The NBA made a huge announcement on Tuesday by spicing up the 2018 All-Star Game with the removal of conferences.
You heard it right: the 2018 NBA All-Star Game won’t be East against West. The highest vote-getter from each conference will earn the title of captain, and they’ll pick their team like they’re back on the playground.
What hasn’t changed are the number of players and how the fans, media and players have their votes weighted. Each conference will have 12 guys playing, and the voting breakdown remains 50 percent (fan), 25 percent (media) and 25 percent (player). Additionally, the coaches will select seven reserves for their respective teams.
This new system is a breeding ground for pettiness, and I love it. We could see the East captain select Russell Westbrook just to have him go at Kevin Durant; you can say the same about Kyrie Irving going to the West to go against LeBron James.
In recent years, the All-Star Game has lost its appeal to a lot of fans. It’s annoying to some degree. The highlights are nice, but just how many times can you watch players trade dunks? Furthermore, the guys competing weren’t even competing. I know it’s an exhibition game, but the intensity usually increased as the quarters went on. It didn’t seem that way last year.
The league’s changes now present an incentive to play by making it more immersive for the players. Chris Paul, the president of the player’s union, raved about the change.
“I’m thrilled with what the players and the leagues have done to improve the All-Star Game, which has been a priority for all of us,” said Paul. “We’re looking forward to putting on an entertaining show in L.A.”
The second change, and arguably the most-notable, is the inclusion of a national or Los Angeles-based charity where each team can direct donations from the game.
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