Home/NBA

via Imago

via Imago

The much hyped All-Star weekend came to a close after the mega event, the All-Star game. As usual, the game attracted a lot of criticisms for its less competitive nature. It wasn’t the case several years ago. Last night, the players barely put any effort into defending the ball and gave away wide open three-pointers and dunks. Notably, it resulted in a bashful team total of 211 points. Importantly, it did bring down the excitement to follow the game.

Over the years, many players, pundits and even fans complained about the nature of the All-Star games. Even the late Kobe Bryant found it absurd and he said, “I think the All-Star game needs a little revamping. It used to be competitive… Guys play harder at a pickup game in UCLA.” Years later, the former Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside may have found a solution to fix the issue.

In an interview with Sideline Sources after the All-Star game, displeased Whiteside proposed an MLB-based idea to make the All-Star game exciting again. Whiteside suggested that the winners of the All-Star game would get the home-court advantage in the NBA Finals. He added, “If the players have a problem, win the game.” He also added that the coaches of the previous season’s NBA Finals should take over the All-Star game.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

USA Today via Reuters

This idea may be similar to MLB’s playoff rules, but it is no longer in action. The league changed the idea of giving the home-court advantage to the All-Star winner in 2017. And, instead opted for the NBA’s standard process.

In the NBA, as a general practice, the Conference rounds home court advantage is given to the higher seeding team, meanwhile the Finals home court advantage is given to the team with a better regular season record.

Read More – “I Couldn’t Believe It”: Nikola Jokić on Luka Dončić’s Bizarre Shot in the All-Star Game

While this idea seems interesting, at the same time, it disregards the team’s regular season record to a large extent.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Will Adam Silver fix the All-Star games?

Over the years, Adam Silver has brought in various elements within a season to make the game more exciting. For instance, he brought in the Play-in Tournament to make the playoff road a bit more adventurous. At the same time, it also provided the 9th and 10th seeding teams a chance at the ring.

Similarly, he introduced the In-season Tournament this season to further boost the excitement in the first half of the regular season. And the NBA commissioner, who has recently extended his contract with the league, may come up with a solution to make the ASGs competitive again.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Watch This Story – After LeBron James Complains About the HOF, Sue Bird Has an Answer for the King

What do you make of Hassan Whiteside’s idea to fix the All-Star game? Let us know and mention if you have any other ideas to make the ASG competitive again in the comments below.