Photo courtesy of Rich Mitchell, Flickr Creative Commons
Devoted basketball fans around Ramapo College will have the courts on their minds this weekend as the National Basketball Association’s annual All-Star Weekend begins.
Aside from the All-Star game on Sunday itself, the NBA will also host various skills competitions between the league’s biggest starts on Saturday.
“It’s going to be really good. Steph Curry is in it, James Harden, Kyrie Irving,” Roman White, junior, said, noting that he is most looking forward to the three-point contest.
Sophomore George Sapp was also excited for the All-Star festivities.
“I’m looking forward to seeing Stephen Curry win MVP. I feel like he deserves it. He’s the best player in the NBA and that’s how I feel.”
Some basketball fans like sophomore Damon Godbolt expect a lot of effort for this weekend.
“Hopefully they actually play the game and not like [mess around] like they do in the beginning,” he said, “but it’s good to see them dunk and do their thing.”
Basketball fans around campus are just as excited for Saturday’s skills competitions as they are for the game itself.
“I think it’s going to be a good one this year,” Godbolt said. “They got good names in it from what I’m seeing, and as long as they compete to the best of their ability because sometimes they are a little lackadaisical with competitions during All Star Weekend. But I’m really excited to see Michael Carter Williams, that’s my favorite upcoming player so I think it should be pretty good.”
As always, some fans around campus felt that some of their favorite stars were left off of the All-Star rosters.
“Definitely Damian Lillard should’ve been in it,” White said. “I don’t know how he got snubbed for that, but he definitely should be in there. Damian Lillard should’ve been in there instead of Demarcus Cousins.”
White got his wish, as Damian Lillard was named as a replacement on Feb. 8 for this Sunday’s All-Star Game replacing the injured Blake Griffin.
“I feel like Monte Ellis should’ve made the All-Star Game,” Sapp said. “He does work, he could’ve made the All-Star Game before, but they never put him in it.”
The NBA’s All Star Weekend is returning to New York City and Madison Square Garden for the first time since 1998. Historically, this year will be the fifth time that Madison Square Garden and New York City has hosted the All-Star Game with back-to-back years in 1954 and 1955 and then again in 1968.
The All-Star festivities are schedueld to begin on Saturday night with the skills competition airing on TNT at 8:30 p.m. Basketball fans can tune into TNT at the same time on Sunday to watch the All-Star game itself.
jgoldfar@ramapo.edu
