The All-Star game CAN'T be saved

[@vinki6123]

Yeah take all the worst % free throw players and make them play knockout

[@ParkelitevolleyballU17Blue2k24]

I would pay to see this

[@whatslaps]

you're mad, mate!

[@sndchamp9949]

The NBA to scared to hire future thinkers like yourself

[@johnnypreer5276]

@adam silver get in here

[@tjdomino2787]

This idea goes crazy, I’d love to watch that

[@Metal_Fingers.]

I would love to see a 3v3 tournament

[@f2pgamer994]

or a 1v1 would be also cool but for guards vs guards and forwards vs forwards

[@konzza]

1v1 knockout tournament. 5 minute games, winner advances.

[@Metal_Fingers.]

@@f2pgamer994 Today's NBA stars are too scared to play 1v1.

[@whatslaps]

me too. each has a gleaguer and wnba player

[@fbiopenup6534]

1v1 would be elite. The players egos are too big to refuse to play.

[@DemonKing-oi4jd]

No they are too sensitive to lose face when losing. If they had egos, then they would be competitive during the allstar game like 10 years ago.

[@peytonlamb3187]

Yes they are lol If you lose in 1v1 then the player will say and backup the I am better than you mentality they have

[@whatslaps]

Now you're speaking my language.

[@juohan]

We'd be watching anyone but the actual best players. If they care, they are more likely to not participate to avoid the risk of losing

[@cheap272]

An entire generation of player watched paul george snap his leg in two on live tv and now are terrified of injuries in every scrimmage game they play for the nba

[@Mzhbk]

You can get injured in practice, summer pick up game, during training camp, or ANY game that you play. Your risk of injury is the same every night so I never understood this logic.

[@cheap272]

@@Mzhbk and yet the players play harder in offseason games than they do on allstar weekend

[@redhorsepapi]

​@@Mzhbkyeah it's stupid. A person can literally injure themselves while walking. The truth is, all of the "reasons" are just excuses.

[@whatslaps]

that's true. that was a team usa exhibition game right?

[@jmgonzales7701]

All star games is non importanr. Pre season and scrimmage is for practice for regular season ​@@Mzhbk

[@chrisrandles857]

Did they try unplugging it and plugging it back in?

[@itsoffthebabango6090]

2020 was fun

[@whatslaps]

I think the equivalent would be cancelling it for one season.

[@LeonidaGator]

The NBA All star might be a complete joke of what it used to be. However it’s 200x better than what the NFL did to the Pro Bowl.

[@DonSMDT]

i dont agree myself, why have the pro bowl be contact beacuse then nobodys gonna wanna play and get injured, its not like the NBA where injuries are rare enough but like in the pro bowl its like you'd be taking full hits for no reason

[@whatslaps]

Literally never watched the pro bowl in my life.

[@jmgonzales7701]

Players got wise and thought the injury risk was not worth it.

[@whatslaps]

yep

[@josephmarch7142]

Love to see 1v1's and 3v3's where the trash talk and egos go wild.

[@whatslaps]

I don't think we could trick them into it or at least not the stars.

[@WokenStrategies]

best nba channel

[@whatslaps]

stop I'm blushing

[@M_11_m41n]

I think in my opinion the NBA needs to get rid of the All-Star Game for a few years and make that the in-season tournament semi-finals/finals or just make it the trade deadline.

[@whatslaps]

I agree. Make the finals of the in-season tournament the game.

[@nabiln85]

8:04 They also keep changing the rules to the 3pts contest, which makes it impossible to compare years - my beef with all the changes to all star is that it kind of erodes the tradition/legacy of it

[@whatslaps]

I'm a tradition and legacy guy too. As long as they don't shorten the season though, I'm fine with whatever other changes.

[@Ryfael]

I was trying to think of a rebuttal, but i couldnt. Game cant be saved.

[@whatslaps]

keep stewin' on it.

[@Bretkane]

The best kept secret about all star weekend is that the rising stars games have been awesome for years. Interested players and short games goes a long way

[@whatslaps]

I thought the same until I watched the game doing research for this video. OOoof

[@Bretkane]

@whatslaps I mean awesome is a stretch but its more like what I would expect from an all star game, while the actual asg is like layup lines

[@T.H.E.O.R.Y.]

Great content as always, but I must ask: where or how did you learn to edit like you do? What software do you use? Where do you get clips from? I really wanna start my own channel but am clueless on these things. I love your editing and it seems like you've been doing it for a while despite your channel being so new.

[@whatslaps]

I use final cut. most of the clips are gifs from google images, giphy, tenor. I use software from 4k video downloader if I need to pull a youtube video. nothing too complicated. good luck man!

[@T.H.E.O.R.Y.]

@@whatslaps thank you 🙏

[@ChilledTheMage]

I love the idea of a knock out tournament that sounds so fun haha.

[@whatslaps]

me too. I also just love the game.

[@thetwiggamingchannel9578]

The only way is for the players to care somehow, and I think U.S vs the world is a great way to do that

[@bobbywinstead1]

I hadn't considered a national vs. international game. Or any other way to attack their egos.

[@whatslaps]

dude, I totally forgot about that idea!

[@danielparker928]

If the all star game could be as competitive as the summer pick up runs that I see all over instagram from July-September are then we’d be fine, but that’s too much to ask the best players on the planet I guess. It just feels like a middle finger to everyone who loves the sport, I know the product could be better but they refuse, and that doesn’t sit right with me

[@whatslaps]

They gotta use psychological tricks to get these players to compete.

[@T1Oracle]

It's absolutely fixable. Give players advertising rights for winning. They can run the ads during the playoffs.

[@whatslaps]

I like it.

[@ronomgenuff]

One on one tournament would literally change everything

[@whatslaps]

I'd watch that over the regular season.

[@chrisuncleahmad789]

The last time a team scored under 100 points in the NBA All Star Game was 1973. Was anyone complaining about lack of defense in the 80s and 90s?

[@whatslaps]

I don't know. Probably not, I'd assume. I feel like people didn't complain as much back then.

[@zacharyorina620]

Great video. Please could you cover nba player archetypes for newer fans in the future?

[@whatslaps]

I'm doing a role players archetypes in 2 weeks

[@pakpaksugar5194]

Shoutout to the nhl for just cancelling the entire thing this year

[@whatslaps]

visionaries

[@Bretkane]

I like the idea of the skills challenge but it sucks because players don't take it seriously

[@whatslaps]

I know Ant edwards made a joke of it last year.

[@kevinkim6493]

Ur videos are curing my attention span problems

[@whatslaps]

just what the doctor ordered.

[@gugga2745]

after mac mclung won the dunk contest i remember seeing people say "get him on a roster", which i thought was like an absolutely insane train of thoughts without any context like imagine saying that abt like Jordan Klingon, but it does make sense that he would take it bc in hs his most famous moment was a dunk contest and now immerging again with another can push his name back into peoples minds

[@whatslaps]

But he was also the g league MVP. guy's got game.

[@hanking6343]

Great video as always

[@whatslaps]

🫶

[@redhorsepapi]

What most people and players don't understand is that the allstar game is for the fans. Not the players. It's a showcase of talent. The best pickup game in all basketball. The players are there to entertain us.

[@whatslaps]

I agree. I don't think it's broken.

[@SolomonMcGuire]

I might be alone in this, but for the most part, I think the NBA All Star game is fine. I know there can be improvements, but I like it simply because it's my favorite players going out there and trying to create highlights. Watching Steph Curry hit like 16 threes that one year got me so hyped up, and it's just kinda fun to watch guys that take almost every game seriously just try to relax and put on a showcase. Only improvement I can think of that would help make it more "competitive" would be to give the winning team a home court advantage in the playoffs or something, but the issue is that it would start to make things unfair in certain situations, so I think sticking with making the All Star game just "fun" is probably better.

[@bandjolyn]

Honestly yea I mostly agree. Considering a dude literally broke his leg last week, I don't mind the chill, goof off game. Injuries can cost an athlete millions, so there's a lot at stake.

[@whatslaps]

I totally agree, but at the same time I don't watch it. I'm a Saturday night watcher. I think if they did the home court advantage thing it would have to be in the CBA and I don't see the owners fighting for it.

[@rmsteutonic3686]

Props to you for getting a video out whilst sounding way under the weather.

[@whatslaps]

Algorithm doesn't take days off

[@josephtownsend1926]

Hella respect to JB for being in the dunk contest

[@whatslaps]

I agree. Dunks weren't bad either.

[@night6724]

The solution is simply get the players to try harder the talk about the CBA in the union and whatever is nonsense because that always existed, but you still saw guys like Kobe going hard in the All-Star game Bring back the east versus West format and have the winning team get home court advantage in the finals like what the MLB did for several years

[@idkpt2675]

I can’t believe stuff like horse hasn’t returned when we have someone like Luka in the league, imagine a bunch of guys trying to beat him out of all people

[@whatslaps]

I know. I'm here for it.

[@Matthewplayz131]

The reason why Ja Morant, Anthony Edwards, Zach Lavine, Aaron Gordon, Ect... won't play in the NBA dunk contest is because the judges are celebrities who either never played basketball, or played years/decades ago

[@whatslaps]

yeah dwyane wade ruined it. didn't take it seriously.

[@kryptochicken3615]

Underrated bro be growing the channel-stay locked 😮‍💨

[@whatslaps]

thanks brother! feel better today!

[@aleklagerstedt1744]

You say we get competitive basketball every night if the regular season. I'm curious about the effects of close games and how players play in the last few minutes. Do they pass more? Drive more? Take riskier shots? How do turnovers compare in the last few minutes if a close game to on average? More fouls definitely seem to happen, is fouling out a big problem? As someone who doesn't know a lot about basketball, are there any rules that normally come into play only in the last part of the game? Are timeouts taken at a higher rate, and if so why? To give players a second to breathe? Draw up a play? I'm also curious broadly on the difference between competitive basketball and not competitive basketball. Like a game with major playpoff implications vs a game where both teams are tanking. Are there major differences in strategy?

[@whatslaps]

I think the game speeds up in clutch time. This obviously caused by the team who's losing. that's a good question, I'd love to see the data on that.

[@f2pgamer994]

Maybe including home-court advantage for the Finals to the conference that wins the All-Star Game could be a good idea

[@whatslaps]

I liked that when the MLB did it.

[@z0zef]

All-star game could be the testing ground for innovating rules that could be implemented in the game. Things like increased spacing for 3pt line, increased value of a basket from a 2pt to a 3pt and 3pt to a 4pt etc. Or maybe abandoning rules like gather step, hand check, 3 seconds violation and test a hybrid NBA plus Euroleague combination to find out what really sticks.

[@whatslaps]

I totally. Add a new rule every year to throw the players off

[@ursoyboyy7778]

what if they use a division team all-star?? a game of 21, best division from each conference will meet (basically) in an all-star finals. I think there will be some competitiveness out of this format. lets have some discussion about this...

[@whatslaps]

I kind of makes me feel like the NBA cup final should replace the all-star game and make those groups the divisions.

[@jasonf7072]

People stopped caring about the dunk contest after they kept robbing Aaron Gordon

[@whatslaps]

You ain't wrong. I wouldn't compete anymore either.

[@warwolf88]

Making the all star game a series of knock out games would be a great idea

[@whatslaps]

It'd be so much fun.

[@warwolf88]

@@whatslaps for sure

[@lucashowell7653]

I’m going to watch to see Kevin Durant working harder than he wants to in order to not be embarrassed by the rising stars. There’s something beautiful about leveraging new talent to keep these veterans interested enough to do a good job.

[@whatslaps]

I concur.

[@craigbanning8960]

Knockout would actually be sick. Much less chance for injury but there can still be competitive tension. Imagine Lebron knocking away a ball that was supposed to go to Curry. Bron makes his shot and passes to AD who knocks out Steph. Everyone is laughing and having a good time.

[@whatslaps]

I know. Lebron bumping Steph's ball into the crowd.

[@MaskedMann]

whatever team loses the all star game has to play in jeans and a backpack for the playoffs

[@whatslaps]

timberlands too

[@temperlemon]

Is the NBA regular season too long?

[@whatslaps]

If you think it's too long, watch less of it. (that's what I always say.)

[@temperlemon]

@whatslaps no like I meant that as a video idea

[@JacobHilmoe-xg4dl]

Just give them an in insane amount of money to the winners like 500 million

[@whatslaps]

brilliant!!

[@TheSkullcrusher73]

It’s honestly so easy, just make it to whichever conference wins get home court advantage. EZ

[@whatslaps]

or at least gets that game 7 at home.

[@lthdy83]

Best idea: the losing team donates 2 or 5 percent of their salary to some charity

[@jonathand.t.5051]

From 2020 to 2023 the way they did it is that the best team in each quarter won money for a charity of their choosing. I have no idea why they didn't just tweak that.

[@whatslaps]

don't count on it ;)

[@USMC19]

Great video bro, I would love to see NBA players play horse, with crazy shots. Have you consider a football channel ? Just like this one but NFL

[@whatslaps]

I'm trying to convince my brother to do it. He's the football head.

[@istari2]

Hey if I remember correctly once you said you lived in LA (no idea if city or just the area) but I hope you are safe there because of the fires!

[@whatslaps]

I'm pretty deep in the city (not near the fires), but it's still pretty ashy out. thanks for checking in!

[@J4ckpot23]

what if they did what they do in the MLB and the winner of the all star game gets home court advantage in the finals (obv would have to do East vs West)

[@JohnWest-dm4qb]

What's the point? Most all-stars won't be in the finals, they don't care.

[@J4ckpot23]

@ id imagine the majority of all stars want to compete in the playoffs lol

[@whatslaps]

I think the players would have to allow it in the CBA and they'd be like nah

[@deonlepharaoh]

They shoud scrap the game and hust have 1v1 or 2v2 tournaments...with the players chosen by fan vote

[@whatslaps]

that'd be so sick.

[@newageweeb4049]

Suspend everyone without pay for a year if they don't play at 100%. Don't want to get hurt so bad then don't play any games for a year or retire because sports are not for you if injuries scare you.

[@khaitranngoc4176]

that's just the nuclear option.

[@whatslaps]

WOAH

[@Nakapeesh]

1v1, HORSE, half court knockout

[@whatslaps]

half court knockout is the move.

[@fesc9731]

they should do what the nfl does and just have fun silly games

[@whatslaps]

that's what I'm sayin, fam.

[@lemonscentedgames3641]

Thats already what it is and everyone hates the nfl and nba all star weekends?

[@ayron4428]

Horse and knock out would be sick, good ideas

[@whatslaps]

I'm thinking half court knockout

[@aquemini9213]

idea to incentivize before i watch the video: 1 all star game win is attached to a player and is carried throughout their entire career e/w finals home court advantage is determined by who has more total asg wins on the two rosters incentivizes voting for more than 1 all star for contending rosters too, i imagine okc / boston would push hard for the all star campaigns of jdub / brown will this only matter to contenders? maybe, but if they care about it enough it'd be cool also to see teams pick up older all stars to cheekily add to their AS win total lol

[@whatslaps]

I like those ideas. They need to establish some type of historical culture around the ASG.

[@warmike]

NBA all-star team vs EuroLeague all-star team, perhaps?

[@whatslaps]

bingo

[@williamcheek7206]

"gamify" the Allstar game, have a list of silly objectives that the teams have to hit - it might make it fun for the players, therefore fun for the audience.

[@whatslaps]

exactly. What about jackpot shots that light up all over the court?

[@shamemes3476]

hear me out let the all star game die and figure out a cooler playoff format, they need to make seeding matter more in the postseason

[@whatslaps]

I agree, but turn sunday night of the weekend into something really wacky!

[@reallydoe2552]

Didn’t agree with all of them but actually insightful

[@whatslaps]

thanks brother!!

[@justingallant648]

Let’s go new video right as I’m taking my break

[@whatslaps]

like clockwork

[@placidonetodeassisvieira5358]

No amount of rule changes will make these lame ass players care about the All-Star Game. Adam Silver is a braindead comissioner but he's not at fault for this one

[@night6724]

No, it is his fault partially because he began the player coddling like all the talk about guys not trying hard because of the players union is ridiculous since it’s always existed and people try hard pretty much before 2010

[@whatslaps]

you should run for comish

[@ger.m.a.ngiant1644]

Adam silver should just scrap the all star game then

[@whatslaps]

I hope they keep it

[@marcusi.7740]

lebron complained on mind the game that too many young basketball players/fans love “ones.” a lot of non-nba social media content is 1v1s and iso highlights. a 1v1 tournament would be very fun to watch if big names or even fan favorite bench players participated

[@whatslaps]

I'd love that. first to one point.

[@IaMmAchInE21]

Lebron not doing this dunk contest when he was younger is the reason young stars today don’t want to do it. Sucks man

[@migo.offa30]

thats just them not caring

[@whatslaps]

He's gotta do it his last year.

[@slightexag]

honestly think all star game h.o.r.s.e. would be incredible if dame, curry, luka, durant, etc chose to participate

[@whatslaps]

Catch me on the couch with popcorn

[@HaidukeNT]

The 2018 NBA All-Star Game was great !

[@whatslaps]

I gotta go back and check it out.

[@ThaddeusFord065]

keep the all star voting but remove the game is the only way

[@whatslaps]

Or they could just let it be the way it is. No one takes it seriously and the players just vibe out.

[@ohlenard]

It’s can’t be fixed

[@whatslaps]

you gotta believe brother.

[@binulai2305]

great video but just a quick comment please for the love of god remove the airpods dying sound every time the video cuts back to you

[@whatslaps]

for sure. you got a timestamp?

[@sadtwolvesfan]

Just add a 1v1 competition with weight classes like boxing. Its not that hard

[@whatslaps]

that'd be sick

[@GoldenNUGGETS55]

The goat returns

[@whatslaps]

☺️

[@PassivesAbseits]

Easiest fix: Make it Team USA vs Team Worlds. With the global growth of the game, both teams would be competitive by now. You might even have to expand to "Team Northamerica" at some point. But would you really be part of the first Team USA, that loses this contest? At least in the closing minutes in a close game, you would try to avoid that... or take "revenge" for last years loss. You might even get some light trash talk out of it. You could trigger the stars with an "Team USA hasn't won in X years" provocation, if they really don't care. Hey, you could even make the entire Weekend about this idea. Have the Slam Dunk Content and the 3 Point Shoot out split even between US Players and Worlds Players as well, crowning the individual winner and keeping a collective score.... and have a shorter final game. And yes, they wouldn't go full speed full effort for 48 minutes for this, either. But they might put some effort into it, which is all the fans and Adam Silver ask for...

[@whatslaps]

I agree. It's the perfect way to get a little pride out of the stars. The world team would be going so hard. Like they do in international play.

[@Quentinthemudkip]

guaranteed contracts have to go.

[@whatslaps]

more incentives

[@pjwesell]

Video discussing the possibility of the NBA “eliminating” conferences in playoff seeding and just taking the top 16 teams?

[@whatslaps]

I'd have to include it in a larger topic. videos gotta be 8 minutes

[@Mrballerize]

Yes it can. Just make the finals home team advantage based on who wins the game. Players will complain and say it's harsh, but I don't care. They deserve it for destroying the All Star Game.

[@whatslaps]

I 💯 percent agree

[@bovedli]

Excuse me but do you know what slaps?

[@whatslaps]

I do, but tell me anyway.

[@bovedli]

@ i’m just making stupid comments for engagement to go up in your comment section. Keep up the good work! Love your videos, man!

[@hanking6343]

213 // 2.61 per second

[@whatslaps]

exactly

[@JakeyFreeHa]

BRO GIT YOUR REST

[@JakeyFreeHa]

YOU NEED LOAD MANAGEMENT

[@whatslaps]

algorithm doesn't take sick days

[@Nktzzzzz]

get well soon, whatslaps

[@whatslaps]

thanks, fam. I'm feeling a lot better today.

[@JDotvaporz]

Losing team chooses two players who have to fight to the death. Easy 🙏🏽

[@whatslaps]

simmer down now

[@Baki_and_Friends]

USA vs World

[@whatslaps]

exactly.

[@mareklame8589]

nice takes.

[@whatslaps]

🙇

[@Max-kw2hp]

I have been good to my mother, ate a corndog, liked the video and every single comment 😅

[@whatslaps]

dang you're more committed than me!

[@GroovyKid7]

You should make a video about Caitlin Clark like u said ppl should lol

[@whatslaps]

I really should.

[@markosimunov]

Waaaa, brent barry dunk!!!

[@whatslaps]

yeah, buddy. beast of a dunk.

[@ThaddeusFord065]

❤❤❤

[@ethansharp3758]

What happened to your voice?

[@Uncle_Magic]

He hit puberty

[@whatslaps]

I'm transitioning to M

[@LouchiLouchiano]

i know you were not at your best health when you made this. but have you ever played basketball or football for real before? just asking.

[@whatslaps]

Yeah, I play basketball and soccer. I'm really freaking good 😎

[@neverunderestimate30xx72]

Knock out and horse would be awesome

[@whatslaps]

I know. let the fans play too

[@thewideman1801]

You don’t gotta respond to this one, just wanted to algorithm farm for you, like the content

[@whatslaps]

I always gotta respond

[@lucashowell7653]

It might just be that they have to keep ratcheting up the stakes every year, and we should just accept that we are going to have to keep upgrading the tuxedo on the monkey every year to keep the monkey running after the bananas

[@whatslaps]

excellent analogy

[@night6724]

The problem is player entitlement as affecting the league as a whole Guys don’t try in the regular season anymore and they’re definitely not gonna try All-Star game It didn’t used to be this way, but the culture has to change and one thing that they can start is by not giving young players a bunch of money and endorsements before they’ve earned their stripes

[@whatslaps]

I think players try during the regular season.

[@night6724]

@@whatslaps maybe in the last few months. But between load management and coasting the regular season is 82 preseason games Like I said though why did guys try hard before the mid 2010s in the all star game when they still had the player’s association and even less incentives? I know you mentioned social media but how about in the mid 2000s and 2010s when KZbin and Twitter were now a thing?

[@Matheus-do5kd]

gostei do video

[@whatslaps]

coming right up.

[@idkkkkkkkk_]

goat

[@whatslaps]

❤️

[@Gut_Bomb]

are u sick

[@whatslaps]

feeling a lot better today.

[@Gut_Bomb]

@ glad to hear that, keep grinding 🤞

[@diegononamez]

Ive always thought that they should do some points thing for the game to make it more fun like layups is 1 point midrange 2 and if you make a three pointer you take 3 points of the other team

[@whatslaps]

that'd be good. literally anything to make it more interesting.

[@friedrice7]

I used to watch the dunk contest, and then I saw Aaron Gordon get robbed twice. I think players would be willing to compete in the dunk contest if there are judges that actually understand how to judge.

[@whatslaps]

yeah, I respect his decision to not participate.

[@Mzhbk]

Comparing basketball to football-a sport where brain damage is guaranteed and bodies slam into another-is a horrible comparison lol nobody got injured in all star games in the past when they actually played harder so there’s nothing to substantiate the claim that playing defense would increase risk of injury.

[@whatslaps]

that's true. I have no idea why football players were going hard in the probowl

[@deathrawkboy]

Instead of East v West go NBA v FIBA. Boom! Global audience. They take turns hosting it and using respective rulesets.

[@whatslaps]

World vs Us would be so rad.