigar. Sit back, relax, and enjoy one of the most exciting spectacles the league has to offer which does not include violence. All-Star Weekend is here. <br>
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It was early January when the NBA announced who was going to be on the All-Star ballot. It quickly became a sprint to see who could vote the most times with the greatest frequency. Once the initial shock of having to pick between Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Brent Barry wore off, most of us humbly realized that we still had a month before our votes would be tallied. I still have 50 (for David) ballots sitting under the seat in my truck. I had good intentions, I swear!<br>
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The All-Star weekend is an opportunity for the NBA’s grueling 82-game schedule to be put on hold. Players get to rest for a week, providing they aren’t currently working on a trade for themselves, and enjoy what basically amounts to a buffet featuring all the league has to offer. While basketball purists are pulling out their hair at the mere mention of a dunk contest (that is to say, instead of a mid-range jumper contest), good ol’ boys everywhere are anxiously awaiting cheap, mindless entertainment. And ultimately, that’s what the league strives for. AS weekend isn’t about the brawls, the Lakers undoing, Malone’s failed pickup lines, Carter’s lack of a rational thought process, Shaq’s desire for nudity on the Miami beach, or Artests’ new album. Well, if Artest makes an appearance it will be about his new album, if he’s even allowed in the building. I heard they’re serving beer.<br>
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While we’re sitting on our couch, thinking of the next way to make fun of Jersey12 for Kidd’s lack of a round-trip ticket to Denver, or watching in awe as Chris Andersen a.k.a. The Bird Man fails miserably yet again at what would have been a mediocre dunk at best, this weekend is also for the players. Udrih is the first Slovenian to appear in an All-Star game. The fact that he was able to gain the prerequisite recognition in less than half a season of NBA play speaks only to his talent. It’s the equivalent of being the first European to cross the Atlantic into the New World. For Slovenian basketball, Udrih is their Christopher Columbus. <br>
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AS Weekend will allow players to showcase their talents. J.R. and Josh Smith will hopefully wear different enough uniforms so that we can finally differentiate between two. And hopefully, they will leave us on our feet cheering as they make their high school girlfriends proud and make names for themselves in the dunk contest. Luke Ridnour could have a coming out party in the 989 Sports Skills Challenge and let the fans and league know he has more talent than most give him credit for. Who does he play for again? And Manu, who has opened San Antonio’s eyes to the world of Argentinean basketball (Longhorn Café advertises its Argentinean beer as “The Manu”), will be able to prove why he truly belongs amongst the top 12 players in the West. <br>
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This is a weekend to forget your team’s wins and losses, and focus on pure entertainment. The fans chose the All-Stars, and the coaches chose the fillers. This is a weekend to celebrate the passes that amaze us, the dunks that awe us, and the players that inspire us. Are you ready to rumble? <br>
<p><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>"Somebody may beat me, but they're going to have to bleed to do it."</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> -Steve Prefontaine</p><i></i>
