Schultz: Indy shines despite All-Star Game’s mixed reviews
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Indianapolis shone so brightly this NBA All-Star Weekend that even the All-Stars themselves couldn’t outshine the city.
After being the star for the first few days of the long-anticipated All-Star 2024 Weekend, the Circle City passed the spotlight onto the best players on the planet in Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game, the weekend’s main event at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Thanks to an absurd offensive output, the Eastern Conference rolled to a 211-186 win over the West in the 73rd rendition of the All-Star Game and the first held in Indianapolis since 1985.
The two sides put up a record 297 combined points as the game reverted back to the traditional East-West format for the first time since 2017, but one thing remained the same: the lack of resistance facing either squad. In yet another All-Star game where defense was optional, the teams combined for 168 three-point attempts and just three fouls were whistled the entire night.
The gameplay, which bordered on unserious at times on Sunday night, seemed to draw the ire of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who had raised complaints with the lack of competition at last year’s game earlier in the week. In an awkward postgame awards presentation, Silver addressed the East All-Stars with, “You scored the most points. Well, congratulations.”
The All-Star Game still had its moments, though, despite not being very competitive. The magnitude of the game felt bigger on the Gainbridge Fieldhouse court thanks to the theatre lighting, which darkened the surrounding stands to give the game a Madison Square Garden-like vibe. Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, who was omnipresent this week in his home city, received the loudest ovations of the night, electrifying the hometown crowd by nailing his first five three-point attempts in a 90-second span. Haliburton finished with an impressive 32 points on an efficient 11-of-15 shooting, which included 10 made threes. However, the All-Star Game MVP honors went instead to his East teammate, Damian Lillard, who poured in a team-high 39 points (albeit on 26 field goals attempts) for the victors. Lillard edged Haliburton by a 7-5 vote on 12-vote MVP panel, winning two of the three fan votes.
The Milwaukee star was loudly booed while receiving the award by the partisan crowd, an indication that the Bucks-Pacers rivalry after this season’s In-Season Tournament semifinals battle and game ball fiasco is continuing to gain traction. The jeers couldn’t detract from the historic weekend for Lillard, who became only the second player in NBA history to win a Saturday night event and be named MVP in the same All-Star Weekend, joining Michael Jordan in 1988.
Being edged out for MVP didn’t seem to phase Haliburton. “I had a lot of fun and we put on for the city, so it’s a win for us,” said Haliburton as he was walking off the court. The jovial guard was undoubtedly one of the winners of the weekend, raising both his national and international profile with basketball fans across the world, who were treated to seeing him in the Kia Skills Challenge, Starry Three-Point Competition, and enjoying his self-proclaimed “homecoming king” status for the last three days. Haliburton’s teammates also got to share some of the limelight, with Bennedict Mathurin capturing Rising Star MVP honors and Myles Turner being part of the Kia Skills-winning trio.
Like many of the preceding events, Sunday night’s All-Star Game had plenty of Hoosier flavor. Indianapolis native Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds grabbed an acoustic guitar and gave a beautiful and powerful rendition of the National Anthem. Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, and Reggie Miller—Indiana’s Holy Basketball Trinity—welcomed the crowd and millions of viewers around the globe to the center of “basketball country.”
At halftime, the Pacers brought back many of their former All-Stars to be recognized, a fitting homage to their proud history. From American Basketball Association fan-favorite Bob Netolicky to six-time NBA All-Star Jermaine O’Neal, nearly all of the franchise’s non-active former All-Stars were in attendance. That was all bookended by a stirring tribute to Robertson, the greatest Indiana high school basketball player ever, performed by Indy’s own Mike Epps, Spike Lee, and former Pacers standout Jalen Rose during the second half. There was tremendous effort placed in putting Indiana’s stamp on the game, even if that effort wasn’t reciprocated on the court.
Sunday’s poor gameplay aside, which has been an ongoing issue for Silver & Co., All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis seemed to be well-received by the hoops universe. Event organizers promised All-Star Indy 2024 would be historic and they created some memorable–and lasting–moments.
The first-of-its-kind Stephen Curry-vs.-Sabrina Ionescu duel lived up to the hype, perhaps cementing an NBA vs. WNBA superstar shootout as one of the weekend’s most-anticipated moments. As popularity in women’s basketball continues to surge, the event was both historic and important, with both players competing and performing as peers.
Indianapolis also had the privilege of debuting the NBA’s innovative LED court at Lucas Oil Stadium for Friday and Saturday night’s events. From adding star animations following player movement to turning the Slam Dunk contest court into the old Boston Garden parquet floor, the embellishments were a hit. Like Indy pulled off with the Super Bowl Village in 2012, both of those should be annual staples moving forward.
Among the “new” enhancements there was still the traditional charm that Indianapolis is known for as event organizers tasked Hoosiers from around the state with providing out-of-towners thousands of hand-written “Love Letters to Basketball” along with hand-knit blue and gold hats to brave the February temperatures and Friday’s snowfall.
All in all, All-Star Indy 2024 was another job-well-done for Indy, a city that continues to earn its reputation as one of the best major sporting event hosts in the entire country. A mostly listless finale in Sunday night’s All-Star Game couldn’t cast a shadow over that.
Over three days with the basketball world watching, Indianapolis still lived up to the hype, even if the game itself did not.
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From Peyton Manning’s peak with the Colts to the Pacers’ most recent roster makeover, Schultz has talked about it all as a sports personality in Indianapolis for more than 15 years. Besides his written work with IBJ, he’s active in podcasting and show hosting. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @Schultz975.