INDIANAPOLIS — NBA All-Star 2024 in Indianapolis has come and gone — and what an experience it was for the city.
It's another feather in the cap for Indy as a host, and there has been a lot of positive reaction for how the weekend went, especially the game itself.
A total of 397 points were scored as the East beat the West, 211-186, the most ever scored in an NBA All-Star Game.
Celebrities were everywhere you looked, and the best players in the world were on display.
Tyrese Haliburton was the weekend's prom king, and early on in the game, he looked like the frontrunner for All-Star Game MVP: 10 of 14 from 3-point land, 32 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and an Eastern Conference win.
Haliburton spoke after the game on what this weekend did to bring a spotlight on him, the Pacers and the city.
"There was a lot of energy in the building, a lot of energy from Pacers fans, a lot for us to be excited about. Ben (Mathurin) started us out with Rising Stars MVP. Won the Skills Challenge yesterday, Just been a lot of love and excitement for not only our city but our organization as well. We just want to carry that momentum for the second half of the season and make a playoff push."
As great as a host as Indianapolis was, there was certainly a lot of reaction on the All-Star Game itself, calling it "non- competitive," a lot of points and not exactly an enjoyable watch. LeBron James, who played in his 20th All-Star Game Sunday, offered his thoughts on how to fix it.
"I think it's something we need to figure out," James said. "I don't know. Where's the median? Because this is what a lot of the games are starting to look like now, too. Obviously from a player's perspective, you know, it's fun to get up and down, but at the end of the day, our competitive nature don't like to have free-flowing scoring like that, but it's a deeper conversation."
No matter the game, it was the experience Sunday night. The tributes to Pacers greats, Indiana greats and Jennifer Hudson's halftime show. The East won the game, but Indianapolis won the weekend.