Good news: players might actually start playing defense in the All-Star Game.
At least that's what Kyrie Irving believes.
"I think going forward, the All-Star experience will probably get a little harder in terms of defense," the Cleveland Cavaliers point guard said Sunday night, as quoted by Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
Defense was largely nonexistent (as expected) in the ASG, which the West won 192-182 over the East. The combined point total of 374 is a record for the exhibition, one that's been broken four years in a row.
But Irving wants to buck that trend.
"Going forward, I'm sure we've got to talk about it and just go out and compete," he said.
Despite the eye-popping stat sheet, the 24-year-old was proud of his individual effort at the defensive end. He finished with 22 points, 14 dimes, seven boards, and three steals in 21 minutes, and was a game-high plus-12 in his fourth All-Star Game appearance.
"I told my team tonight, a couple of my teammates that I was just going to come out and try to come out aggressive and keep the pace going," Irving said. "But they're a little matador in terms of the layups that they let go, a few guys standing at halfcourt."
Related: Kyrie serves up LeBron for powerful alley-oop
The 2014 ASG MVP understands it'll take a mentality shift and an actual discussion for players on both sides to take the showcase seriously and play the game the right way.
"It's all in good fun, but I definitely think that, if we want a competitive game, guys will probably have to talk about it before the game," he said.
Considering there's nothing on the line - save for maybe pride - Irving seems to be facing an uphill battle. He said himself that players care less about winning the contest and more about having a good time and resting before gearing up for the second half of the campaign.
That's the attitude Irving's Cavs teammate LeBron James has, placing more of an emphasis on putting on a show while ensuring nobody gets hurt.
"I think the biggest thing coming out of the game is that everybody leaves injury-free," James said. "We gave the fans what they wanted to see and everyone left injury-free. Another successful All-Star weekend for myself and everyone."
But they didn't give the fans what they wanted to see. They'd rather see a competitive game, not the extravaganza of wide-open lanes and uncontested shots that the ASG has devolved into. So, at least in this case (and not this one), here's hoping people side with Irving.
