he ‘all starThe NBA’s iconic All-Star Game is ceasing to be an unspeakable party: After years of threatening to do so, the premier professional basketball league has finally decided to cancel the game. … Compare the best players in the United States to the best players in the rest of the world.
The NBA announced this Tuesday night, and in Spain early Wednesday morning, that a new “All-Star” will debut at the next tournament on Sunday. February 15th Next year.
It’s a rather complicated format. Three teams will participate, two teams will be made up of NBA stars and three teams will be made up of stars from other worlds, in an “all vs. all” system. There will be three 12-minute mini-matches in which each team plays against two other rivals. The team with the most wins will play a fourth 12-minute mini-match to determine the winner. In the event of a tie in an “all vs. all” situation, the point difference will be counted, allowing you to avoid unimportant plays. Each team has 8 players.
Players born outside the United States make up 25% of the NBA, and there are enough quality players to form a full team of 12 players. But perhaps the NBA didn’t want to leave out too many local stars. Trying to please both American players and fans.
in fact, The rest of the world team scares everyone. A possible quintet would be the team formed by Serbian Nikola Jokic, the three-time league MVP and 2023 champion. Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo is a two-time MVP and 2021 champion, while Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is MVP and last year’s champion. Slovenian Luka Doncic, 2019 Rookie of the Year and one of the most powerful players in the sport. Or Victor Wembaneyama, last year’s best rookie, a Frenchman who aims to become the league’s “capo” with his unknown talent and physique. But there are other great players as well, including Turkey’s Alperen Acher, Canada’s Jamal Murray, and Germany’s Franz Wagner.
Player selection will be the same as in previous years, with fans selecting the first 10 star players and the remaining 14 being selected by coaches. If there are not enough Americans or players from other countries to complete a team, league commissioner Adam Silver will select players to fill the team.
The “USA” format “playing against the rest of the world” was something that many fans dreamed of, especially with the growing weight of leagues beyond the borders of the United States. None of the past seven NBA MVPs were born in the United States. (Including Joel Embiid, who was born in Cameroon and represents the United States internationally).
This change came after countless attempts by the NBA to make “All-Star” more appealing. The All-Star has gone from being an anticipated event on the sports calendar to just an event. an unbearable sight. The lack of competitive tension and lack of defense turned the game into a three-point drill and a dunk contest. The final few minutes saw some barely-there intense play, but that didn’t improve the product much either.
In recent years, the NBA has tried a number of strategies to regain its shine. They did away with the traditional format of players from the Eastern Conference and players from the Western Conference, then reinstated it, abolished the fourth-quarter timer, imposed a point-to-point system, or last year created a four-team formation that included one of their emerging stars.
Many people were shouting for “America.” Showdown. But it wasn’t until the middle of this decade that the NBA dared to do so, in a little-noticed “rookies” game.
At last year’s “All-Star,” several international stars made the case for how superior the format the NBA finally approved was. “I would love to do that,” he said. Antetokounmpo“It would be the most interesting and exciting format.” He thought the same thing. Wembayamma: “There will be more intent, more pride, and more at stake.”
Perhaps the NBA decided to take this step after seeing what happened last year with another professional league, NHL Ice Hockey’s “All-Stars.” After years of pain and no glory, they created a square format between four countries with great traditions in the sport: Finland, Sweden, America and Canada. Amid a trade war waged by President Donald Trump against its neighbor to the north, the final game between the United States and Canada turned into a national affair, with even more contention than usual, from disputes over the national anthem to disputes between players and historic attendance records.
It remains to be seen whether the NBA’s “All-Stars” will live up to expectations and bring back the night of basketball that excited fans. Additionally, as a consideration for European fans, the schedule will be more friendly, with games taking place in Los Angeles at 2 p.m. and in Madrid at 11 p.m.
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