The NBA All Star Game has changed format to the style that is now used for the Pro Bowl in the NFL. Two captains will pick their squads of 12 total people, and they will play without the east and west uniforms. That means that Stephen Curry and LeBron James will be picking the teams. Teammates might play against one another, but the game is not going to be more competitive. We are simply going to to see a lot more fun and just as much scoring. The NBA thought that it was fixing a problem, but it is actually causing itself more problems overall.
They will have fun
The game will start to feel more like a playground pickup game that the guys all showed up for in an arena. Guys who are playing on the playground will play hard defense, but guys in the NBA know their overall value. They simply cannot play hard defense in a game that has absolutely no meaning. We forget that guys in the NBA like scoring for the most part, and they will enjoy putting up 150 points per team.
We should enjoy it
I do not know about you, but I want to see a team put up 200 points in an All Star Game. It would be funny to see one of the teams break that magic number, and it would be a nice story to talk about. We all lament the lack of defensive play in the NBA, but you cannot really expect defense in a game that is geared towards offense.
Look at the NFL and the way they have changed their rules to favor offenses. People are loving how much scoring is going on. The same is true in the NBA, and we should not fault these guys or change their All Star Game.
We might see fun friendships on the court
Friendships form across the NBA where players get to know each other regardless of rivalries, and it would be fun to see guys play together where they might not at any other time.
It would be nice to see Russell Westbrook play with LeBron James, and it would be fun to watch what happens if Lonzo Ball is dishing the ball to someone like Kevin Durant. We might see much more intermixing of players in the league that could create super teams in the future.
Do everything on the same night
If the NBA wants to change the format of the All Star Game, they need to make sure that they have the three point contest and slam dunk contest on the same night.
Guys who are picking the teams and playing in the big game need to be able to showcase all their talents all at the same time. It would be a tour de force of basketball, and it would not drag on like it does right now. We simply get tired of the event going on for a couple days when it would be more fun happening in just one night.
