NBA considering All-Star Game changes again, away from the 'traditional' format

The NBA is considering changing the format for the All-Star Game that will be played in San Francisco later this season, Commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday night.

Silver, speaking before the Miami-Washington game in Mexico City, has wanted a more competitive All-Star event for some time. The Eastern Conference beat the Western Conference 211-186 last season, combining for the most points in the game's 73-year history and marking the first time a team eclipsed 200 points.

"We're looking at other formats," Silver said 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 league has tinkered with the All-Star formula several times in recent years. Among the attempts were scrapping the longstanding 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.

"Obviously, it wasn't high intensity, at all," Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton said after the game in Indianapolis, where five players scored at least 30 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 50 on 35 shots off the bench.

Silver said with the game being in San Francisco, he's enlisted Golden State star Stephen Curry to help figure out a