Adam Silver felt he needed to do one thing. For years, All-Star gamers — guys like Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Devin Booker — have tried more durable to keep away from damage than anything, which has turned the NBA’s All-Star Sport into an unwatchable defense-free exhibition. Final season, the league went retro, returned to East vs. West, and the ultimate rating was 211-186.
So this yr the NBA shook up the Sunday recreation: the 24 All-Star gamers shall be divided into three groups of eight they usually, plus the successful workforce from the rookie/sophomore Rising Stars recreation, will play in a four-team match with video games to 40.
Durant, Davis and Booker all panned the thought. Durant pulled no punches, he hates the brand new format.
I requested Kevin Durant what he thought in regards to the new format for the NBA All-Star Sport: “I hate it. Completely hate it. Horrible….We must always simply return to East-West.” pic.twitter.com/T7owR5aJY7
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) December 17, 2024
“I hate it, I completely hate it. Horrible. All-Star Sport format altering, all of the codecs — horrible for my part. We must always simply return to East-West. Simply play a recreation. I believe we have been making an attempt to convey that flare again in some way with All-Star Weekend, I believe we simply maintain the custom. We’ll see how this one works. You by no means know, I may be incorrect, I am simply one other man with an opinion, however we’ll see the way it works.”
Hey, Kevin, as soon as once more, the league tried the East vs. West factor final yr and the gamers confirmed that they had zero need to make it aggressive. So, the NBA tried to discover a new format that may power some competitors, and whereas I am skeptical it really works it is higher than doing one thing we all know — that we noticed a yr in the past — doesn’t work.
Booker echoed Durant, through Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic.
“It is change, it is totally different,” mentioned Booker, a four-time All-Star, after Wednesday’s apply. “I am extra into the nostalgia. I agree with Kev. I like East versus West with your personal workforce jersey. I just like the outdated jerseys. It is no matter.”
The Lakers’ Anthony Davis, additionally not a fan.
Anthony Davis on the brand new All-Star Sport format: “I don’t actually prefer it. However we’ll see the way it goes this yr and see if they alter it or not.”
— Melissa Rohlin (@melissarohlin) December 18, 2024
The brand new format calls for twenty-four All-Stars — the identical quantity as earlier years, with the ten starters voted in by followers/gamers/media and the opposite 14 chosen by the coaches. These 24 shall be divided into three groups of eight, with one member of the Contained in the NBA Crew (Shaq, Charles Barkley or Kenny Smith) serving because the GMs who draft the groups. These three groups, plus the successful workforce from Friday evening’s Rising Stars recreation, are put right into a four-team knockout match bracket. The groups will play video games to 40, and the winners of the primary two video games will meet in a championship recreation.
The best way they’ve performed this season Durant, Booker and Davis ought to simply all be in San Francisco for the All-Star Sport. We’ll see what they consider the brand new format after taking part in in it.
