The NBA is trying out a new format for this year's All-Star game. Rather than East vs. West, there will be three teams competing in a mini-tournament, with the aim of making the games more competitive and showcasing elite hoops from the world's best players. There will be two USA teams, the stars and the stripes, along with a "world" team.
Each team in the mini-tournament will play at least two games, with the two teams possessing the best record facing off in a final matchup. However, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green isn't pleased with the changes, as he feels they're a gimmick that could work in the short term but would be quickly dismissed going forward.
"The gimmicks of the All-Star game, to your point, East-West, mano a mano, best in the East, best in the West. It works when the game is good, right?" Green said via "The Draymond Green Show" podcast. "We're doing all these different gimmicks. I think that makes it actually more of a joke in trying to do the gimmicks than just saying it's East-West. How do you get these guys to compete East versus West? Until you can do that, I don't think the gimmicks work. It may work for a year. It looks good in a year. And then you're like, 'Ah, I don't want to see that again because it wasn't a real game.' It wasn't the games that I grew up watching, that you grew up watching, that you've covered your whole life."
Ideally, the All-Star game should be a can't-miss event. However, in recent years, it's the competitive nature has faded and been replaced by circus shots, limited defense and a lackadaisical feel. The NBA is clearly trying to find ways of jolting some competitive spirit back into the game, and while gimmicks may not be the ideal route, you can't fault the league for trying new things.
We will gain a better understanding on whetehr the new format is viable long-term after this weekend, but on first glance, Green certainly made some fair points. It will be interesting to see how the NBA pivots, or tweaks, the current format in the years to come.
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This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Warriors' Draymond Green makes feelings clear over new All-Star format