NBA commissioner Adam Silver says he is considering changing the format of this year’s All-Star Game in San Francisco and is enlisting Stephen Curry’s help to figure out a way to make the game more competitive.
Silver has wanted a more competitive All-Star event for some time, saying there was disappointment in last year’s result when the Eastern Conference beat the Western Conference 211-186.
“We’re looking at other formats,” Silver said Saturday without specifying what may change. “I think there’s no doubt that the players were disappointed as well in last year’s All-Star Game. We all want to do a better job providing competition and entertainment for our fans.”
Silver added that the league is looking at making the All-Star Game “not a traditional game format,” but stopped short of saying what that could mean.
The commissioner says he’s had “direct conversations” with Curry on the topic. Any changes would almost certainly have to involve the leadership of the National Basketball Players Association as well.
“It’s a home game for him,” Silver said of Curry. “I know he’s very prideful and wants to make sure the players put their best foot forward.”
The league has tinkered with the All-Star formula several times in recent years. Among the attempts were scrapping the long-standing East vs. West format for a draft picked by team captains and going to an untimed fourth quarter with a target score to ensure that the game must end on a made shot.
Last year’s game went back to the traditional format — four full 12-minute quarters, East vs. West. And it was nothing but an offensive showcase, with the teams combining for 168 3-point attempts and nearly 400 points.
Curry said last year that players had talked “a little bit” about making the All-Star Game more competitive in some ways. The league has wanted that for some time, hoping a better All-Star contest leads to better television ratings and more outside interest.
“I think everyone was disappointed in what they saw last year,” Silver said. “It wasn’t just the league. It was the players as well, the players association. I think we all did what we thought we could, thinking particularly in Indiana, sort of the heartland of basketball, we would see a more competitive game.”
Silver also pointed out that nobody expects the All-Star Game to have playoff-type intensity. He said league executives Byron Spruell, Joe Dumars and Evan Wasch have formed a committee to talk to team representatives and the players association to try and find a solution.
“We want to do something that will excite the fans and also excite the players, so it’s something they’ll be enthusiastic about playing in,” Silver said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
