james_lebron1280
Yesterday at 12:58 PM
More details are emerging as the NBA looks to change the All-Star Game to a four-team, tournament-style format.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday there will be two semifinal games with a “quick-burst competition, pickup ball-esque” scoring system where the first to 40 points advance. The final will be decided after 25 points.
Charania reported earlier this month the NBA was in “serious discussions” on a four-team tournament format for its All-Star Game.
The changes would take effect starting with this season’s All-Star weekend in San Francisco, set for Feb. 14-16.
The idea centres around the 24 All-Star selections being split into three teams of eight players, with the fourth team likely to be the winner of the Rising Stars competition that will be held earlier that weekend.
Commissioner Adam Silver said the league wants to change the format of the All-Star Game, with hopes that it can become more competitive. The East beat the West 211-186 last season, combining for the most points in the game's 73-year history and marking the first time a team eclipsed 200 points.
"We're looking at other formats," Silver said on Nov. 2, without specifying what may change. "I think there's no doubt that the players were disappointed as well in last year's All-Star Game. We all want to do a better job providing competition and entertainment for our fans."
The league has tinkered with the All-Star formula several times in recent years. Among the attempts were scrapping the longstanding East-vs.-West format for a draft picked by team captains and going to an untimed fourth quarter with a target score to ensure that the game must end on a made shot.
Last year's game went back to the traditional format — four full 12-minute quarters, East vs. West. And it was nothing but an offensive showcase, with the teams combining for 168 3-point attempts.
So, this year, the NBA is on the brink of trying something new — at least for the All-Stars. The rookie-sophomore game was scrapped a few years ago for the Rising Stars tournament, where the top first- and second-year players are split into four teams. Two teams play, then the other two teams play, and the winners meet to decide the Rising Stars champion. It’s shorter bursts of basketball, and that may appeal to the All-Star players more than the 48-minute game.
Silver enlisted Golden State star Stephen Curry, among other players, to help figure out a way to make the All-Star Game more competitive this season. Members of the National Basketball Players Association leadership group have been involved in the talks surrounding the current All-Star changes, the people said.
There were elements added to last year’s All-Star weekend that worked, such as the Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu 3-point contest that the league wants to bring back this season — likely with Caitlin Clark and perhaps Klay Thompson involved to make it a 2-on-2 format.
"When you look at the interest in terms of viewership last year, one of the highlights was that Sabrina-Steph shootout," Silver said earlier this month. "So, we do want to do more of that."
— With files from The Associated Press.
