NBA All-Star Game 2012: 5 Reasons to Not Bother Watching

The NBA All-Star Game used to be awesome.

Michael Jordan in was in the dunk contest. Larry Bird was winning three-point contests.

Not to mention the actual game itself.

The players used to care who won, they used to actually try and change the outcome of the game. Now the game is reduced to NBA stars trying to make an AND1 mix tape.

Year after year, we see the All-Star game becoming less of a competition and more of a congregation of lazy talent.

Take one look at who is in the dunk contest and you'll see what I'm saying.

Here's five reasons to skip the All-Star game.

The Celebrity Game

I don't know what this event is still doing in existence.

Who is watching it?

The fact that they still feature this event every year is a testament to Americans being obsessed with the lives of rich people. It makes no sense.

If they could get a Kardashian into it, this might be the most watched event of the weekend.

This game is full of two things. Just like every year, there are a rash of people who have no business playing basketball on television. Televisions's Dr. Oz, Mark Cuban, Terrence J.

Who is Terrence J.?

And then there are retired basketball players (Rick Fox, Robert Horry) and some Harlem Globetrotters (the game features four of them).

Remind me, where's the appeal?

I guess watching Pitbull defend Chris Mullin could be funny for a minute.

The Three-Point Shootout

I have two main issues with the three-point contest.

The first problem with it is that watching people chuck up threes is just not that exciting. I mean, a guy has to score at least 25 out of a possible 30 to really pique my interest.

After all, these are supposed to be the best three-point shooters that the best league in the world has to offer.

They should be pretty good at this.

However, the final round winning score is often less-than-inspiring. Peja Stojakovic won with a final round score of nine during the 2001-2002 season.

C'mon.

My second issue is that the winner is generally a player nobody cares about, which is really a product of the contest itself. The best three-point shooters are specialists. In the NBA, specialist is code word for role player.

Every five to seven years or so, a real star wins it. Paul Pierce won it two years ago. Dirk Nowitzki won it four years before that.

But generally speaking, guys like James Jones win it. Jones was the winner last year, and is back to defend his crown this year.

If Kevin Durant puts in 27, I'll immediately revoke this whole piece.

Spoiler alert: He's not going to.

The Dunk Contest

The video above is what we've been reduced to. I'm all for dunking over things, but the hood of a car parked less than halfway to the free-throw line is not exactly an obstacle for a dunker of Blake Griffin's standards.

Then there's this.

If the NBA has reduced the dunk contest to a platform for filming commercials for their sponsors, then it is truly a lost event.

Inevitably, people will continue to watch because they don't want to be the guy that missed "that amazing dunk last night." But the truth is, you probably won't miss anything revolutionary.

I'm really just over-dunking. Fast-break windmills don't do anything for me anymore. It's not new. It's not creative. Yet people keep on oohing and ahhing every time they see it.

Wake up, people.

It's all about dunking on someone now. There's only so many ways you can spin your body and flail your arms before dunking a basketball. It's old.

But imposing your will on someone who is doing everything they can to stop you? That's ooh-worthy.

The Lack of Defense

For NBA stars, the All-Star game is a time for relaxation and fun. They don't take it seriously.

At least on the defensive end.

NBA teams are averaging under 100 points per game this year. It's lower than it's been in years. Now, with the lockout-shortened preseason, that doesn't necessarily mean the defense has been any better. The offense has just been worse.

However, All-Star teams are averaging into the 130s in points over the last five years.

You could attribute that to all the offensive talent on each team. Oftentimes great offense beats great defense, especially in the NBA. The rules are extremely conducive to offense success.

However, just look at the free-throw attempts. In 2010, Dwight Howard only shot three free throws.

He's attempting just under 11 per game this season.

LeBron James attempted just four free throws. He's averaging almost nine a game this year.

Players just don't put in the defensive effort in All-Star games, which leads to less fouling, faster gameplay and higher scores.

In 2010, only two players on the West squad shot under 50 percent from the field. Three players from the East shot under 50 percent.

That's not real basketball.

Carmelo Anthony

The fans usually get it right in the NBA.

The stats are less complicated than baseball.

There are less ambiguous positions than in football.

Every player plays both ways and has only a couple jobs. Score, and prevent opposing players from scoring.

So how did Carmelo "Black Hole" Anthony get into the lineup?

Do the fans not realize that he's been horrible on the court, as well as often absent from the court entirely?

Being injured is one thing. Derrick Rose has been injured and is still starting for the East at point guard. But when he's been healthy, he's led the Bulls to a number of victories. They sit second in the East standings.

But Carmelo has been awful on and off the court. He's been a team cancer. He's the reason that Linsanity had to save the Knicks' season.