DALLAS – It will be a marathon and another day of basketball, but in the end it will be full of stars.
The NBA will play its traditional mid-season game in Atlanta in an unconventional way, although it hopes it will be just as appealing to basketball fans, who, for the most part, will have to watch it on TV.
The traditional weekend of the All-Star game has been reduced to a single event this Sunday, in which there will be skill competitions, basket nails, three-point shots and will end with the stellar game, with players who have the the best season I’m going through, plus a few fan favorites.
“The All-Star game is part of our league,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “It starts and ends with the fans. It’s an event that the fans want to see. They like to see the players together.”
In person, only a few people will be invited, health workers who have already been vaccinated against Covid-19, who will be in the Atlanta Hawks arena, which had to go into elimination, to replace Indianapolis.
Some players have questioned the All-Star game because of the press and the proximity between the summer season that ended in the Orlando balloon and the one that began on December 22, which will have 72 games, ie 10 less than one season. normal, Except for the previous one, which as a result of the pandemic had to stop and then resume to complete the same number of about 70 games with teams that were still competing for a playoff ticket.
“Anyway, it’s an honor to be considered for the All-Star Game,” said Luka Doncic, who will become the first player in Dallas Mavericks history to start the game in consecutive seasons. “It’s true that maybe we could have used a little rest. But no one can complain that I was there. It’s a great honor.”
Again, as in the last three years, the format will not be East vs. West. Two teams were gathered as if they wanted to play a “cascade” in which the two captains, who are the ones who received the most votes to be in the event, choose their players.
LeBron James selected Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee), Stephen Curry (Golden State) and Nikola Jokic (Denver) to five. At first glance, he looks stronger than Kevin Durant, who, despite being largely absent due to injury, chose his partner with the Brooklyn Nets in front of Kyrie Irvin, Kawhi Leonard (Clippers), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia) and Bradley Beal (Washington).
The rest of the LeBron team will consist of Rudy Gobert, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Domantas Sabonis, Ben Simmons, Jaylen Brown and Paul George.
Durant will have Jayson Tatum, who replaces him at work; James Harden, Zack Levin, Donovan Mitchell, Julius Randle, Nicola Vucevich, Zion Williamson and Mike Conley. Anthony Davis and Devin Booler were substituted for an injury.
The day will start at 18:30 ET with skill and triple competitions. And at 20:00 ET will start the All-Star game, with the show “nails” at the break.
The second half of the NBA season will resume on Wednesday and end on May 21, one day before the start of the playoffs.