Lauri Markkanen’s teammates only survive at the last minute – here are the answers to the hottest questions about the NBA’s all-star game

Lauri Markkanen was selected for the star game as a substitute player. How were the players selected?

The starting five and team captains were announced last week. There are five players in the starting five of the teams. The starting five were determined 50 percent based on fan votes and 25 percent based on player and media votes.

Markkanen was already close to reaching the starting five. When the votes of supporters, players and the media were added together, Markkanen was left out of the starting five and was fifth on the list of frontcourt players. In the public vote, Markkanen was seventh, but in the votes of the players and the media, he was a fantastic fifth.

The players with the most votes from two different NBA conferences were defined as captains. This year they are the Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James and the Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Substitute players were voted by the coaches of the NBA teams. NBA commentator and basketball coach Kristian Palotie woke up at night to watch Markkanen’s election. It got tense because Markkanen’s name was only revealed as the second last.

– There was already a little confusion, could it be bad? Palotie stated Radio Suomen daily.

However, the selection of the all-star team had to be completely certain after the Finn’s performances.

– It would have been a farce if the selection hadn’t been clicked. Then quite a lot of people would have gotten angry, Palotie emphasizes.

When and where will the star match be played? What else is in store for the weekend?

The NBA All-Star Game is the culmination of the NBA All-Star Weekend. The weekend also includes, among other things, a match of young stars, a skills competition, a three-point shooting competition and a donkey competition.

Markkanen could very well participate in the donk and triple competition for his performances, but at least he won’t participate in the first one. The participants of the donkey competition are already known. Joining them are the newcomers from Portland Shaedon SharpeHouston Pier Kenyon Martin Jr and New Orleans breakout player Trey Murphy III.

As a novelty, a player from the G-league, which functions as a development league, will also be seen for the first time in the donk competition: Mac McClung.

The participants of the three-point shooting contest have not yet been announced.

This year, the star-studded weekend will be appropriately organized in the home hall of Utah Jazz, represented by Markkanen, in Salt Lake City.

The All-Star Game will be played in North America on Sunday evening, February 19. Finnish time, so the match will be played early on Monday from 3:00 a.m.

Even though Lauri Markkanen was selected for the all-star game from the Western Conference, the match is not played between the best of the conferences. What is it about?

The captains of the teams get to choose in the traditional “kunu division”. This is the sixth time that the captains have selected the final teams. Now, however, for the first time, the captains choose their team just a moment before the match. In the past, the captains have made their selection several days before the match.

LeBron James gets the first pick ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo because he received more votes from the public in the all-star game voting.

First, the captains choose the starting five from those selected for the starting five, and then the substitutes. At this point, conference boundaries can be crossed.

This happened, for example, in the first round last year. Even then, James was the first to choose before Kevin Durant. James, who plays in the Western Conference, chose Antetokounmpo for himself at that time. Now that duo cannot be seen in the same team.

– I don’t think that Lauri will be chosen first from the bench. I think we’ll take a few ballyhooed superstars first. However, I believe that Lauri will be elected quite quickly. Yes, these captains surely think that Lauri will not take away my ball touches and that he will at least play for our team. I claim that LeBron and Giannis see Lauri as a useful piece for the match, says Palotie.

Who coaches in the star game?

The teams of LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo are coached by the top teams of the Western and Eastern Conferences. However, there is one exception. If the same coaching team has already been in the star game in the previous year, then the coaching team of the second best team is included.

This year, the head coach of Antetokounmpo’s team is the Boston Celtics With Joe Mazzu and James’ team is piloted by the Denver Nuggets Michael Malone.

How does a star match differ from a normal match?

The all-star game differs from a traditional basketball game in one big way. The last, fourth episode is exceptional. The game ends when either star team reaches the target score.

The target score is 24 points more than the team leading the match after the third period. If the game is, for example, 100–95 after three periods, the first team to reach 124 points wins the match.

So there is no game clock in the last period, so the all-star match is decided by a basket made. The first three quarters are normally played in 12 minutes.

The star match is more fun and entertainment. So why is Markkanen’s choice a significant sporting achievement?

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world. Only 24 of the league’s best players make it to the NBA’s all-star game every year. Markkanen is the first Nordic player in the game.

Over time, 519 players have been invited to the NBA All-Star Game. Of them, Markkanen is only the 22nd European player.

The NBA all-star selection also seals the player’s position in the NBA’s absolute elite. It is also leverage for players in contract negotiations. Most of the time, the players selected for the All-Star game will receive a so-called maximum contract at some point in their career, i.e. 30-40 million US dollars per season.

– Sports can be defined in size categories in different ways, but basketball is considered the second largest sport in the world. Being named in the top 24 is a wild trick. Especially when it’s a sport historically dominated by Americans. Sure, basketball has become more global. Now Markkanen is one of seven non-Americans in the all-star game. In general, there are quite a few countries that have had a player in the NBA All-Star Game. After all, this is a pretty crazy thing for Finns, Palotie sums up.