The NBA is constantly finding new ways to attract the masses as it continues to grow into one of the most successful leagues in the world. But a majority of credit should be given to its athletes, who put their bodies on the line every day just to entertain. As the game evolves daily, players are also required to make several changes to their playing style. Or if you’re Stephen Curry and LeBron James, it mostly involves how well they can condition themselves to be better.
However, there are other ways the league has managed to keep itself relevant. For example, they announced that an In-Season Tournament would take place allowing every team to grasp the opportunity to win big irrespective of their performance through 82 games. This tournament will be conducted during the regular season, and all In-Season games will be counted as part of the final record.
The In-Season Tournament also comes with a set of benefits that include monetary bonuses, thus motivating players to work harder. Similarly, the All-Star Games have also brought in a couple of key changes over the years. The Three-Point Contest recently introduced a deep-range three-point shot. Regular attempts are worth one point and money balls are worth two points.
The All-Star Game had an adjustment made to the points tally. Rather than playing ordinary four 12-minute quarters and determining the winner, the leading team’s total through three-quarters will be used to set the target score. 24 points will be added to set the target and the first team to reach the goal wins. This is popularly known as Eldam’s Ending. But NBA Commissioner Adam Silver revealed that a new change will potentially be implemented this year.
East vs. West to potentially replace NBA All-Star Game Draft format
One significant change that was brought into the All-Star Games took place in 2018. Rather than following the usual voting system and creating teams based on East and West, players with the most votes were chosen as captains. And the captains then get to choose (draft) players into their roster. But now, Adam Silver revealed that the league plans on bringing back the East vs. West format.
“We’re looking at some potential changes in format in Indianapolis this year. Maybe a return to something more traditional in terms of how the teams are presented. We went to sort of this captain and draft notion, but clearly, historically it was East vs. West. So that’s maybe something we are looking at,” he told Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver is considering a return to the East vs. West format for the All-Star game 👀 pic.twitter.com/cmFVbpkrsN
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 18, 2023
East vs. West NBA All-Star Games brought some sort of playoff feeling to it. There were several iconic showdowns back in the day between players that had heated playoff rivalries. Fans also got to witness such ideal matches that would have never taken place during the playoffs. However, the idea of Team USA vs. the World was put off by the commissioner as the league doesn’t have enough foreign players.
