On Sunday night, the NBA introduced a new format for its annual All-Star Game, replacing the traditional East vs. West matchup with a four-team, single-elimination tournament. As soon as the game wrapped up in San Francisco, reactions came in quickly from both players and media members alike. While some embraced the change, several players who participated voiced their frustration, particularly over the frequent breaks that disrupted the game’s rhythm.
Among those echoing these concerns was Boston’s WEEI host Adam Jones, who shared his dissatisfaction during Monday’s Jones & Keefe program. He specifically criticized the new format and the limited amount of actual basketball played.
“Last night, the game was terrible,” Jones remarked bluntly. “The whole thing was awful.”
To reinforce his argument, Jones pointed to statistics he found on Reddit, emphasizing the stark imbalance between gameplay and other broadcast elements, such as commercials and musical performances.
“There were forty-two minutes of basketball in a three-hour show,” Jones explained Monday on WEEI. “There were eighty minutes of ads and forty-two minutes of basketball. That’s what it was.”
The NBA’s revamped format consisted of a mini-tournament featuring four teams and three games. In the semifinals, two teams squared off in one matchup, while the remaining two competed in the other. The winners then advanced to the championship game, where victory was determined by the first team to reach or surpass 40 points.
Leading the charge in the final game, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry guided the winning “Team OGs” — coached by NBA on TNT analyst Shaquille O’Neal — to a decisive 41-25 victory over the Global Stars.
Although official ratings have yet to be released, Jones argued that the league should reconsider its approach and revert to the traditional format for a better fan experience.
“The whole thing is stupid,” Jones concluded. “If you’re going to do a traditional All-Star Game, just go back to East and West.”
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