The NBA is considering changes again to the All-Star Game, including moving away from the “traditional” format.

The NBA is considering changing the format for the All-Star Game to be played in San Francisco later this season, commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday night.

Silver, speaking before the Miami-Washington game in Mexico City, has wanted a more competitive All-Star event for some time. The Eastern Conference beat the Western Conference 211-186 last season, combining the most dots in the game’s 73-year history and the first time a team has eclipsed 200 points.

“We’re looking at other formats,” Silver said without specifying what might change. “I think there’s no question the players were disappointed in the All-Star Game last year as well. We all want to do a better job providing competition and entertainment for our fans.”

Silver added that the league is trying to make the All-Star Game “a traditional game format,” but did not say what that might mean.

The league has changed the All-Star formula several times in recent years. Among the attempts were the removal of the old format East vs. West for a draft pick by the team captains and going to an untimed fourth quarter with a target score to ensure the game must end with a shot.

Last year’s game reverted to the traditional format – four full 12-minute quarters, East vs. And it was nothing short of an offensive showcase, with the teams combining for 168 3-point attempts and nearly 400 points.

“Obviously, it wasn’t high intensity at all,” Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton said after the Indianapolis game, where five players scored at least 30 points and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 50 on 35 shooting off the bench.

Silver said that with the game — scheduled for Feb. 16 — in San Francisco, he has hired Golden State star Stephen Curry to help find a way to make the All-Star Game more competitive this season. Any change would almost certainly have to involve the leadership of the National Basketball Players Association.

“It’s a home game for him,” Silver said, adding that he’s had “direct conversations” with Curry about it. “I know he’s very proud and wants to make sure the players put their best foot forward.”

Curry said last year that the players had talked “a little bit” about making the All-Star Game more competitive in some ways. The league has wanted this for some time, hoping that a better All-Star contest would lead to better television ratings for the game and more outside interest.

“I think everybody was disappointed with what they saw last year,” Silver said. “It wasn’t just the league. It was the players, the players’ association. I think we all did what we thought we could, thinking especially in Indiana, kind of the heart of basketball, we’re going to see a more competitive game. .”

Silver also pointed out that no one expects the All-Star Game to have playoff-type intensity. He said league executives Byron Spruell, Joe Dumars and Evan Wasch have formed a committee to talk with team representatives and the players’ association to try to find a solution.

“We want to do something that will excite the fans and also the players, so it’s something they’ll be excited to play,” Silver said.

Silver said the league is not yet ready to formally move forward with any expansion talks.

He said that after the new collective bargaining agreement (signed last year) and new media rights agreements (signed this year) are in place, expansion will be the next big project to tackle. It remains so, but nothing is imminent.

“We’re continuing to model, to understand the economics of what it would mean to have additional teams,” Silver said. “As I’ve pointed out many times, it’s essentially selling stock in the league.”

Las Vegas and Seattle have long been mentioned as possibilities, and Mexico City would likely be a serious contender for the NBA to consider at some point. There will be other cities interested when the time comes, and Silver said he could envision — if it happens — the league adding two franchises in this expansion round to push the league to 32 clubs.

“Nothing has been set, and we haven’t even decided yet whether to expand,” Silver said. “My opinion is that if we were to expand, we would make it an even number, because then we might have to make some adjustments within the conferences. But I think it makes sense to have two 16-team conferences if we were to do it. There have been times in the past in the NBA when we’ve had an odd number, so it’s possible. But I think most likely, if we were to expand, we would look to expand into two cities.”

Silver said fans can expect another one Stephen Curry vs Sabrina Ionescu type event at this season’s All-Star Game. That’s no surprise; Curry and Ionescu both said they wanted to do it again after last season’s debut game, and talk instantly turned to adding more shooters — Caitlin Clark being mentioned as a possibility.

“When you look at the interest in terms of viewers last year, one of the big ones was that Sabrina-Steph shot,” Silver said. “So we want to do more of that.”

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