San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
All-star Game success brings debate
Almost everyone raves when asked about the Allstar Game in Chicago. The tributes to Kobe Bryant, the player introductions, the musical acts — it was all great. The format changes that led to one of the most competitive All-star Games in recent history? They were almost universally loved.
But the initial reaction to the switch, at least for a lot of people, was confusion. A winner after each quarter? A target score? No clock? Math?
The league’s decisions to split the All-star Game into quarters, with the winner of each earning money for charity and to use the “Elam Ending” to crown a winner were a massive success and most expect the NBA to continue using them in the All-star Game moving forward.
The fourth quarter, though, was the most interesting and the biggest leap in innovation, with the teams racing to a target score — 24 more points than the leading team had accumulated through the first three quarters.
If it sounds confusing in description, in practice, it worked like a charm, with the two All-star teams scrapping for loose balls and drawing charges as the game came down to a “next basket wins” scenario. “We should definitely repeat it in the All-star Game. It was a fun kind of ending,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel — who coached Team Lebron — said. “I like the idea of experimenting in certain situations, in the G League or whatever, potentially in overtimes, things like that. There’s something to the excitement of it; the fans, players and coaches all rallied around it.”
The “Elam Ending” — coined by professor Nick Elam — is a system designed to remove intentional fouling from late in games — and it’s success in the All-star Game could bleed into other areas of the league’s product.
It’s not hard to imagine it becoming the preferred method of overtime in the NBA’S G League — a place where the NBA loves to lab-test new rules and ideas. In the immediate aftermath of the All-star Game, some league insiders wondered if Commissioner Adam Silver’s
plans for an in-season tournament could be elevated by connecting the championship rounds to the new format.
But not everyone wants to see the Elam Ending in games that count.
“They’re never going to do that in an NBA game, no,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “… I don’t think we need to. I think the games are pretty competitive the way they are. I think what they were trying to do is bring some excitement to a game (the All-star Game) that had no excitement.”
Rivers said he wouldn’t advocate the league to “start tinkering” with the ends of meaningful games.
But, that doesn’t mean the NBA won’t at least explore it in some form. Under Silver, the NBA has developed a reputation for being open-minded, at least somewhat, when it comes to rule alterations.
In recent seasons, the league has added instant replay and coaches’ challenges. They’ve cut the amount of time team’s have to bring the ball across midcourt, relaxed rules against zone defenses and changed the time the shot clock resets to after offensive rebounds.
“I think one of the great things about our league is that we’re very openminded. We’re always looking to improve the game,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “... I’m a purist at heart. I don’t want to see too many changes. But as far as being open-minded with it, I think the NBA does a great job with it.”
It’s hard to know exactly what’s coming next. Could the NBA add a 4-point line for its deepest shooters? Could the schedule be cut from 82 games? Maybe 48 minutes isn’t the right number per night? Should teams compete in an in-season tournament? Should they play for the final playoff spots? For the top draft picks?
But something, eventually, will be coming. The NBA’S not the kind of league that stands still.
“I like that our league is open to change. It’s very important,” Rivers said. “I think you can’t get stuck in ‘this is the way we’ve always done it.’ … Having the midseason tournament, do I think it’s a great idea? I actually don’t, but let’s try it and let’s see if it is. And if it is then we did something good for the league. So we have to be open-minded about it.”
Because even if it doesn’t initially sound like a good idea, it might actually end up being one.