Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks and Eastern Conference All-Stars drives against LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Western Conference All-Stars in the second quarter during the 2024 NBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on February 18, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Stacy Revere/Getty Images/AFP
LAS VEGAS — Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard is the reigning NBA All-Star Game MVP, after scoring 39 points last February in the highest-scoring game the league has ever seen.
East 211, West 186.
Article continues after this advertisementIt rewrote the record book. It did not make the league happy.
FEATURED STORIES SPORTS PBA: Justin Brownlee scores 49, Ginebra whips Terrafirma SPORTS Ronaldo confirms he wants to take reins of Brazilian football SPORTS NBA: Warriors count on Schroder taking pressure off Steph Curry READ: NBA announces new All-Star tournament plan for this seasonSo, the NBA is changing the how the midseason showcase works once again. The league has announced the finalized changes for the reimagined All-Star Game, turning it into a one-night tournament — the Sunday night of All-Star weekend — and following the format that the Rising Stars Challenge for rookies and second-year players has used in recent years.
The NBA’s hope is simply this: By getting players to compete even a little bit more, the product will be more compelling, and more people will watch. Ratings have plummeted in recent years, viewers evidently not loving the constant stream of lobs, 3-pointers, dunks and zero defense.
Article continues after this advertisement“I understand what’s being attempted,” Lillard said. “You want to create some type of competitiveness in that game on Sunday. You want to try to mix it up to try to find a way to make it more entertaining. We’ll see.”
Article continues after this advertisementThe new format largely mirrors the one used for the Rising Stars games since 2022. For Rising Stars, the NBA brings the best rookies and sophomores to All-Star weekend and splits them into four teams. There are two semifinal games — the first team to 50 points was the winner in Year 1, the first team to 40 points has been the winner of the semifinals in 2023 and 2024. And the semifinal winners meet in a championship game that same night, first to 25 points winning.
Article continues after this advertisementThe All-Star format this year will see 24 players being selected — 10 will be designated as starters, 14 as reserves, even though that’s not how it will work on game night. The 24 players will be drafted into three teams of eight, and the Rising Stars winning team will remain to compete as the fourth team in the All-Star tournament. There will be two semifinal games to 40 points, and then a final to 40 points.
READ: NBA considering All-Game changes again“If I get a chance to go, obviously it’s a blessing,” Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I support whatever they do because it’s an honor to be there.”
Article continues after this advertisementImproving the All-Star product has been a priority of Commissioner Adam Silver and the league office for some time. Nobody is expecting a Game 7, playoff-type level of competitiveness. Nobody is hoping to see something akin of Pete Rose running over Ray Fosse at home plate in the 1970 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
What the league wants, yet again, is just a little more competition. The league tried it with a target-score ending for a few years, tried it with captains picking their own teams, and now will try the tournament.
“We’re looking at other formats,” Silver said on Nov. 2, which was his way of announcing that changes were coming without formally announcing that changes were coming. “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.”
heart of vegas slots casinoThis year’s All-Star weekend is Feb. 14-16 in San Francisco. The rookie-sophomore event headlines the Friday night lineup, followed by All-Star Saturday — the dunk contest, the 3-point contest, the skills competition and almost certainly another version of last year’s Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu shootout event between NBA and WNBA stars, those two quite possibly set to be joined this year by Klay Thompson and Caitlin Clark.
READ: NBA All-Star takeaways: Lots of points, lots of winners in IndyAnd then on Sunday, it’s the All-Star Game — or this year, the games. There won’t be 397 points scored this year, for certain.
“I’m definitely more a fan of the originality,” Lillard said Monday, the eve of the NBA Cup final that he and the Bucks are playing in Las Vegas against the Thunder. “I think being able to play on Sunday is a special thing. The top players get to do it. Not everybody has that experience.
Unemployment among young people and college graduates jumped from 13.2% in June to 17.1% in July, as some 12 million students entered the labour market, before the August figure rose to its highest level since the National Bureau of Statistics decided to change the methodology to not include students in December 2023.
Alexander said Britain’s 2016 vote to leave the EU caused “significant disruption” to its trade policy and the country needed to recalibrate its global trade outlook.
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
“One side of me is like, why? Why change it? But I think just like this NBA Cup, there’s some incentive in there for people to get after it earlier in the season and try to get something done,” Lillard added. “So, I think that’s a possible route for that, as well. We’ll see. I know they switched it up a little bit this yearjollibee.bet, and we’ll see how it goes.”
READ NEXT NBA: Warriors count on Schroder taking pressure off Steph Curry NBA announces new All-Star tournament plan for this season EDITORS' PICK LIST: Banned firecrackers this yuletide season Congress won’t override if Marcos vetoes items in 2025 budget – solons Marian Rivera reacts to her viral ‘Unfaithful’ cover: ‘Natatawa ako sa sarili ko’ Lawyer shares heartwarming photos with Veloso’s youngest over the years Signing of 2025 GAA deferred for President's review - Bersamin 1-Pacman’s Save a Heart program brings back joy to the purest of hearts MOST READ LIVE UPDATES: Tropical Depression Querubin Atong Ang confirms relationship with Sunshine Cruz in report Paolo Duterte OK with probe, but says it must not be based on hearsay CSA tells Yasmien Kurdi to 'cooperate' amid 'bullying' involving daughter Follow @FMangosingINQ on Twitter --> View comments