Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe reports:
As television ratings show, those in the NBA community love the Lakers and Celtics. They love the rivalry. They love the East Coast-West Coast matchup. They love the contrast in cities.
But the NBA appears to embrace Los Angeles more than Boston in one very beneficial way. The league awarded Los Angeles the 2011 All-Star Game, the second time in eight years it has hosted the game. Meanwhile, Boston has not hosted an NBA All-Star Game since 1964, despite having one of the league’s newer arenas and a team re-emerging as one of the elite.
And it’s not for lack of trying. According to Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck, the city has submitted applications several times, only to be denied.
In past years, commissioner David Stern has rewarded cities that have new arenas with All-Star Games. Orlando is set to open its new venue next season, and Stern quickly handed Central Florida the 2012 All-Star Game, its second in 20 years. Atlanta, Houston, Denver, Philadelphia, Washington, and Oakland were presented with All-Star Games after constructing new arenas.
