NBA commissioner Adam Silver wants the All-Star Game’s focus to return to the actual game.
(AP) – The NBA All-Star Game may soon return to an East-West-West format.
Commissioner Adam Silver said in a televised interview on ESPN on Tuesday that changes are coming to the All-Star Game — and while stopping short of saying any decision is finalized, he pointed to the current format of top vote-getters serving as captains and draft picks. Their own teams may be dropped.
„Maybe back to something more traditional in terms of how the teams are presented” Friday said In an interview on ESPN’s „First Take” program. „We sorted out this captain-draft concept, but clearly, historically, it’s East vs. West, so we’ll see.”
This season’s All-Star Game takes place on Feb. 18 in Indianapolis. The league is yet to announce any format changes. All of the first 66 All-Star games featured an East-West format. The Final Six saw the leading vote-getters from each conference serve as captains for their teams to draft; LeBron James served as one of the captains six times, Giannis Antetokounmpo three times, Kevin Durant twice and Stephen Curry once.
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The last four All-Star Games have used goal scoring at the end of games, ensuring the matchup ends in a matted shot. Fourth quarters are not timed; The winner is the first team to reach whatever lead after three quarters, and 24 points — 24 is a nod to Kobe Bryant’s last jersey number.
The first year of the Target Score format saw a fourth quarter that was incredibly dramatic. Last season’s playoff, however, was almost entirely non-competitive and disastrous in terms of television ratings — as some big names like James, Antetokounmpo, Durant and Curry missed most or all of the All-Star Game due to injury. .
„I mean, it’s fun to go out there and do some dunks and stuff,” Utah’s Larry Markkanen said after last season’s All-Star Game. „But we’re all competitors. I think everyone enjoys it if we play against each other and it’s competitive.
League officials said last week that they are stressing to players the importance of improving the quality of the All-Star Game. It’s been a talking point for years, as has the Slam Dunk Contest — and it got a serious shot last season. Mac McClung put on a show for the ages.
„When you run an NBA All-Star Game, I think people expect some competition,” said Joe Dumars, the league’s executive vice president and president of basketball operations. “There’s a happy medium somewhere between a tough playoff game and what you saw last year. … When you have the reactions and vision that fans and people have had around the game, that’s important because it doesn’t make the product look good.”
It’s unclear when the league will finalize the All-Star Game changes.
„We lost sight, it’s all about the game at the end of the day,” Silver said.