The new NBA All-Star format has received better reviews than last year's event, which drew criticism over the lack of competitive edge. This time, NBA All-Star was transformed into a mini tournament (two semi-finals and a final), with four teams and 40-point matches.
Each of the four teams was coached by an NBA legend: Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Candace Parker. The final was played between Shaq's OG against Chuck's Global Stars, 41-25, with Stephen Curry being named MVP, at the Chase Center in San Francisco, where he plays with Golden State Warriors.
The new format with shorter games meant that the lack of emotion of last year (which ended 211-186): there were fouls, blocks and free throws, and a desire to win the mini tournament. "The intensity was definitely different than last year, a step in the right direction", Curry said.
Damian Lillard from Milwaukee Bucks, also on Shaq's team, said that "The number one thing is to provide the entertainment and competitiveness on the floor, and I thought it was a little bit more of that."
However, not all of those thought it was perfect. Trae Young from Atlanta Hawks felt that there were too many breaks. "It was too long of a break. Guys were over there ready to play. I thought it was very competitive in the beginning, but too many breaks". If he felt that way, those watching at home felt must have been infuriated: a three-hour event with four 10-15 minutes matches... and endless commercial breaks.
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