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NBA changes All-Star Game format, will it affect the Miami Heat?

By Kristopher Keaton

NEW ORLEANS, LA - FEBRUARY 17: NBA All-Star sign during the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge game between USA and the World on February 17, 2017 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA. World won 150-141. (Photo by Stephen Lew/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - FEBRUARY 17: NBA All-Star sign during the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge game between USA and the World on February 17, 2017 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA. World won 150-141. (Photo by Stephen Lew/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Have you ever wanted to see a Miami Heat player play with a member of the Houston Rockets? It’s more possible than ever before now, as the NBA is adopting pickup basketball at the All-Star Game this year.

You know when you get bored winning championships playing with the Miami Heat on NBA2K? And want to put all the best players on one roster in an attempt to go 82-0? Like having Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and LeBron James all on the same team? Be honest. We’ve all been there.

Now, the All-Star Game is going to give us that, twice over.

Change is inevitable. That’s how the saying goes, right? At some point, everything that once was becomes outdated and needs to be improved. The NBA is trying to stick by that mantra.

The NBA announced a new format for the mid-season All-Star Game, in an effort to both encourage a more competitive game for the players, and provide the fans and viewers with a more enjoyable product. This comes after what both sides admitted was a disappointing 2017 showing in New Orleans.

The 2018 game, which will be held in Los Angeles, is now the highest-profile pickup game since the infamous Dream Team practice.

Fans still own 50 percent of the voting weight, while players and media are given 25 percent. The player with the most votes from each conference will be considered a team captain. That player will then select 12 players to be a part of his team, regardless of conference.

Many fans, and even some players, were discouraged by the output in the 192-182 game last season, and were desperately in need of a change. The alley-oops, no-look passes, and dribbling exhibitions are great in the early part of the matchup… but fans want a return of the drama filled, competitive fourth quarters, with the world’s best players.

Now, this doesn’t change the odds that a Heat player, such as Hassan Whiteside, will be an All-Star. The major talent defections of Carmelo Anthony, Jimmy Butler, and Paul George leaves room for the younger stars of the Eastern Conference to prove themselves. Whiteside has been on the brink for a while now and if he produces in his usual manner, he should hopefully be a lock to earn the honor this season.

What the adjustment does change, however, is the players that he would be teaming up with. It could be Kyrie Irving, or James Harden. The possibilities are now far greater than ever before. He just has to stay tough on the court and Miami has to be successful.

Next: Miami Heat: 4 of Josh Richardson's best games of 2016-17

While I don’t believe that this change is the entire answer, it serves to applaud the league for recognizing that something needed to be done and taking a step in the right direction. However, an issue that still needs to be dealt with is that players seem to have stopped caring about the game period.

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