INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — If you still didn’t like the NBA’s newest All-Star Game format, you probably just don’t like All-Star games.
That seemed to be the sports sphere’s consensus after the U.S.-against-the-world, round-robin tournament Sunday produced three thrilling mini-games and several impressive individual performances. Something about the setup compelled these stars to play their exhibition at a level much closer to real competition than usual.
“I think every team honestly wanted to win,” said Phoenix’s Devin Booker, a member of the victorious Stars team.
That’s no small statement about an event that had become sports shorthand for pointless midseason pseudo-competition — a charade that wasted fans’ time and produced unwatchable TV while players simply tried to get it over with.
That’s precisely why the NBA implemented its fourth format in four years, creating a World team and two teams of Americans to play 12-minute games.