SAN FRANCISCO — Shaq’s OGs won the 74th annual NBA All-Star competition Sunday night, reaching the target score of 40 faster than Chuck’s Global Stars.
Did any of that make sense to you?
As the NBA concluded its All-Star weekend in San Francisco on Sunday, featuring a brand-new game format consisting of four teams (three made up of the 24 All-Stars, one made up of rising stars) playing a mini-tournament of games to 40 points, the consensus conclusion among participants and observers is that the league is still searching for an answer to revive its midseason showcase.
“A little weird,” Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden said of the newest iteration.
“If I’m telling the truth, no,” Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards — who didn’t play because of a groin injury — said when he was asked whether he liked the tournament-style format.
“This ain’t basketball,” Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said on the broadcast of the game, rating the new competition zero on a scale of 1 to 10.
Sunday’s tournament was the league’s latest attempt to inject life into its middling All-Star Game, which has undergone several tweaks over the last few years. The NBA, which seems to be at its wit’s end, has tried several gimmicks to make the game more competitive, from having player captains pick their own teams to eschewing a timed fourth quarter in favor of a target score.
The mini-tournament Sunday did have some moments of inspired basketball, but the basketball itself seemed to take a back seat to a variety show of sorts.
There were several long breaks in action between the games and sometimes even during the games. The breaks included, but were not limited to, a concert by Bay Area legends, a shooting contest featuring a popular YouTuber and a tribute to TNT in honor of its final All-Star broadcast.
The TNT tribute, which happened during the final game of the night, lasted longer than the final game itself.
“I would say it’s not ideal to stop like that if you want guys to play, be physical and play harder,” Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown said afterward.
The NBA’s constant tweaking of the game is more than understandable, as everyone from players to fans to media has acknowledged in recent years the game has lost most, if not all, of its competitive edge. The extended breaks Sunday were self-inflicted wounds, however, as multiple players said afterward that it was difficult to stay loose for the actual basketball with all the stoppages — at one point, Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving began running line drills by himself to warm up during the TNT tribute.
The league was also dealt a blow by who decided not to play.
In addition to Edwards, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James was a late scratch. James did not arrive to the All-Star festivities until Sunday, and he said at a pregame news conference he would not play because of ankle soreness.
Meanwhile, even before the games started, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, also out because of injury, threw cold water on the new format, saying a game featuring American All-Stars against the world would be “more exciting.”
If the NBA heeds the advice of those on hand Sunday, it seems there is a formula most could agree on — an East vs. West or USA vs. the World game, with fewer breaks and more of an emphasis on basketball.
A positive for the league? At least one marquee player felt there was a little more energy whenever the players actually got to play.
“I think we’re starting to see All-Star weekend competitive nature in the game starting to creep back in,” Phoenix Suns forward and 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant said. “I think it was solid tonight. It was way better than it was before.”
