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Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Devin Booker are all bashing the new All-Star Game format

Adam Silver felt he had to do something. For years, All-Star players — guys like Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Devin Booker — have tried harder to avoid injuries than anything else, turning the NBA’s All-Star Game into a no-watch defense-free exhibition. Last season the league went retro, returning to East vs. West and the final score was 211-186.

So this year, the NBA is shaking up Sunday’s game: the 24 All-Star players will be divided into three teams of eight and they, plus the winning team from the rookie/sophomore Rising Stars game, will play in a four-team tournament with games up to 40.

Durant, Davis and Booker have all explored the idea. Durant makes no bones about it, he hates the new format.

“I hate it, I absolutely hate it. Terrible. The All-Star Game format changes, all formats – terrible in my opinion. We just gotta get back to East-West. Just play a game. I think if we try bring back that glow somehow with All-Star Weekend, I guess we’ll just keep the tradition. We’ll see how this one works. You never know, I might be wrong, I’m just a guy with an opinion, but we’ll see how it works.”

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Hey Kevin, the league tried the East-West thing again last year and the players showed they had no desire to make it competitive. So the NBA tried to find a new format that could force some competition, and while I’m skeptical that it will work, it’s better than doing something that we know – that we saw a year ago – doesn’t work.

Booker echoed Durant: via Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic.

“It’s change, it’s different,” Booker, a four-time All-Star, said after Wednesday’s practice. “I prefer nostalgia. I agree with Kev. I like East versus West with your own team jersey. I like the old jerseys. It doesn’t matter.”

Anthony Davis of the Lakers, also not a fan.

The new format calls for 24 All-Stars – the same number as previous years, with the 10 starters voted on by fans/players/media and the remaining 14 selected by the coaches. Those 24 will be divided into three teams of eight, with one member of the Inside the NBA Crew (Shaq, Charles Barkley or Kenny Smith) serving as the General Managers drafting the teams. These three teams, plus the winning team from Friday night’s Rising Stars match, will be placed in a four-team knockout tournament. The teams play games to 40 and the winners of the first two games meet in a championship match.

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The way they have played this season, Durant, Booker and Davis should easily all be in San Francisco for the All-Star Game. We’ll see what they think of the new format after playing in it.

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