The NBA All-Star Game is a very entertaining game, even with the low quality of defense that is played. The Western Conference has been extremely successful over the last several seasons, and this was when the Western Conference was not as stacked with star power as it became this offseason. Since it has now become even more blatantly obvious which conference is superior, the NBA decided it was time for the most voted-for players to make the game, despite what conference these players were in. The new and improved NBA All-Star Game is surely something all basketball fans can be excited about!

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Under the new and improved All-Star Game format, the NBA will select the leading vote getter from each conference, and they will become a captain of a team. They will then get to select four players out of the pool of players that were voted to be the starters in the game. Next, they will select the remaining leading vote getters as the reserves for their team. There will be no conference affiliation any longer, and this is music to my ears and I would to think many other NBA fans’ ears as well. The winning team will take the winnings from the game and donate them to a charity of their choosing. This is a great move by the NBA, and this continues to prove the excellence in the activity of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on social issues in our country. The Western Conference had so many snubs the last few years, but hopefully this format reduces the amount of All-Star Game snubs, and allows for the best players to take part in the game. Chris Paul has already talked about his approval of the new format, and he agrees it is the right time for this change to happen.

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Although there were some needed changes to the old format, there were some good characteristics involved with the old format that have remained in the new All-Star Game format. There will still be 14 players selected to each team; two guards and three frontcourt players will start for each team. Fans will continue to account for 50% of the vote, while the media and current players will each count for 25% of the voting. Two more consistencies in the new format are the NBA Head Coaches’ vote for the reserves of the game, and the coaches of each one-seeded team from each conference (considered two weeks before the game) will coach the teams. Brad Stevens and Steve Kerr will not coach in the 2018 All-Star Game in Los Angeles because they coached the teams the previous season, so two new faces will be present in 2018. The coach from the East will coach the East captains’ team, and the West coach with coach the West captains’ team.

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The All-Star voting will begin on Christmas Day 2017; starters and captains will be announced on Thursday, January 18th, 2018. The reserves will be announced on Tuesday, January 23rd, with the game scheduled for Sunday, February 18th at 8 p.m. in the iconic Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

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The new and improved format gives way for a West-heavy game. This is what the NBA fans wanted, and this is what the fans deserve to see. This could potentially mean a change in the playoff system in which the 16 best teams (in terms of record) make the playoffs. This would be a great improvement for the league as well, because the 16 best teams get in rather than the top eight from each conference. This too would favor the Western Conference because there would likely be at least nine or ten teams from the West that make the playoffs.

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The NBA has done an excellent job under Adam Silver to stick up for players and their interests as well as the NBA fans and their interests. This new and improved All-Star Game format is a great advancement for the NBA, and it will be interesting to see if a new playoff format follows suit with this change. I would definitely be in favor of the 16 best teams making the playoffs just like I am in favor of the revamped All-Star Game. The West needs more representation because of how strong of a conference it truly is and will continue to be. The NBA is making some drastic changes to the league as we know it, but these changes will certainly improve the entire league for years to come, and fans and players alike should be really excited about it!