PLAYING LIKE
New format has All-Stars fighting right until the end
CHICAGO — By the final moments of the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, the entire United Center was on its feet. For the first time in a long time, the All-Star Game was one that mattered, and the players, coaches, referees and fans treated the game accordingly.
Bodies flung left and right. Players were nearly assessed technical fouls. Both Team LeBron and Team Giannis successfully challenged fourth-quarter calls. Kyle Lowry even took a charge — then he drew an offensive foul on what would have been a game-winning James Harden step-back three. The game ultimately came down to a pair of free throws. Anthony Davis missed the first, then made the second to seal the victory. His Team LeBron beat Team Giannis, 157-155.
“I think everybody in the whole place was on their feet watching each possession, and they were really going at it. I mean, defensively it was hard to get anything — or offensively it was hard to get anything started,” Team Giannis coach Nick Nurse said. “Even first passes were being denied. It felt like the end of a playoff game, which was really cool, I thought.”
The NBA wanted and got a competitive All-Star Game. If this is what All-Star Sunday night will look like from now on, the league just got its biggest win of the season.
“After the game, my brother came down, and he said, this has been the most fun All-Star he’s been a part of,” said All-Star captain Giannis Antetokounmpo. “And I asked him why, and he told me: ‘Because you guys were really competitive. You guys were playing to win.’
“We had a little bit of playoff intensity out there. So I loved it. I hope we can keep the same format for a lot of years, and I think people had fun, we had fun. So that’s what it’s all about.”
Adam Silver has officially resuscitated a dying product. This is why he’s the commissioner of the NBA. Kobe Bryant would have been proud, and the first-ever Kobe Bryant MVP trophy went to Kawhi Leonard, who scored a game-high 30 points with only seven missed shots on the night.
“Winning it is a plus,” Leonard said, when asked if he came into the game with the mindset of winning the MVP award. “I didn’t come in the game saying, I’m going to take that trophy home. I think I came in and made my first two shots and kept shooting and made shots. That’s when I told myself I’m going to go try to get it.”
Silver implemented a new format, turning each of the first three quarters into an individual competition: The winner of each quarter had $100,000 donated to a Chicago-based charity. Kids from each charity lined the baseline, cheering on their respective teams.
The fourth quarter was not a quarter at all. There was no 12-minute game clock, and instead, Silver implemented a target score of the highest team’s total points, plus 24. The target score/no clock format is known as the “Elam Ending,” and has been used in The Basketball Tournament since 2017. The 24 points were a tribute to Bryant.
In this instance, Team Giannis had scored 133 points through three quarters, which set a target score of 157. Team LeBron had to play catch-up, trailing by seven entering the final period.