NBA announces further changes to All-Star Game format

The Cleveland Cavaliers will have at least one representative in the NBA All-Star Game in Donovan Mitchell. However, they could have as many as three along with head coach Kenny Atkinson if the Cavs remain atop the conference. These representatives will be playing in a different format for the third time in as many years.

The way the All-Stars are selected remains the same. There will be 24 representatives in attendance, 12 of whom will be from each conference. Starters are selected by a combination of fans, NBA players and media votes. Reserves are selected by NBA head coaches.

The game format will be different.

Four teams play in a mini-tournament. The All-Stars will be divided into three teams of eight selected by Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith. The fourth team will be the winner of the Rising Stars game.

Teams play three combined games with a target score of 40 each. The winners of the first two games play in a final game to determine the winner.

The winning team will receive a prize of $1.8 million. Each player on the second-place team will receive $50,000. The third and fourth place teams will receive $25,000 per player.

The All-Star Game was bad for nearly a decade. However, the last two seasons led to new lows. Effort was a problem with these games, but the problems also arise from the development of the game. A hyped-up version of spaced out three-point basketball is simply not nearly as exciting as an exaggerated version of how the game was played in the ’90s or early 2000s.

This new format will be similar to recent Rising Stars games and, to some extent, the NHL All-Star game. Both are probably better than before the changes, but they’re certainly not must-see TV events.

We’ll see if these changes actually make a difference in the overall game. I’m skeptical that anything meaningful will look different this time, but we’ll see. At least it can’t be worse.

The All-Star Game will take place on February 8th in San Francisco.