A 12 months after arguably the worst All-Star recreation in NBA historical past, the league is ready to make wholesale adjustments to make the annual exhibition affair extra aggressive.
Final week, a report prompt that the All-Star Sport will likely be transformed right into a event format between 4 separate groups of eight gamers every, the final of which can characteristic the winner of the Rising Stars Sport. Now, extra particulars have emerged.
On Thursday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on the principles for the brand new four-team event that will likely be held in San Francisco on Feb. 16, 2025.
- Two semifinals will likely be performed, pitting Crew 1 in opposition to 3 and Crew 2 versus Crew 4. The primary two groups to succeed in 40 factors will advance.
- The finals will likely be performed as much as 25 factors.
- All three video games will likely be held on All-Star Sunday.
- As is custom, the fourth workforce, that includes solely rookies or sophomores, will play the Rising Stars Sport on All-Star Saturday to advance to the tourney.
The Athletic supplied extra particulars, particularly on the teaching entrance.
“With regards to who coaches the 4 groups, quite a few league officers agree the coach of the highest workforce in every respective convention will direct two of the 4 All-Star groups. In response to two workforce officers with direct information of league discussions thus far, staffs from the highest two groups in every convention might be concerned on All-Star Sunday, however different league sources mentioned that choice had not been mentioned with all stakeholders.”
There’s uncertainty over the choice course of for the 16 All-Stars among the many three senior groups, particularly for the reason that NBA will likely be removing the East versus West idea. One would assume the 16 gamers receiving essentially the most votes (through followers, gamers and coaches) will make the rosters and get break up into three squads. As for the rivals for the Rising Stars Sport, the league workplace usually picks the perfect rookies and sophomores and pits them in opposition to one another in two separate groups. That course of is more likely to be retained.
Whereas the event format is a first-of-a-kind initiative, the NBA tried out the pickup-style factors system on the 2020 All-Star Sport when the scores have been reset to 0-0 at first of the fourth quarter. The primary workforce to succeed in 24 factors within the fourth prevailed. Moreover, through the 2022 Rising Stars Problem, 4 eight-man squads performed a semifinal and a closing, with the primary workforce to succeed in 40 and 50 factors, respectively, profitable the video games.
Sure, it is all too difficult. Will it work? Who is aware of? This author feels a easy Crew USA versus Remainder of the World idea would have been a greater resolution to make the sport extra aggressive, particularly within the aftermath of the Paris Olympics. Nonetheless, the NBA deserves credit score for at the very least tweaking the format after final 12 months’s catastrophe.
