The NBA All-Star team is a social construct

The list of 2018 NBA All-Stars was completed Tuesday as the league announced the coaches’ choices for reserves. The coaches got 13 of the 14 picks right, by my count. Congratulations to them.

Those who believe they deserved recognition and did not receive it, and teammates of those who those teammates believe would appreciate some public anger on their behalf, complained about the injustices, of course. In some ways, this spectacle is the true NBA All-Star Game. We listed seven real snubs; I would argue only Paul George and Andre Drummond truly meet snub criteria. Everyone else was a bit of a stretch compared to who actually made the team.

Would you believe fans of players not only snubbed from the all-star roster but snubbed from the snub lists are up in arms? This is how constructivist the NBA has gotten: we are creating lists of those disrespected by the people nominally in the role of suggesting who was disrespected by official voters. There is a conventional wisdom (fans of the twice-snubbed) challenging the conventional wisdom (we who create snub lists for almighty content) challenging the social construct of the all-star rosters.

The NBA is so meta sometimes. I love it.

SAC 105, ORL 99
BKN 108, OKC 109
CLE 102, SAS 114
NYK 112, GSW 123
BOS 107, LAL 108

I want to commend Marcus Smart on his growth mindset on display at the end of Lakers-Celtics. Smart, shooting 35 percent from the field this season and a career 29 percent three-point shooter, brought the ball up full court down by one with seconds remaining, looking off open teammates, to fire a three off the bounce. This one rimmed out. But that commitment to taking low-percentage shots despite all evidence suggesting he should not shows real courage, dedication to personal growth, and mental strength. Kudos.

Whoa, buddy, big Thunder comeback and a Russell Westbrook game-winner.

The Cavaliers got trucked again. You can tell these dudes are simmering because Uncle Jeff Green had a vicious dunk and no Cavs reacted. Ty Lue has promised a mysterious lineup change before Cleveland next plays on Friday. All indications are the Cavs will soon finish a trade bringing George Hill to town. Paul Flannery has six ways the team can fix itself. (When we considered all the ways the Cavaliers could fix their season and maybe even challenge the Warriors, did anyone consider “enter extended trade conversations with the Sacramento Kings” as a game-changing option?)

LeBron James became the youngest player — and only seventh ever — to score 30,000 points. He’s the only guy in NBA history with 30,000 points, 7,000 rebounds, and 7,000 assists. (He already has more than 8,000 rebounds and will have 8,000 assists by the season’s end. There’s a non-zero chance he could have 40K-10K-10K by his career’s end, assuming his career ever ends.)

The new Miami Vice uniforms are maybe the greatest uniforms in sports history. They are responsible for global warming.

Zito Madu on Gregg Popovich’s greatness and the art of compromise.

Kobe Bryant has been nominated for an Oscar.

Why the Bucks fired Jason Kidd. Was Kidd’s time in Milwaukee at all helpful to the Bucks? What does the team do now?

Kevin Durant got ejected for arguing calls again. That’s the fourth time this season. No one has been ejected more than four times since Larry Sanders had five goodbyes in 2012-13.

Is Memphis really ready for a full-on rebuild?

Assessing the path to the NBA Finals for the Warriors.

Be excellent to each other.