There is no scientific data to back this up, but it seems the concept of the NBA’s All-Star game generates more discussion than the playing of it.
For good reason, perhaps. As exhibitions, All-Star games are often unavoidably limp affairs.
But the central premise behind an All-Star game – “who are the best players in this sport?” – is one few fans tire of debating.
So it is with the NBA All-Star game, the full squads for which were announced over the weekend. Secondary events like the three-point shoot-out and dunk competition offer the real entertainment in the build-up to a game that, by its very nature, simply cannot replicate the excitement of real basketball.
But that idea of who should be honoured by inclusion in the squads is the best justification for the existence of the game.
In the spirit of that debate, we offer the two best players who will not be playing in New Orleans this year.
In the Eastern Conference, one player is easy to pinpoint. Point guard Kyle Lowry has led Toronto to respectability and, if you believe the advanced statistics, been the best guard in the East, period.
On a team with five guards, it is crazy to leave off Lowry, who is scoring 16.8 points per game and averaging 7.6 assists, second in the conference. He even chips in with 4.3 rebounds, fourth among Eastern players with at least five assists a game.
Miami’s Dwyane Wade is still a very good player and it is not his fault the fans voted him in, but he has missed about 25 per cent of the season. And while Brooklyn’s Joe Johnson is not having a bad year, it feels like he got in mostly on name recognition.
The East guard crop this year is, like the conference’s teams, rather weak. If players like Isaiah Thomas (Sacramento) or Goran Dragic (Phoenix) or Mike Conley (Memphis) were his competition, you could leave Lowry out. But they are not, and he should be in.
Over in the West, with an All-Star squad that lacks a second true centre behind Dwight Howard (Houston), DeMarcus Cousins’s absence is glaring.
No, his Sacramento Kings are not a good team, but Cousins has been a top-10 overall player by just about any advanced measure. He is both a top-10 rebounder and scorer, and he even has a weird tendency to accumulate steals, by big-man standards.
His defence still needs work, but he has produced at an undeniably high level, offensively.
The West is so good that there is not anyone who necessarily should not be there in favour of Cousins. But Kobe Bryant, voted in by the fans despite a knee injury, will not play. His replacement should be the Kings' emerging young star.
PREVIEW
Players of the week
• Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves: Had one of the finer individual efforts of the season with 43 points and 19 rebounds against Atlanta in a game the Timberwolves somehow managed to lose. Scored at least 28 and pulled 14 boards in two other contests.
• Goran Dragic, Phoenix Suns: Was the spark behind Phoenix’s push, scoring 27.25 points per game with six assists. In a win over Indiana, scored 28 with seven assists and only two turnovers.
• Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks: The ageless German averaged 33.3 points in three contests, with a 38-point, 17-rebound game in a narrow loss to rivals Houston. Also remarkably made all 27 of his free throw attempts.
Teams of the week
Western Conference’s second tier: It was a remarkable week for the current fifth through eighth teams in the West. Memphis, Phoenix, Houston and Golden State went an aggregate 13-1, led by the Grizzlies and Suns at 4-0.
Duds of the week
• Paul George, Indiana Pacers: Still having an excellent season for the East’s leaders, but he shot 16-for-57 (28 per cent) in three games, including a loss to Phoenix.
• Brooklyn Nets: Just when it looked like things had clicked for the Nets, they lost three straight, including a crucial match-up with division rivals Toronto.
Games of the week
• Phoenix at Houston Rockets, tomorrow: Two Western Conference teams jockeying for play-offs position meet in the middle of hot streaks.
• Minnesota at Oklahoma City Thunder, tomorrow: Kevin Love versus Kevin Durant in a battle of two of the league’s five best players, who also both happen to be named Kevin.
jraymond@thenational.ae
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
THE SPECS
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Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
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Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Essentials
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Seattle from Dh6,755 return in economy and Dh24,775 in business class.
The cruise
UnCruise Adventures offers a variety of small-ship cruises in Alaska and around the world. A 14-day Alaska’s Inside Passage and San Juans Cruise from Seattle to Juneau or reverse costs from $4,695 (Dh17,246), including accommodation, food and most activities. Trips in 2019 start in April and run until September.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
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Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
Second Test
In Dubai
Pakistan 418-5 (declared)
New Zealand 90 and 131-2 (follow on)
Day 3: New Zealand trail by 197 runs with 8 wickets remaining
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
