Karl-Anthony Towns gives his thoughts on how competitive the NBA All-Star Game was under the new format.
Fans got to witness the latest NBA All-Star Game format on Sunday as the league switched from filling out the rosters via fantasy draft to USA vs. The World.
There were two USA teams and one World team, leading to a round robin format where the top two teams would meet in the finals. The games were played in 12-minute quarters.
The first three games were three of the most competitive games in recent All-Star memory. The first game between World vs. USA Stars went to overtime, the second game between USA Stars vs. USA Stripes ended on a buzzer beater, and the third game between World vs. USA Stripes had a game-winning three in the final seconds, followed by a missed game-tying buzzer beater.
The championship game between USA Stars vs. USA Stripes ended up being a blowout, but fans walked away excited at the competitiveness of the first three games.
Karl-Anthony Towns Speaks
Speaking to the media after the game, Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns was asked about the competitiveness between the three squads.
“I mean, y’all have been asking for it," he said.
He said the fans have been asking for it, the media has been asking for it, and after the game, everyone could see that the competition is there and everyone brought it.
"I hope the fans and [the media] appreciate it," he said.
Anthony Edwards of USA Stars credited World's Victor Wembanyama for setting the tone early and bringing the intensity. Wembanyama was aggressive on both ends of the floor, and his teammates and the opposing team followed suit.
Representing Team World, Towns scored ten points in the first game against USA Stars and six points in the second game against USA Stripes.
Did The Format Change Help?
The NBA has changed the format of the All-Star game multiple times over the years, moving from East vs. West to doing a fantasy draft between the top vote getters to having legends pick their teams. They've also changed the scoring format, going from a typical game format to hitting a target number between two teams to a mini-tournament.
The USA vs. The World format was designed to increase competitiveness in the name of country pride, and while the games were more competitive, there is no reason as to why the players couldn't play with the same edge and aggression under a previous format.
Phoenix will host the All-Star Game in 2027, though the format for the game has not officially been confirmed.