Kevin Durant, Ryan Dunn look good in over-produced NBA All-Star Game

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Here's exactly how it went down.

The style is quirky, but not something I dislike completely. See, I can have fun. I can be trendy. I can be cool. I can accept that the NBA will always try out new things in an effort to keep our attention. This year's version? A three-game format - two semifinal matchups and a final - all played to a target score of 40. And you know what? It actually worked pretty well.

—I'm willing to bet my last dollar that Candace Parker, coaching Dunn's Rising Stars team, played him more in one game than Mike Budenholzer has in an entire week.

The fun organic moments - especially when Shaq's original team, featuring Kevin Durant, had the chance to seal the win. Shot after shot bounced off the rim, turning the final seconds into a chaotic struggle, making it the closest game of the night.

For a game-changing block (although it wasn't technically recorded on the box score), swatting away what should have been the winning shot. Now, sure, after review, it was clearly a foul. But this is the All-Star Game. Nobody's counting that. I mean, Scott Foster would have, but that's because he doesn't know how to have fun.

The "oops-we-traded-you-but-just-kidding" guy stepped up and took on the role of team lead. He also grabbed two rebounds and added a steal for good measure.

Unfortunately, the Rising Stars team fell short, losing to Shaq's OGs in the semifinals, 42-35. Kevin Durant's team moved on, while Dunn's team was eliminated and headed to the stands to watch the rest of the All-Star Weekend as spectators.

Shaq's original team had an easy time dominating Chuck's Global Stars in the final, winning 41-25. As for Kevin Durant, he mostly sat on the sidelines, ending the game with a total of zero points, going 0-for-1 from the field. It wasn't a highlight for him, but a win is a win.

That's it. The format? Surprisingly acceptable. A manageable serving of the best of basketball.

It was a hard thing to watch. Kevin Hart was reportedly brought in as a comedian to provide some humor during the game, but he ended up being a source of annoyance to the audience instead. With a live microphone connected to the arena's sound system, he spent the entire night yelling at the players to stop taking three-point shots and making fun of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's shoes.

I get it. "Entertainment". "Laughs". "Keeping things light". But there's a fine line between adding to the experience and completely taking over. And on TV? Almost completely unwatchable.

The wait between games felt like an eternity, stretched out with performances and a three-point contest between a fan and Damian Lillard. And to be honest? That might've been the highlight of the evening.

But even that was accompanied by its own level of absurdity. The emcee, Mr. Beast, was screaming loudly over the loudspeaker while the fan was taking his shot. Picture this: you're standing there, ball in hand, your heart racing, in front of a packed arena filled with people. One shot. If you make it, you win $100,000. You take a deep breath, line up your form, start your release...and suddenly, the guy next to you is yelling, "For $100,000!!!"

It was painfully clear that the kid was flustered. Yet, he still managed to make one shot, which was more than most of us could say under that kind of pressure. Of course, Lillard calmly sank three and took the win, but for a brief moment, that contest was the most captivating thing to happen all night.

Overall, from a presentation standpoint, the NBA took one game and broke it down into three mini-games, forcing as many corporate sponsors as possible down your throat. Every spare second was a chance to promote a brand. "This halftime performance is brought to you by Kia." "State Farm presents this three-point shot." "LeBron James's absence tonight is sponsored by Progressive Auto."

It was more like a commercial break with a few decent shots thrown in.

The concept isn't inherently flawed, but for goodness' sake, keep the pace moving. Make it an engaging game. Don't begin one, then drag it out, forcing me to sit through 30 minutes of unnecessary content, only to finally start another. Basketball is supposed to be the main event, not a commercial break between advertisements.

It was great to see some Phoenix Suns presence, even if it seemed like there should have been more. LeBron James chose not to play because of an ankle injury, which understandably led to a lot of criticism. Maybe he could have given a heads up beforehand. Given that he'd been dealing with this injury for a while, it might have been considerate to let people know ahead of time. However, that's not how LeBron typically handles things.

To make headlines, there's no better way than pulling off a stunt like this.

I watched the halftime show and thought, "Hey, we should do that! But let's do it six times in one night!"

Guess what? Real sports enthusiasts don't tune in to the Super Bowl for the halftime show. It's more of a pleasant side attraction, a brief break, but we're here for the game itself. And this particular game was tough to watch.

What's that, Kevin Hart? Another silly joke? Sounds good to me.

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