The NBA All-Star Weekend hasn’t been the attraction it used to be for the last few years, with the 2023 All-Star Game widely being regarded as one of the most disappointing games in history. The NBA acted quickly to fix it, abandoning the draft concept they introduced in 2018 and bringing back traditional East vs. West matchups.
Ahead of the 2024 All-Star Game, Deputy Commissioner of the NBA, Mark Tatum, explained to global media why the decision to return to East vs. West was made.
“Going back to East vs. West, you know who your teammates are, you get to practice with your teammates on Saturday, you get to build bonds, and we’re gonna change the timing of the game so it’s more like a regular season game. I think that’ll help the mindset of the players going into Sunday’s game.”
The 2023 All-Star game really hurt the perception of the weekend altogether, but it’s good to see the NBA actively work toward improving the state of the game. The 2020 All-Star Game was the only competitive game of the modern format, which also included a gimmick about the leading team in the fourth quarter only needing 24 points to win. It spiced up the game in 2020 but was not impactful in the years since.
We will see the East take on the West once again, with both Conferences bringing their best players to battle. The West All-Star starters are LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander while the East All-Star starters are Damian Lillard, Tyrese Haliburton, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Bam Adebayo.
Joel Embiid and Julius Randle will miss the game due to injury and have been replaced by Trae Young and Scottie Barnes.
The 2024 NBA All-Star Game will air live on TNT and TBS at 8:00 PM (Eastern). Fans in India can watch the game on JioCinema and Sports18 at 6:30 AM (IST) on 19 February 2024.
Mark Tatum Explains What Went Wrong At Last Year’s All-Star Game
The 2023 All-Star game was panned by viewers and experts, becoming one of the worst-watched All-Star games in history. Mark Tatum explained what happened at last year’s game and how players’ feedback helped them retune the format.
“I would tell you, after last year’s All-Star game, some of the feedback we heard from the fans and from the players was that it wasn’t very competitive. We want it to be a competitive game because we think that’s what the fans tune in to see, they wanna see the best players in the world but see them actually compete… The players understood that this got a little out of hand and we’ve got to go back to a competitive game. What they said to us was that, ‘You want us to compete like it’s a game but with the halftime show, we’re not in a game mold because you take too long for the introductions, too long for the halftime.’ I think fans liked the captains and picks but if you think about it, the teams didn’t know who they were playing with until 5 minutes before tip-off.”
Hopefully, the 2024 All-Star game will bring back the competitive fire that existed in these contests in years past. The East has been called inferior to the West for years now and this game is an opportunity for the likes of Giannis, Tatum, and others to prove that the East is just as good, if not better than the West.
Another hope is that players are actually in the mood to compete. Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic are notorious for not trying in the All-Star game, while Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James are coming into the game injured and will likely make only a cameo appearance.
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