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The NBA is contemplating altering the format for the All-Star Sport that will probably be performed in San Francisco later this season, Commissioner Adam Silver mentioned Saturday night time.
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Silver, talking earlier than the Miami-Washington sport in Mexico Metropolis, has wished a extra aggressive All-Star occasion for a while. The Jap Convention beat the Western Convention 211-186 final season, combining for essentially the most factors within the sport’s 73-year historical past and marking the primary time a staff eclipsed 200 factors.
“We’re different codecs,” Silver mentioned with out specifying what could change. “I believe there’s little question that the gamers have been dissatisfied as effectively in final 12 months’s All-Star Sport. All of us wish to do a greater job offering competitors and leisure for our followers.”
Silver added that the league is making the All-Star Sport “not a standard sport format,” however stopped wanting saying what that would imply.
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The league has tinkered with the All-Star formulation a number of occasions lately. Among the many makes an attempt have been scrapping the longstanding East vs. West format for a draft picked by staff captains and going to an untimed fourth quarter with a goal rating to make sure that the sport should finish on a made shot.
Final 12 months’s sport went again to the normal format — 4 full 12-minute quarters, East vs. West. And it was nothing however an offensive showcase, with the groups combining for 168 3-point makes an attempt and almost 400 factors.
“Clearly, it wasn’t excessive depth, in any respect,” Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton mentioned after the sport in Indianapolis, the place 5 gamers scored no less than 30 factors, and Karl-Anthony Cities scored 50 on 35 pictures off the bench.
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Silver mentioned with the sport — scheduled for Feb. 16 — in San Francisco, he’s enlisted Golden State star Stephen Curry to assist determine a solution to make the All-Star Sport extra aggressive this season. Any modifications would nearly actually need to contain the management of the Nationwide Basketball Gamers Affiliation as effectively.
“It’s a house sport for him,” Silver mentioned, including that he’s had “direct conversations” with Curry on the subject. “I do know he’s very prideful and desires to ensure the gamers put their finest foot ahead.”
Curry mentioned final 12 months that gamers had talked “slightly bit” about making the All-Star Sport extra aggressive in some methods. The league has wished that for a while, hoping a greater All-Star contest results in higher tv scores for the sport and extra outdoors curiosity.
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“I believe everybody was dissatisfied in what they noticed final 12 months,” Silver mentioned. “It wasn’t simply the league. It was the gamers as effectively, the gamers affiliation. I believe all of us did what we thought we may, considering notably in Indiana, kind of the heartland of basketball, we might see a extra aggressive sport.”
Silver additionally identified that no one expects the All-Star Sport to have playoff-type depth. He mentioned league executives Byron Spruell, Joe Dumars and Evan Wasch have shaped a committee to speak to staff representatives and the gamers affiliation to try to discover a resolution.
“We wish to do one thing that can excite the followers and in addition excite the gamers, so it’s one thing they’ll be smitten by taking part in in,” Silver mentioned.
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Growth replace
Silver mentioned the league isn’t prepared but to formally go ahead with any enlargement discuss.
He has mentioned that after the brand new collective bargaining settlement (carried out final 12 months) and new media rights offers (carried out this 12 months) have been wrapped up, enlargement can be the following large mission to sort out. That’s nonetheless the case, however nothing is imminent.
“We’re persevering with to mannequin, to grasp the economics of what it could imply to have extra groups,” Silver mentioned. “As I’ve identified many occasions, it’s in essence promoting fairness within the league.”
Las Vegas and Seattle have lengthy been talked about as prospects, and Mexico Metropolis would probably be a severe candidate for the NBA to contemplate sooner or later. There will probably be different cities with curiosity when the time comes, and Silver mentioned he can envision — if it occurs — the league including two franchises on this spherical of enlargement to push the league to 32 golf equipment.
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“Nothing’s been set, and we haven’t even decided whether or not to develop but,” Silver mentioned. “My sense is that if we expanded, we’d do a fair quantity, as a result of then we’d need to do some changes within the conferences. However I believe it is sensible to have two conferences of 16 groups if we have been to do it. There have been occasions prior to now within the NBA after we had an odd quantity, so it’s potential. However I believe we almost certainly, if we have been to develop, would look to develop to 2 cities.”
Steph vs. Sabrina once more?
Silver mentioned followers can count on one other Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu-type occasion at this season’s All-Star Sport. That’s not a shock; Curry and Ionescu each mentioned they wished to do it once more after their debut matchup final season, and discuss immediately centered on including extra shooters — with Caitlin Clark talked about as a risk.
“While you take a look at the curiosity when it comes to viewership final 12 months, one of many highlights was that Sabrina-Steph shoot out,” Silver mentioned. “So, we do wish to do extra of that.”
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