After the Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference 192-182, NBA commissioner Adam Silver knew something had to change. The NBA recently had an issue with a lack of competitiveness in their recent All-Star game. There was little to no defense being played and it’s causing some chatter among NBA fans and officials. Right now, the game has no purpose. There is nothing the players are competing for, and their main goal is just to stay healthy.

Silver has bounced around multiple ideas for the next year’s game, and the players know it has to change too. He’s talked about some crazy ideas like a ten-point half court shot in the last few minutes, or a 4-point shot lasting the whole game. ESPN analysts have said that it’s as simple as a cash prize for each player on the winning team. I believe both of those ideas are non-sense and won’t change the competitiveness of the game. NBA all-stars don’t need more money, so that idea wouldn’t help. The 10 and 4 point shots will only make the game more of a joke. The resolution lies in the MLB. The MLB All-Star game has a prize that makes the game more meaningful than ever for some guys. The winning league gets home field advantage in the World Series. If the NBA were to make this change, both teams would have a reason to win. Also, it would be a good mix of competitiveness and fun. The first half would most likely consist of minimal defense and a lot of dunking. Then, in the second half, it would be a battle between the best basketball players in the world for home court advantage.

When you look back at former NBA All-Star games the score is very different. This game hasn’t always been as much of a joke, and it’s a direct reflection of the softness of the league. The 1960 NBA All-Star game score was 125-115 with players such as Elgin Baylor, Bob Cousy, and Wilt Chamberlain. After watching videos of the games back in the day, I noticed there were still some flashy plays, but the guys still went out and competed. The positive thing is that not only the fans know that the game has to change, but so do the players and officials.