Boring All-Stars! Can European basketball save it?

The European Cup, which just ended recently, once again pushed European basketball to the world stage.

This is a peak confrontation between countries, and every game is full of blood and passion. Unlike the entertainment of the NBA All-Stars, the advantage of the European Cup is real fighting and a battle to fight for national honor.

The game was exciting and the topic was enthusiastic, which once overshadowed the trading rumors of the NBA offseason. Against this background, an imaginative idea emerged:

Since European basketball can attract such great attention, if the European Cup champion is directly moved to the NBA All-Star weekend and let them challenge the NBA All-Stars, will it be the answer to save the NBA All-Stars?

Over the past decade, the light of the NBA All-Stars has gradually faded. Although it is still a stage for gathering the world's top basketball superstars, it is no longer as popular as it did in the 1990s. The reason behind

is not difficult to find. The All-Stars are increasingly lacking in competition, and players are worried about the risk of injury and are unwilling to do their best in an exhibition game. Therefore, many offensive and defensive cutscenes often appear on the court, taking three-pointers at will, and dunking without defense, and there is almost no defensive intensity or smell of confrontational gunpowder.

fans seemed to be too excited in front of the TV, and the low ratings were enough to say it all. This year's All-Star ratings fell below 5 million again, down 13% from last year, becoming the second lowest in NBA history. From a business perspective, this is definitely a red flag.

Of course, the league is not without efforts. In the past few years, the league has tried various reforms, from the east and west part groups to the captain's draft, from the points system after Kobe's death, to this year's Four Team Championships.

These reforms have indeed brought a temporary freshness, but fans want much more than that. What fans really long for is the desire to win or lose the game. But if the players still only regard the All-Stars as a performance, no matter how the rules are modified and packaged, they cannot recall their former passion. So, some fans began to propose:

"If the European Championship team challenged the NBA All-Stars, will the All-Stars be completely renewed?"

This idea is not whimsical. European basketball strength has made great progress in recent years, and European players like Doncic, Jokic, and Antetokounmpo have become the NBA storefront. The tactical discipline and team cooperation of European strong teams are their traditional advantages. If there is such a game, the result may not be as one-sided as people imagined in the past. The US men's basketball team has also suffered losses more than once in the international arena.

After this year's European Cup, Turkey's coach Elgin Ataman also said bluntly in front of the camera:

"The NBA championship team should not claim to be the world champion before defeating the best players and teams in Europe."

Let's imagine: a team of champions who have just reached the top in Europe, with a complete system and running-in, facing a group of talented NBA All-Star teams. This kind of real-life confrontation may be the content of the game that fans are looking forward to.

Compared with the difference between European basketball and the NBA, the main reason is team spirit. The NBA emphasizes more on personal singles and talent impact, while European teams are more accustomed to using patience and discipline to control the rhythm. Pick-and-roll screens, running without the ball, and team conduction are often more fatal than star singles.

They may not have the physical talent of James and the shooting limits of Curry, but these players know how to pull the game to the rhythm that suits them best. If such a challenge can be encountered on the All-Star stage, NBA stars may be forced to confront them seriously, and this is the All-Star fans really want to watch.

Of course, although the conception is beautiful, the reality is quite skinny.

First of all, there is a question of schedule. The NBA All-Stars were held in February, and the European leagues were also a fierce battle. To allow the European champions to go to the NBA, this means that the multi-party schedule needs to be adjusted, which inevitably requires the NBA, the European League, and even the FIBA ​​to coordinate together.

is followed by the player's health risks. NBA players are unwilling to do their best in the current All-Stars, let alone an opponent who must fight desperately? Under the hidden danger of injury, it may be difficult for the team owner and the player union to nod to such adjustments. Furthermore, the distribution of commercial interests is also complex. How to divide broadcast revenue, sponsor resources, etc. between the NBA and European basketball? Without a clear framework of interests, this fantasy showdown will basically be difficult to implement. Although it is difficult, if obstacles can be overcome, such an All-Star can even change the world basketball landscape.

Simply imagine: the European champion team, taking the European Cup honors and complete tactical system to the All-Star stage; on the other side is the NBA superstar lineup led by LeBron, Curry and Durant. Such a scene is enough to make North American fans expect, and even other regions such as Europe and Asia can set off a frenzy of discussion.

In the short term, such a game can indeed trigger a topic; in the long term, this may even shake the traditional perception of "NBA champion = world champion". If the European champion really beats the NBA All-Star, it will be another watershed in basketball history.

Of course, combined with the above discussion, the most ideal assumption is to hold the World All-Star Game once every four years, and keep fans expecting just like the World Cup and European Cup. In this way, every time the competition node is at the beginning, it will inevitably arouse the expectations of fans.

Maybe next time, when we talk about the All-Star Game, we no longer complain that it is too boring, but we are looking forward to this world peak showdown of "NBA's strongest vs. European overlords". And this is no longer just a chance to save the All-Star, but it may be a new chapter in the world basketball world.