INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NBA does not want to have an All-Star Game like last season again. A poor defensive performance, almost no attention in the game and a terrible television audience.
The league had to send a message: the All-Star Game must get better.
Whether his measures will work remains to be seen, but basketball players will try this Sunday when the NBA’s midseason exhibition game returns to Indianapolis for the first time in nearly four decades. The old 48-minute non-draft game format will be used in the game between the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.
Nobody expects an intensity similar to that of the seventh game of a playoff series, risking injuries. Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Phoenix’s Kevin Durant, the Lakers’ LeBron James and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo either missed the previous game entirely or played very briefly due to injuries, further hurting viewership levels.
A little more competitiveness could reverse this.
“We’ve talked about it a little bit,” said Curry, now a 10-time All-Star. “You have to come with the right energy and the speed of the game that everyone knows.”
The final result of last year’s game, where James and Antetokounmpo were the captains, was: Team Giannis 184, Team LeBron 175.
For this year it is expected that it will not be difficult to score either.
“I want it to be more competitive. I think it can be more competitive,” said Milwaukee’s Doc Rivers, the East coach. “But potential injuries are always a problem.”
It’s been a topic commissioner Adam Silver has talked about, as has Joe Dumars, the league’s executive vice president and head of basketball operations, even since the preseason.
“Any time you go out on the court as an NBA player and as part of a fan product, I think there’s an obligation to put on the best show possible,” Dumars said. “We have the best players in the world and we know that people want to see them compete.”
Lakers star and all-time NBA scoring leader LeBron will play for the 20th time and become the fourth player to be in an All-Star Game at age 39 or older, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Jordan. Durant has been selected 14 times and is set to play in his 11th All-Star Game.
Toronto’s Scottie Barnes, Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey, New York’s Jalen Brunson and Orlando’s Paolo Banchero will play in the game for the first time.
The starters for the West will be James, Durant, Luka Doncic of Dallas, Nikola Jokic of Denver and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City.
“Just being around the big guys,” Durant said, when asked what his favorite part is. “Even if it’s a couple of minutes, you can absorb some kind of knowledge from these guys. It gives you a lot of energy to see other greats, other Hall of Famers. So being in that environment with them is probably the best part.”
2024-02-18 00:37:36
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