How Steph Curry resurrected the All-Star Game by playing dead

MANILA, Philippines – NBA players are no strangers to singlehandedly changing the landscape of the entire league.

In the sepia-toned era of the 1950s, George Mikan of the Minneapolis (now Los Angeles) Lakers dominated the game so much that goaltending was outlawed, the shot clock was invented and the restricted area was widened from 6 feet to 12, also known as “The Mikan Rule.” Fifty years later, Allen Iverson’s hip-hop influence paved the way for the modern suit-and-tie NBA dress code while Shaquille O’Neal’s backboard-breaking dunks necessitated the redesign of the NBA backboard.

Then, there’s Steph Curry.

Labeled by talent scouts as athletically average and heavily reliant on threes, Curry simply decided to live up to the assessments given to him.

So he shot threes. Then he shot more threes. And more threes. Years passed, and the league finally caught on that Dell Curry’s firstborn just wouldn’t stop shooting and bend to the bruising post-up game of his time.

Instead of Curry adapting to the league, the league eventually adapted to Curry. Teams threw out their old playbooks and drafted new ones primarily focused on setting up shooters for open threes. Those that adapted, like the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers, survived and found success. Those that didn’t, like the Memphis Grizzlies, slid down to irrelevance.

Then the year is 2017, and Curry has the league in the palm of his shooting hand. With the two-time league MVP headed to his second championship run and fourth consecutive All-Star appearance, the fun-loving guard felt he could do no wrong. So in the middle of a basketball game, Curry laid down on the court – hands above his head – to avoid a Giannis Antetokounmpo windmill like a peasant avoiding the thundering wrath of a Greek god.

*sees #Giannis coming*

*literally gets out of the way*#NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/c2beaU0bV1

— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2017

Little did Curry know then, that even while he’s doing literally nothing, he would be changing the league once more.

Over the years, there has been a growing displeasure from fans regarding how one of the league’s marquee events was played. What once was a platform for showcasing each All-Star’s skills had turned to a 48-minute practice reel of open-lane dunks and near-half court triples. It was a crime that had no definitive chalk line of evidence. Until last year, that is.

In a perfect twist of irony, Steph Curry’s attempt to avoid a poster dunk became the poster image of everything that has gone wrong with the All-Star Game. The image of an NBA champion and two-time MVP lying down on the court that George Mikan helped change left an impression hot enough for league commissioner Adam Silver to make drastic and immediate changes.

While he did not explicitly name names, he admitted in the wake of last year’s All-Star festivities that the game needed a change despite its usual high ratings and that “the guys should be playing.” He was also personally approached by 9-time All-Star and players’ association president Chris Paul who came up with suggestions to fix the yearly tradition.

The changes came swiftly and smoothly. The decades-long divide between East and West was broken as All-Star captains, one of them ultimately being Steph Curry – drafted their own players regardless of conference affiliation. Next, the league offered a $100,000 bonus to each player of the winning team in an effort to encourage competitiveness and defense back in the game.

With all these changes in place, the league collectively held its breath as the 67th All-Star Game got underway this Monday, Manila time. Almost immediately, everyone, the fans included, heaved a sigh of relief.

For the first time in years, the All-Star Game looked normal. And in this context, normality is a good thing that people have been yearning for. Gone were the times when nine guys stayed put in the backcourt to watch one player stroll to a 360-degree dunk. The All-Stars actually played like themselves, with intensity and pride while still being in lighter spirits. Finally, the fans got a well-cooked meal after years of getting microwaved dinners.

When the dust settled, Team Stephen lost to Team LeBron by a mere 3 points, 145-148. Captain Curry was basically a non-factor, scoring 11 points on 3/11 shooting from downtown in 26 minutes. But actually, his job was done the moment he laid down on the court the year before. Unwittingly, he had become the shameful symbol the league needed to enact change in a time-honored but tarnished tradition.

Hopefully, this will be the rebirth the All-Star Game needed because really, basketball is fun by default to those who love watching it. There’s no need to dilute it by playing the game a different way. Watching Kevin Durant throw an alley-oop to former teammate Russell Westbrook is fun. Watching the Detroit Pistons terrorize everyone on defense in the game’s 2006 rendition is also fun.

When played the right way, basketball can already be everything you need it to be. – Rappler.com