Kevin Durant rips new NBA All-Star Game format - 'I hate it' - ESPN

The NBA All-Star Game's new format has been greeted with skepticism from some of the league's biggest stars — most notably Kevin Durant.

«I hate it; I absolutely hate it,» Durant said Tuesday, minutes after the league announced the changes to its midseason showcase.

This season's format is a four-team, three-game, one-night tournament that will feature three teams of eight All-Stars each, with the fourth team being the winner of the Rising Stars challenge for first- and second-year players. The winning team in all games will be the first to score 40 points.

The All-Star Game will take place Feb. 16 at the home of the Golden State Warriors. The Rising Stars event is there Feb. 14, headlining All-Star Friday.

«Terrible — All-Star Game format changing, all the formats — terrible in my opinion,» Durant said. «We should just go back to East-West. Just play a game.»

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has wanted a more competitive All-Star event for some time, and this change comes after the teams combined to score a record 397 points — 211-186 was the final — in last season's game at Indianapolis.

The teams combined to take 289 shots in that game, 94% of those being either inside the paint or beyond the 3-point line.

«I think we've been trying to bring that flare back somehow with All-Star Weekend, I think we just keep the tradition,» Durant said. «We'll see how this one works. You never know, I might be wrong, I'm just another guy with an opinion, but we'll see how it works.»

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander offered a more optimistic take Tuesday, acknowledging the «elephant in the room» of player effort during the All-Star Game.

«At the end of the day, it's going to come down to whether the players want to go at