NBA Finally Nails Its All-Star Game Format

Thank you, Nick Elam. Kudos to you, Chris Paul.

State Farm's best spokesman since Jake and his khakis is the dude who breathed life into the NBA All-Star Game by suggesting the Elam Ending should be implemented into it.

Fortunately, the league brass had a significant body of data on it, thanks to the raised profile of The Basketball Tournament, and bought into it.

 

The Elam Ending's pure form is:

• The game stops with 2:00 remaining;
• The game clock is turned off;
• The score differential is noted;
• Eight points is added to the differential to determine the target score; and
• First team to that target score wins.

 

It just makes too much sense, and the NBA's best confirmed it.

This year's All-Star Game may have been the greatest one in its long history. Dudes cared, and a real game broke out.

They actually used a variation of the Elam Ending:

• The first three quarters are going to start at 0-0, which has nothing to do with Elam;
• The fourth quarter will take the cumulative score difference of the two teams as the leading team's base score;
• 24 points will then be added to it, which sets the target score.
• The first team to reach that target wins.

The upshot is that everyone won. This was an awesome game, the league's top talent at its competitive best, especially in the fourth quarter when Elam loomed with the target set at 157:

 

When's the last time anyone saw James Harden dish a dime when he had a shot opportunity?

Hell, when's the last time anyone saw a player take a charge in an All-Star Game?

How about the MVP being acclaimed for something besides a bushel of baskets?

 

And when's the last time anyone really cared about what went on?

 

There was a bitta quibbling about such an intense game ending on a free throw, but points at the stripe are a key part of the game. Besides, Kyle Lowry didn't have much choice.

Dude was mismatched against Anthony Davis because he switched on a pick to defend Davis while Joel Embiid stayed with him, leaving Harden open. Embiid then lunged out to cover Harden, so the die was cast.

 

It's only fitting that Paul gets the last highlight.

Dude's on record saying he wants to play for 20 seasons. To do it, he's gotta log five more years after this one. Among other things, he's gone to a plant-based diet to health himself up, and maybe it's working.

After all, this is a first-ever from the 6-footer:

 

Suggesting an Elam Ending for the All-Star Game and eating green to show off a personal first in it.

Paul made this a day for all involved.