In most cases, basketball players just want to play, and Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant is no different. Even though Durant ripped the new All-Star Game format back in December, he was willing to give it another chance. After the league implemented a tournament-style approach, it might’ve worked to his liking.
Following the game, he explained to AZCentral’s Duane Rankin about how some of that competitive spirit is coming back.
“I think we’re starting to see All-Star weekend competitive nature in the game starting to creep back in. I think it was solid tonight. It was way better than it was before. Maybe because the games were condensed, but I feel like guys were trying to play hard.”
The effort was there, despite the new changes to the game. One of those was the prolonged breaks in between games. Some players were resting for longer than an hour. However, it doesn’t change the level of competition. For instance, Durant and Suns rookie Ryan Dunn competed against one another in the opening round.
Some of that competition was legit, but other times with other players, it wasn’t that way.
Kevin Durant still feels the All-Star Game was a success
Although the multiple-time All-Star feels there’s a lack of competition, he still saw the event as a success. With the new rule changes and format, the league is trying to make the game itself more competitive. Durant explained to ESPN about what he feels the weekend is all about.
“I think that when you get events like this, All-Star Weekend, we don’t worry about the competition,” Durant said. “It’s just more about celebrating the basketball family and the community around this time. It shows how united we are as a group, as a basketball community. How we can unite the rest of the world with what we do, as well. It’s a cool time.”
In the coming years, more rules might be added to the weekend. One of those is a 1v1 tournament. When that was discussed, Durant mentioned how he felt he would win that 1v1 tournament. Incorporating more interesting elements yet keeping the competition is tough.
However, this might be a trial and error period that some of the league doesn’t want to be involved in. Either way, the All-Star Game Weekend seemed to have Durant’s seal of approval. If the competition increases, then plenty of players will also enjoy what the league is doing.
The post Suns’ Kevin Durant gets brutally honest on All-Star Game ‘competition’ appeared first on ClutchPoints.
