NBA All-Star Game 2018: Explaining New Format, Examining Latest Voting Results

Maurice BobbJan 17, 2018

Don't look now, but there's a new NBA All-Star Game coming to town.

The league's 67th annual midseason classic at the Staples Center in Los Angeles will mark the first time that there won't be a matchup between the Eastern Conference and Western Conference.

Instead of teams built by tethering players to their respective conference, the new format will feature two team captains who will then draft their squads from a pool of players voted in as starters and reserves.

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For example, should LeBron James remain as leading vote-getter, he'll likely be the Eastern Conference team captain but would be able to select a player like Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green as his teammate.

With the NBA abandoning the East-West format, it gives this All-Star Game the look and feel of a veritable professional pickup game.

"I'm thrilled with what the players and the league have done to improve the All-Star Game, which has been a priority for all of us," said NBPA President Chris Paul of the Houston Rockets. "We're looking forward to putting on an entertaining show in L.A."

Like last year, NBA players and basketball media joined fans in voting to select the starters. Fan votes account for 50 percent, while player and media votes represent 25 percent, respectively.

Team captains are chosen based on who receives the most fan votes in each conference.

All-Star voting closed Monday night, but the final results won't be announced until Thursday, Jan. 18, during TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader at 6 p.m. ET, when Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley will help reveal the two captains and starters.

The network will also announce the 14 reserves, who will be selected by NBA head coaches, five days later on Tuesday, Jan. 23, during TNT NBA Tip-Off at 7 p.m. ET.

And while the actual draft won't be televised, the final team rosters will be broadcast on Thursday, Jan. 25, during a special one-hour edition of TNT NBA Tip-Off at 7 p.m. ET.

"We're excited about the new All-Star format and appreciate the players' willingness to try something new," said NBA President, League Operations Byron Spruell.

NEW ORLEANS - FEBRUARY 19: The Eastern Conference All-Star Team walks through the hallways before the 2017 NBA All-Star Game on February 19, 2017 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees

Juan Ocampo/Getty Images

As of last week, James was the leading vote-getter in the Eastern Conference and overall with 1,622,838 votes, while Stephen Curry was the leading vote-getter in the Western Conference with 1,369,658 votes.

Milwaukee Bucks' burgeoning superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo lost his initial lead to James, but he still held second place in the East with 1,480,954 votes. Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid (784,287) and New York Knicks' Kristaps Porzingis (640,928) rounded out the top spots in the East frontcourt.

Boston Celtics' dynamic playmaker Kyrie Irving was in the top spot for guards in the East with 1,370,643 votes, with Toronto Raptors' DeMar DeRozan (537,168) and Philadelphia's Ben Simmons (397,942) coming in second and third place.

Golden State's scoring machine Kevin Durant was holding court as the second leading vote-getter out West, with New Orleans Pelicans' Anthony Davis (664,687) in second place and Draymond Green in third for the frontcourt.

Joining Curry in the backcourt's top three are Houston Rockets' James Harden (978,540) and Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbrook (791,332).

NEW ORLEANS, LA - FEBRUARY 19: Stephen Curry #30 of the Western Conference shoots the ball during the 2017 All-Star Game on February 19, 2017 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that,

Garrett Ellwood/Getty Images

Once the numbers are official, players will be ranked in each conference by position (guard and frontcourt) within each of the three voting groups—fan votes, player votes and media votes.

Each player's score will be calculated by averaging the weighted rank of the fan, player and media votes. Based on those results, the five players with the best scores in the Eastern and Western Conference will be named NBA All-Star Game starters. Should there be a tie among players in a position group, the fan votes will serve as the tiebreaker.

As for selecting head coaches, the process remains unchanged. Like previous games, the Eastern Conference and Western Conference coach that clinch the best record in their conference two weeks before the game will earn a spot on the bench.

Boston Celtics' Brad Stevens and Golden State's Steve Kerr are both ineligible, though, because they coached the game last season. Although the players will disregard conference affiliation, the coaches will align with the respective captain from each conference.

The 2018 All-Star Game, which will be played at the Staples Center on Sunday, Feb. 18 (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT), will be televised on TNT for the 16th consecutive year.

See below for the second fan returns of NBA All-Star Voting 2018.

NBA ALL-STAR VOTING 2018

Eastern Conference