I absolutely love basketball and have always looked forward to the All-Star break. This year, the National Basketball Association decided to switch things up and change the format completely. Instead of the traditional East vs. West, this year team captains were selected and they held a draft from the top voters.
In the beginning I was very apprehensive about the idea but after watching the game yesterday, the NBA may be on to something. For the first time in a while, we actually saw a very competitive and well played game. Opposed to last year, there was not a whole lot of ridiculously antics like half-court shots and off-the-backboard dunks. We saw a good amount of friendly competition between the top players of the game.
What I loved most about this format is that is miraculously mended many broken relationships. KD and Russ were seen laughing it up. Kyrie and LeBron shared kikis on the bench. It seemed like pure wholesome fun!
I agree with the likes of Chris Webber and Reggie Miller, who suggested the teams be drafted during the weekend. This would simulate a true pickup game and will keep everyone on their toes, players and fans included.
Is this the best format? I don’t really know. We can’t have the same team captains every year. If the NBA can control for that then I think we, as the fans, can make sure we get a quality exhibition game.
On another note, All-Star NEVER needs to be in Los Angeles again. There were way too many out of towners and pure chaos everywhere. Traffic was terrible as if it is not already bad. It’s good that All-Star is in Charlotte next year. That will be a different pace for sure.
