Whew! An NBA All-Star weekend has come to an end — with a new appreciation for Utah, a broken scoring record and nothing left in the tank

After Almost all of it was over, and there was an NBA All-Star Game to Play Sunday at Vivint Arena In front of a live audience, of which only a small portion was likely to be made up of basketball enthusiasts from nearby areas. Joining Their audience was much larger, coming from all corners of the cowhide planet. AndIt turned out that they were coming from far-flung areas such as Sandy Taylorsville Layton Kearns Millcreek Provo Clearfield Tremonton Saint George Each corner of the house Utah town.

Eyeballs You can dial in from anywhere, anyplace, on the arena that Larry Built on a busy block in the heart of Salt Lake City. No How to tell if the savior is Jazz Basketball himself was watching from the great beyond. God We don’t know what he might have looked like, but he was sitting beside us on a wonderful perch. Jerry Sloan, Bill Russell, David Stern All the other NBA greats who have passed away. None This would not have been possible without LHM or his wife. Gail, and their vision starting around 40 years ago.

It’s not that Utah was a mere backdrop to the NBA’s celebration of its game, its stars, its status, itself, it’s just that a relative handful of locals could afford to buy tickets to the main event, some of those better seats were going for upwards of $20 grand. InsteadThey were present at the preliminaries but they then watched from their TV boxes while famous and wealthy interlopers did early offense.

But They spent a lot of money on hotels, restaurants, shops, and other businesses. The league and its players made millions of dollars for the NBA and the local economy. Important causes — from environmental to educational to social to technological to mental to charitable.

There There were many happenings throughout the week as well as the weekendMany of these have been covered in this space before, but now, finally, on SundayThe main spectacle was on.

And It was quite the spectacle. Although It also had some terrible basketball.

The The competition was there, but it was sandwiched between music and dancing, celebrity appearances and wandering spotlights. It was hoopla fit only for the kings of pop, rap, soul, and small screens. Totaled The total net worth and the gross tonnage of all jewelry in hand, on wrists, ears, and around necks, is called up Sunday Most likely, broke the record for the highest amount of precious metal, baubles, and ornaments found in one location at once. Utah — and that includes all the minerals extracted from a hundred mines around here.

Not It is amazing how much this state cares about the opinions of others regarding their home. But Ryan Smith cares, It seemed like everyone had a great time, especially with the roundball on the floor. These These are the types of events that inform other parts of the planet. UtahDespite its bizarrely conservative legislature it isn’t some dusty, forgotten outpost not just between the western desert and the Wasatch RangeBut between 2023 & 1950.

AnywayAs John Lennon Once encouraged a royal audience, the crowd to the back cheered and the crowd to the front rattled its jewelry. Post Malone sang, Charles Barkley talked, Shaq Led the crowd in singing Happy Birthday to Chuck, LeBron James, although he didn’t play much, reminded all of what they already knew — that he’s a wonderfully unique talented athlete. And The best basketball players are rare specimens who can soar and score at elevations of 4,226 feet, and when no one plays defense.

None It was pure basketball. James Naismith wouldn’t have recognized any of it, but … who cares? It It was great fun.

If This message was relayed via radio to the home and they reached for cold drinks and homemade ham sandwiches. Those It is possible to feel it in the building.

The While it is interesting to see which players would be selected by LeBron, the player draft is not. Giannis, directed by TNT’s Ernie JohnsonThe effect lasted for several hours. It wasn’t that long, but … it dragged. Post Malone 21 Savage A mini-concert was put on, which the crowd seemed to enjoy. Other stars hanging aroundPeople love to be around people. Jennifer Hudson, Vin Diesel, 2 Chainz, Chris Tucker And a lot more, they took in all the action.

Once As the game started, there were more fun distractions, such as the nice moment when longtime was finally able to be a part of the fun. Jazz P.A. P.A. Dan Roberts For nearly 50 years, he was honored as a house microphone operator.

What Standard was what happened during the actual performance All-Star Fare is an acronym for fare. It means that the action alternated between hot dogsgish, sloppy and stellar. And, at the end, it was a record-breaking event. Many Some of the participants shared bits and pieces about why they are some of the most talented players. God’s green earth.

However, the will to win was absent. Nobody He was digging in to beat down the other guys and revealed peer pressure to not make any of the others look bad. There As it was, there wasn’t any need to make a distinction between them. Team Giannis Team LeBron and LeBron were almost indistinguishable. Antetokounmpo Due to a wrist injury, I was unable to play for more than a few seconds. James Also, he bowed out very early.

Over Shooters began shooting at one point in the second half. Section Just for fun, row 5 at 119. Down The only question that emerged from the stretch was: Who You could score even more Jayson Tatum Or Donovan Mitchell? The Because they were on the same team, it was a bit complicated.

The The answer was TatumThe breaker was All-Star Individual scoring record for game.

He Got 55 points Mitchell Had 40.

Tatum’s secret to breaking the record?

“Keep shooting,” He said.

Ultimately, Tatum Named MVP, he received his record, and his trophy. Team Giannis They won a bunch of cash for the worthy cause, winning the night at 184-175. Raise The FutureFoster care children can get help from the charity, And The spectacle of the weekend was not only extracurricular fun but also the best of many good things that the NBA could and did bring. Salt Lake City.

When The bright lights and TV cameras were finally turned off. Clean-up crews then went to work. VivintThe curtain was drawn. There was nothing left in the tank, nothing more to do — except for an after party to attend at a nearby downtown venue for whoever had enough energy and money leftover to participate.