NBA’s epic All-Star game sets mark for Origin

BILLIONS of dollars of NBA talent yesterday transformed basketball’s All-Star game from one of sport’s most boring spectacles into something transcendent.

In the process across the other side of the world, they paved the way for the AFL to turn its Bushfire relief game into the return of yearly State-of-Origin.

The NBA All-Star game and its NFL equivalent have for years been all kinds of lame as actual sporting contests.

The death of Kobe Bryant changed all that after a new quarter-by-quarter scoring format that raises money to the designated charity of whichever team is in front at the end of each period.

The game turned into a full-blown epic that captivated America as the teams played furious defence — who knew? — and banged bodies until Team LeBron snatched a 157-155 victory.

If the Bushfire Relief game turns into AFLX with the star power then no matter how worthy a fund-raiser it is for bushfire relief it is dead in the water as a yearly fixture even if the players are keen.

Fans don’t want to pay hard-earned cash to see the stars kicking countless torps from 60m and trick shots from the pocket.

They will measure it up against the legendary Stateof-Origin contest of old — minus the thuggery — and if it gets anywhere near those contests then the league might have its fans and clubs on board full-time.

As GWS footy boss Jason McCartney said yesterday, clubs are petrified of injuries at this stage of the year.

But if your star would be playing a Marsh Community Series game on the same day and tweaks a hamstring, it is hard not to think he would have done it in the corresponding game.

Josh Fraser damaged his PCL in the 2008 AFL Hall of Fame tribute game and was never the same player, so a serious injury would stop this game in its tracks.

Dustin Martin, Patrick Dangerfield and Marcus Bontempelli versus Nathan Fyfe, Patrick Cripps and Tim Kelly is worth the price alone with a few caveats.

That the tackles are to hurt — within reason — that there is genuine defensive pressure and that there is no manufactured outcome.

If we get that and a clean bill of health, then we are halfway to at least examining how State-of-Origin can find a meaningful role in the footy calendar.

If not we might as well bring the silver Sherrins, circus jugglers and Team Rampage back.