The NBA All-Star weekend certainly had folks talking about how the game has changed and the product has taken a dip — I believe one of the quicker fixes would be to bring back the high level of physicality back to the league.

With all the three-point shooting happening around the league, no hand checks, and allowing offensive guys more freedom, things have gotten a bit boring. It means nothing when someone scores 40 points and teams score over 100 total points a night. Guys like James Harden and Damian Lillard who get to the free throw line with ease by taking advantage of the rules that are against defenders — are part of the problem. Harden struggles to play defense and wouldn’t have lasted this long in the league if it were the 90’s or early 2000’s.

One of the bigger things that irritate me is how much the shooter is protected. Defenders can’t land in their landing area, can’t touch the elbow, and players damn near can’t be bothered when a shot goes up, it’s annoying. Of course I remember the season Kawhi Leonard twisted his ankle in the playoffs due to Zaza Pachulia sticking his foot under him which changed the trajectory of the Spurs’ season. So there is a medium for protecting the shooter, but there needs to be more consequences for putting up bad shots other than just missing a basket.

I was watching ESPN clips today and hockey legend P.K. Subban said that hockey players play hard during the all-star break because in his sport there’s no other option. And he’s correct — players have died on the ice, there’s fists getting thrown and encouraged, it’s madness. Not saying that the NBA needs completely bring back fighting, but intensity needs to be brought back.

I also like the idea of the NBA taking from the MLB by making the winning team get home court advantage in the finals. That way, if a player who’s on a trash team doesn’t play hard, it’ll show their fans that he doesn’t believe that their team has a chance at a NBA Championship this season — which isn’t a good look. It’s all about putting pressure on players. The four-country format like how the NHL did could work, but I don’t think that should be the answer. We just want to see guys try a bit harder.