Those were the NBA All-Star days, my friends ... we thought they’d never end.

When we were kids, this was one of the highlights of the NBA season. We had a chance to see players we hadn’t seen, and watch players battle for the divisional title. The players were also motivated by bonus money for the winning team.

There seemed to be a sense of nobility among the players, and we felt privileged to be able to watch the game. I remember watching the games on Channels 6 and 10.

It was the days of the stellar showdowns that featured Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Bob Pettit, Jack Twyman, Rick Barry, John Havlicek, Lew Alcindor (later Kareem, of course), Jerry West, Earl Monroe, Lou Hudson and Walt Frazier to name a few.

Unfortunately, those days did end.

The days of the classic NBA All-Star game of a truly competitive East vs. West format ended with the start of the 2000 season. Since then, it has been a glorified pick-up game where defense is a premium.

It was another NBA All-Star Game debacle in San Francisco Saturday and Sunday with a new mini-tournament format of four teams in three games. If you actually watched it, please email me. I don’t know how anyone could have watched the game in the last 20 or more years.

In this week’s version of my Yesterday column — reminiscing about sports and pop culture from the 1960s, 70s, 80s and sometimes before and beyond — I’ll take a look back at some All-Star game facts and highlights.

By the way, the song “Those Were the Days,” was a 1968 hit sung by Mark Hopkin. The song reached No.2 on the Billboard chart, and Hopkin gained a spot on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

How It Began ... The first All-Star game was played March 2, 1951 at the Boston Garden with the East registering a 111-94 victory. Does anyone remember the first MVP? If you’re a Celtics fan, you might.

It was Ed Macauley, who scored a game-high 20 points. Minneapolis’ George Mikan, sometimes called “Mikan, the Magnificent” because of his hulking 6-10 stature as one of the league’ first dominant big men, scored 12 points and 11 rebounds. Alex Groza of the Indianapolis Jets — yes, that’s right — had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the West.

League officials decided to try an all-star game modeled after baseball’s classic to try and hype further interest in the budding league.

All-Stars Ringing the Bell ... Philly has played hosts to four All-Star games, but the one scheduled for 1999 was canceled due to the league lockout.

In the inaugural one in 1960, rookie phenom Wilt Chamberlain of the hometown Warriors scored 23 points and grabbed 25 rebounds to lead the East to a 125-115 victory at the city’s Convention Hall.

Ten years later at the Spectrum, the Knicks’ Willis Reed was the MVP, scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in a 142-135 victory. Cincinnati’s Robertson, who often put on a showcase for these games with a triple-double before they were recognized, also had 21 points.

Anyone recall Elvin Hayes playing for the San Diego Rockets in the game? They would soon be the Houston Rockets.

Philly’s Billy Cunningham had 19 points and Hal Greer added 15 for the hometown crowd.

Six years later, the Bicentennial brought its all-star games to the City of Brotherly Love.

Detroit’s Dave Bing was the league’s MVP with his 16-point performance in the East’s 123-109 victory, even though Boston’s Dave Cowens had 16 points and 16 rebounds and Buffalo’s Bob McAdoo tallied 22 points. I remember watching Bing on TV from his playing days at the Cobo Arena with Bob Lainer and Curtis Rowe.

Doug Collins scored 12 points and George McGinnis had 10 as Sixers’ reps. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the West with 22.

This was one of the old games, especially at the Spectrum, that I remember.

In 2002, the First Union Center hosted its first game, and hometown favorite Kobe Bryant of the Lakers had a game-high 31 points in the West’s 135-120 victory. Sixers wise, Dikembe Mutombo had eight points and 10 rebounds, and Allen Iverson had an off-night with five points.

It was the last All-Star game played in Philly.

The Voices ... Beginning in the late 60s, there were only a handful of play-by-play announcers who called those vintage games.

Chris Schnenkel, Brent Musberger and Dick Stockton were the familiar voices describing the action from 1968-1990. Pat Summerall and Gary Bonder both had cameo appearances during the period.

Cunningham, Russell, Twyman, Havlicek, Barry, Tommy Heinsohn and “Hot Rod” Huntley often were the commentators. How about ex-ref legend Mendy Rudolph, who made a solo appearance.

Pat O’Brien began to gain fame as a sideline reporter, and Lesley Visser saw plenty of time.

In the 1990s, NBC took over, and Bob Costas and Dick Enberg handled the main duties with ex-Sixer player and coach Matt Guokas, Mike Fratello and Bill Walton being the main sidekicks.

Mr. Clutch ... One game that I distinctly remember watching — maybe you do,too — was the 1972 classic and arguably one of the top 10 games in its history.

West, who gained the nickname “Mr. Clutch” for his timely play, drilled a 20-footer at the buzzer for a Western Conference 112-110 victory.

People will remember the shot, but West posted 13 points, six rebounds, and five assists on the night. Like I previously mentioned, this was one of the games that kept us mesmerized for its competitive play.

The first “Dream Team” ... Unknown to many, there was an NBA all-star team that played a 21-game eastern European/African tour in 1964.

A year earlier, Team USA finished fourth at the 1963 World Cup, and government officials sought to bring some respectability back by composing a “Dream Team” of eight players under the guidance of Celtics’ mastermind Red Auerbach. The games would be played after the season.

The team consisted of Robertson, Russell, Pettit, Tommy Heinsohn, KC Jones, Jerry Lucas, Tom Gola and the recently retired Bob Cousy. They left New York on May 2, just after the NBA finals, and returned on June 8. They played in Poland, Romania, Egypt and Yugoslavia, and they were successful.

However, the USSR rejected the offer to host the All-Stars.

A Magical Return ... In November 1991, Magic Johnson shocked the basketball world when he announced that he had contracted AIDS and announced his retirement from the game.

However, Johnson received the most votes from the fans, and returned to play in the game. He scored 25 points and claimed MVP honors. It was one of the game’s more emotional moments.

But he received backlash about playing even though he was cleared to play and retired after the game. He did play in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics before he came back in 1996 for 32 games.

Hawking the Backboard ... Quick Quiz - Who holds the All-Star record for most rebounds in a game? Well, many of you will be quick to answer Chamberlain, and he has the third highest total with his 25 in 1960.

But it is Pettit, who set a mark of 27 in 1962 as a St. Louis Hawk. “The Bombardier from Baton Rouge” also had 26 in 1958 and 24 in 1956.

Another Classic Game ... In the 1960s, Maxeo-Matic released the “Mr. Basketball” game.

It featured a cartoon illustration of a basketball player wearing a red jersey with a white letter B on the front, red shorts, and white shoes. The game features a red basketball hoop, a red basketball, and a crowd background.

There was a release on the player’s back that released a shot toward the basket.

It was a simple game that could keep you amused for some time back in the day.

Your thoughts are always welcomed; email them to tnsports@tnonline.com.