Photo by Auntie P on Flickr

Here’s what I’m not expecting to hear much from the basketball blogosphere today: “I’m pumped to watch the charity game in Miami tonight. The Goodman/Drew rematch tomorrow is going to be awesome, too.”

That’s what I’m thinking, though, and I think it’s kind of crazy that I feel the need to justify it. I’m going to watch Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook, and John Wall in the same game tonight. I’m going to watch LeBron and Dwyane playing against one another again. This is all kinds of awesome in my world… but instead of being pumped to share some basketball joy on Twitter, I’ll probably leave TweetDeck closed. Not interested in seeing people complain about the lack of defense and intensity.

It’s completely understandable to me if you’re not into summer games or if you’re simply tired of ‘em. To lots of people, even huge NBA fans, the fact that there’s little at stake means they’re not that entertaining. Fair enough. Thing is, it’s unreasonable to think that these games have somehow been disappointing. It’s silly to act as if they’re worthless just because they aren’t the same as pro ball. The games feature NBA players, but OF COURSE they’re not going to have NBA intensity. You’re not going to see proper team defense in an All-Star game. Guys are not going to risk injury during the off-season. It’s about putting on a show. If you’ve ever seen a charity game before this summer, you know this. At Vince Carter’s charity games in Toronto, they’d stop the action to have dance-offs. They’d reset the score to 0-0 in the fourth quarter. This seemed totally appropriate. Everybody had a good time.

I’m trying to figure out why anyone would be angry about something that gives fans the opportunity to see the best in the world put on a dunking clinic up close at a reasonable price. I’m trying to comprehend why you’d whine about the style of play in a game you’re choosing to stream for free. Maybe the lockout just has NBA lovers on edge, angry at every party involved: “You’re giving me THIS? Screw you, I want my NBA!” But how about seeing the increased summer action as one of the only positives to come out of this mess? Believe me, I’d love to know serious pro competition was coming soon. It just seems like a total waste to let that stop me from enjoying this ridiculous collection of talent in Miami.

Plus, Eddy Curry!