Adam Silver sees path to more competitive NBA All-Star Game،
SAN FRANCISCO — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Monday he will “take responsibility” for the apparent lack of intensity at the recent NBA All-Star Games – a realization he came to after be interviewed by 13-time All-Star Chris Paul.
Silver, speaking to ESPN’s Andscape, said Paul recently pointed out to him all the pregame and halftime distractions at the All-Star Game that were interfering with the players’ normal routines.
As Paul said, according to Silver: “You tell us how important the All-Star Game is, but then you change all of our pregame protocols so that we’re not following our usual routines like we would before a match because you have “These elaborate introductions. No complaints about introductions. We understand why you’re doing it, but you expect us to then be in the mindset that we’re playing a typical basketball game. “
Silver said Paul also cited the extended half, which lasts several minutes longer than usual to account for the entertainment of the game.
“That’s why I say I will take responsibility,” Silver told Andscape. “We’re sending mixed signals. And if we want the guys to treat this like a real match, and again, it’s not about finals intensity, it’s just a fun match. But if we want players to treat it that way, we need to ” “
The 2024 NBA All-Star Game will take place on February 18 at the Indiana Pacers’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Silver said there will be less fanfare during pregame and halftime presentations to give players a more normal game experience in hopes of a better effort.
During the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo pre-selected the teams in Salt Lake City. After a long process, some players had to change locker rooms to join the captain who had selected them.
Last month, it was announced that the 2024 edition would return to its traditional Eastern Conference versus Western Conference format. The top vote-getters from both conferences will no longer serve as captains and draft players, a selection process that has taken place in the last six NBA All-Star Games.
Although Silver acknowledges that returning to the old format won’t guarantee more intensity, he is optimistic about a better All-Star Game. Silver added that NBA Executive Vice President and Chief Basketball Operations Officer Joe Dumars, a six-time NBA All-Star, will also play an important role in impressing upon the All-Stars the importance of doing some efforts.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean they’re playing defense,” Silver said. “Maybe it does at the end of the fourth quarter. That means guys go out and say, ‘It’s a game. Let’s go try to win it.’ And again, I think we need to get that message across to the players.
“I anticipate we’ll still have halftime entertainment. But it won’t be as long. I recognize it’s not the Super Bowl. It’s an All-Star Game. It’s a different atmosphere , and we can still have an entertaining half but get the guys back on the field in a more reasonable time frame.”
There will also no longer be a target score in the fourth quarter, with the game reverting to a standard 12-minute game over four quarters.
“When it comes to [All-Star] We just have to make it clear to everyone involved, including the coaches, that we’re looking for a basketball game,” Silver said.
Former Golden State Warriors star Chris Mullin, who attended the ceremony Monday announcing San Francisco’s Chase Center as host of the 2025 All-Star Game, played in five All-Star showcases during his career at the Hall of Fame. Fame.
Mullin said the key to making these All-Star Games competitive was having two NBA superstars, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, leading the way.
“The best ones have to set the standard, like Bird and Magic,” Mullin told Andscape. “They didn’t want to give an inch because they were going to see each other again in four months [in the NBA Finals]”.
