Steph Curry led Shaquille O’Neal’s OGs to victory in the revamped NBA All-Star Game, securing the Kobe Bryant MVP trophy at Chase Center in San Francisco.
This year, the NBA introduced a fresh format featuring four teams, each coached by a basketball legend, competing in a single-elimination mini-tournament with two semi-finals and a final.
Curry, 36, played a crucial role in the championship game, scoring 12 points to help his team secure a 41-25 win over Charles Barkley’s Global Stars.
“I had a lot of fun,” Curry said after the game. “The intensity was definitely different from last year. It’s a step in the right direction. Everyone is still figuring it out.”
The four legendary coaches included Shaquille O’Neal, who led the winning squad, alongside Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and WNBA great Candace Parker.
Curry finished the competition with 20 total points, having contributed eight in a 42-35 semi-final win against Parker’s Rising Stars. His performance earned him All-Star MVP honors, making him just the 15th player in NBA history to win the award multiple times.
Mixed Reactions to the New All-Star Format
The NBA made significant changes to the All-Star format following criticism of the 2024 game, where both teams combined for a record-breaking 397 points in an uncompetitive contest.
Under the new system, teams played to a target score of 40 points instead of the traditional four-quarter format. The goal was to enhance competitiveness and excitement.
Curry supported the league’s efforts, saying, “It was a good step in the right direction to bring energy back to the game.”
Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard, who was also on the winning team, echoed Curry’s sentiments. “They’re trying to make it more competitive, and I think it was better than in previous years,” Lillard said. “The main goal is to provide both entertainment and a real game, and I think there was a little more of that this time.”
However, not everyone was on board with the changes. Draymond Green, who worked as a TV analyst for the event, strongly criticized the format.
Asked to rate it on a scale of 1 to 10, Green didn’t hold back. “A zero. It sucks. Awful,” he said on TNT. “You work all year to be an All-Star, and then you play to 40 points, and that’s it?”
While reactions were mixed, the NBA remains focused on refining the All-Star experience to strike the right balance between entertainment and competition.
SOURCE: BBC
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