Kevin O’Connor reacts to the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, highlighting the energy brought to the weekend’s festivities by the new format as the Team USA Stars beat out the Team USA Stripes in the Championship round of the initial round robin tournament.
Check out the full conversation on “The Kevin O’Connor Show” and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
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Video Transcript
We’re gonna start off with seven of my thoughts from All-Star Weekend, starting off with the new format.
It’s a big one.
This is a big one.
Shorter games, more urgency, having three teams, the two American teams, the Stars and the Stripes, and the World team.
I don’t even think it was necessarily this format, with World and the USA teams.
It could have been pick ’em teams.
It could have been old versus young, which it sort of was with the Stars and Stripes.
It could have been captains.
It didn’t matter.
Having three teams or four teams or however many you want to in future years, there is urgency in these games.
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We saw it in Game 1.
Wemby set the tone.
An- Anthony Edwards said it after the game.
Wemby set the tone Game 1.
He was playing hard.
He had three blocks in 12 minutes.
He was disappointed after the game, after Karl-Anthony Towns botched a rotation when they were up in the game, and they couldn’t give up a three, and KAT left open a shooter, Scottie Barnes, to lose that first game.
And Wemby’s frustrated.
He was complaining, trying to get fouls, busting his butt the whole game.
I thought that set the tone.
Anthony Edwards came out in Game 2.
End of that game, the way he defended Donovan Mitchell, getting a steal, scoring five straight points.
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They lost the game to a De’Aaron Fox game-winner, but of course, they end up winning the tournament.
It just seemed like all of these games were competitive, except for the last one.
The, the Stripes ran out of energy, the old team there, but I, I’m impressed.
I think this is a good format.
I hope the NBA continues it.
I don’t think they need to commit to USA versus World, but I think continuing this in Phoenix a year from now with three teams or four teams in a similar format, this is a good thing.
It made the games more competitive.
There was more urgency, and I, I’d go with three or four captains.
That’s what I’d like to see happen, but ultimately, I’m happy with what the NBA did.