Magic talk new ASG format
The format of the 2018 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles is changing, and not necessarily for the better.
For the first time, All-Star teams will not be divvied up by conference affiliation.
Five starters from each conference still will be determined by a fan, player and media vote. Seven reserves from each conference still will be chosen by NBA coaches.
But after that, the starter in each conference who received the most fan votes will be named a captain. Those two captains, in turn, will draft two teams from the pool of All-Stars without regard for conference affiliation.
The 2018 All-Star teams will play for charity.
The new format was determined jointly by the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association after recent All-Star Games devolved into noncompetitive exhibitions that resembled low-intensity scrimmages. The goal is to make the All-Star Game more competitive and more entertaining. Orlando Magic coach
and Magic center hadn’t heard about the changes until the Orlando Sentinel filled them in following practice Tuesday.
Then, the Sentinel put them on the spot by asking for their immediate opinions about the changes.
Vogel has an informed opinion, however. He coached the Eastern Conference in the 2014 All-Star Game.
“I love the proceeds going to charity,” Vogel said. “I’m more of a traditionalist. I’d like to see the game be East-West.
“But I don’t really like what the game’s become over the last three or four years, where it’s just not even competitive at all. I don’t know what you call it, the way it’s looked over the last couple of years. It’s not even a pickup game; in pickup games, players are trying to win. And it’s kind of like just a showcase of shooting and dunking. So if they can make something that is a little more competitive, then I think that would be more entertaining to the fans. And, obviously, if it’s tied to raising money for charity that’s definitely a good thing, too.”
Asked for his take about the revamped non-conference format, Vucevic responded, “Maybe they did that because the West got so many players in the offseason — to kind of even it out.”
Vucevic added: “I always liked the East and West. I thought that kind of made the All-Star Game fun. You’ve got the Eastern Conference against the West, going at each other. I liked that better. I don’t see any reason why they changed it, but we’ll see how it works. Try something new and then get feedback and see how they did it.”
The Magic held their annual open practice early Tuesday evening at Amway Center.
After a couple of informal six-minute scrimmages, the entire team played knockout — a playground game in which players hoist shots from the same spot one after another. If a player misses his shot, he has to quickly get a rebound and score any type of basket before the person behind him hits his shot. and were the last two players remaining, and Rudez won. Rookies and also sang individually for the crowd, at their teammates’ insistence.