Fans, both famous and otherwise, had obscured seats at the NBA All-Star Game

The NBA handles the seating for the All-Star Game. The NBA controls the entertainment lineup for both the halftime and commercial break events that often include massive sets being wheeled out onto a court that was just minutes removed from hosting millionaire athletes making pinpoint moves. The NBA, to the consternation of many very good owners – like Dallas’ Mark Cuban – also moves season ticket holders from their regular season seats in anticipation of an NBA-led event.

Usually, we don’t like the NBA doing that. When the league decides to oust Knicks owner James Dolan from his usual baseline spot, however, you can’t help but giggle a bit. From Marc Berman at the New York Post:

“Knicks owner James Dolan had to move from his regular seat for Sunday night’s All-Star Game in his building […] “

Sweet, remember Dolan lambasting a longtime Knicks fan in an email from earlier in February? Guessing that the fan had never done anything positive with is life, or for his family, and presuming that he had an addiction to alcohol?

And then not apologizing for it? Remember that? Maybe the NBA, after initially supporting Dolan, finally gave him his come-uppance!

Nah. These guys always turn out just fine in the end:

“According to an NBA source, when Dolan heard he was being displaced, the seating change was a concern. But the issue was rectified as the owner still sat on the opposite baseline. NBA officials — not Garden brass — are in charge of seating for the All-Star Game.

A Garden spokesman said Dolan didn’t care about the move, it was never an issue and he was happier being closer to the Eastern Conference bench and Carmelo Anthony.”

Dangit.

Worse, because of the sightlines in the 47-year old arena, some fans at Madison Square Garden may have missed not only the entertainment during the All-Star Game timeouts, but the halftime show itself:

“1,000 or so fans in Sections 111-115 who had obstructed or no view of the entertainment stage.

During the pregame and halftime shows and pregame introductions, large video boards were raised behind the stage. Fans behind the basket could only see the back of the video boards and not the stage or court.

The obstruction also occurred for a handful of performances during timeouts. Some fans interviewed said they had no idea they would not be able to see the entertainment stage. NBA officials did not immediately have a comment about the obstructed seats.”

This isn’t an outright crime, nothing to get haughty about, but you can understand the possible frustration for those that spent thousands of dollars on seats in order to watch we have no idea we flipped over to the ‘Saturday Night Live’ anniversary show Nicki Manaj and Ariana Grande halftime show alongside what was genuinely a fantastic NBA showcase.

This is what the NBA bought into when it decided to celebrate both Madison Square Garden’s recent makeover and the addition of a killer facility in Brooklyn when it sent the All-Star weekend New York’s way. Brooklyn’s Barclays Center would have been better off hosting the Sunday night event because of its modern setup, but the league understandably went with the sainted MSG home court to host the affair.

We’re a long way from someone like Frank Sinatra doing his best Madison Square Garden work in the round, or George Harrison and friends playing great songs to poor acoustics. These televised affairs need a bit more spectacle – and video screens.

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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops