NEW YORK

Within minutes of the West’s victory at the 2015 NBA all-star game on Sunday night, attention shifted to next year.

Next year, of course, Toronto will host the extravaganza and dozens of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment employees soaked up the atmosphere and many gathered intel all weekend in New York City in order to figure out how to pull off the complicated and enormous event as efficiently and spectacularly as possible.

“Having key MLSE staff in New Orleans last year for the NBA all-star weekend, and New York City this year, has helped us with the many logistical considerations you face when bringing one of the biggest events in sports to a new venue, and in this case, to a different country for the first time,” Dave Hopkinson, MLSE’s chief commercial officer told the Toronto Sun on Monday.

“With the excitement surrounding the Raptors across the country and the surge in development of Canadian players in recent years, (the NBA and MLSE) both agree that the timing is perfect for the all-star festivities to celebrate the game’s international success and Toronto will be a perfect host,” Hopkinson said.

“If the countdown to Toronto celebration on Sunday night was any indication, the 2016 NBA al-star weekend is going to take the event to a whole new level and showcase Toronto and Canada as a basketball market around the world.”

He wasn’t kidding about the celebration. Once all of the pre-planning work was done and the meetings were finished, MLSE threw a rollicking party at a Park Avenue spot, complete with Bruno Mars collaborator Mark Ronson acting as DJ, Raptors president/general manager Masai Ujiri sharing a toast with MLSE co-owner Larry Tanenbaum, who has been waiting years for a chance to host one of the league’s marquee events and even an appearance by Charles Oakley, one of the most popular former players in both Toronto and New York.

Oh yes, there were also Drake-themed giveaways — a machine was on site dispensing shirts embroidered with the global ambassador’s OVO logo and Toronto 2016 decals.

Earlier in the evening at MSG, Kyle Lowry, Toronto’s representative at this year’s game, said knowing the event will shift north to Canada in 2016 is huge motivation to make sure he plays well enough to be named an all-star again next year.

“It’s going to be a show,” Lowry said, adding that his fellow all-stars had not yet asked him about next year.

But does he relish the idea of acting as a host of sorts?

“Yes, I would love to. It could be a great time, could be fun,” he said.

“The city is amazing, the fans are amazing, the culture is amazing. It will be an unbelievable time.

PROMISE KEPT

As a young player in the league, Lowry wanted to see what all-star weekend was all about, so, he checked it out, then decided he would not return as a spectator.

“I went to two of them, my rookie year and my second year and I said I’ll never come back until I was an all-star,” Lowry said.

“I happened to be one this year.”

Lowry, who is in his ninth season, said he spent the other breaks playing golf, hitting a beach somewhere with his family and generally clearing his mind.

“I still (paid) attention to the all-star game, but (wanted to) get away from it.”

BACK TO WORK

Lowry got a rare rest late in a tight game on Sunday — he said he couldn’t remember the last time he played in a contest that went right down to the wire but wasn’t out there in the clutch.

“I don’t know man, but I enjoyed it. We really wanted to win. It was fun. It was one of those situations where I didn’t care. As long as my team won. I had fun,” Lowry said.

The East fell short, but Lowry still had a blast.

What’s next? Lowry intends to “clear my mind, turn everything off,” for a few days, before the Raptors begin the second half in brutal fashion, with four tough road games in five nights, starting with the NBA-leading Atlanta Hawks on Friday, before taking on West leader Golden State on Feb. 27.

The combined record of those five squads is a gaudy 184-82, 157-56 (.737) if you don’t include the New Orleans Pelicans, who sit a game above .500.

Not exactly a warm welcome back.

TRADE DEADLINE NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE

The NBA’s trade deadline arrives on Thursday and if you read the tea leaves, it could be shaping up to be a bit of a dud.

It has become increasingly difficult for teams to make deals. The new collective bargaining agreement brought in shorter contracts and more punitive cap penalties, which combined to put the clamps on two of the key pieces in historic deals — expiring contracts and first-round picks. Suddenly, there weren’t as many toxic contracts on the market because they weren’t allowed to be as long as before — every year fewer bad deals seem to be out there. And with players on rookie contracts under team control for years on the cheap, even late first-round picks are being embraced like never before. Even contenders are loathe to give them up. Not with players like Greivis Vasquez, Hassan Whiteside and Lance Stephenson going 28th or later one year, Kenneth Faried, Nikola Mirotic and Reggie Jackson going No. 22, 23, and 24 the next. Not to mention all-star Jimmy Butler going with the 30th pick and versatile Cory Joseph going a pick before. Chandler Parsons went 38th that year. Draymond Green went 35th overall in 2012. Sure, we are cherry-picking and ignoring the dozens of busts, but generally, teams believe they can find the next Green, or Parsons, or Butler and don’t want to move that shot for a rental.

Some will still do it, but the frenzy days are over.

Things are very quiet right now where the Raptors are concerned, sources say, even though the team has extra picks and six expiring contracts to dangle.

For the most part, the deadline has almost turned into just another day, with significant moves generally coming far earlier.