NBA All-Star Game 2018: New-Format Rosters, TV Schedule, MVP Prediction

The NBA All-Star Game is changing gears this season, as Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James will captain teams that they have handpicked from a set pool of players who earned All-Star nods this year.

It's a promising switch from the normal Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference tilt that had grown stale in previous years, leading to teams treating the event as a glorified dunk contest with little to no defense. This year, we could see a bit more energy and intensity on both sides of the court.

It will be interesting to see if the new format works out. Until then, here's a look at the television schedule, the rosters and an MVP pick.

TV Schedule

The 67th NBA All-Star Game begins at 8:20 p.m. ET in the Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. TNT will televise the event, with coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

Team LeBron Roster

Head Coach

Dwane Casey, Toronto Raptors

Starters

LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors

Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans

Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics

DeMarcus Cousins, New Orleans Pelicans#

Reserves

LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs

Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards

Goran Dragic, Miami Heat*

Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons*

Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder*

Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers

Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets*

Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers**

Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks**

John Wall, Washington Wizards**

*injury replacement

**injured, will not play

#injured, replacement starter not announced

Team Stephen Roster

Head Coach

Mike D'Antoni, Houston Rockets

Starters

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

James Harden, Houston Rockets

DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Reserves

Jimmy Butler, Minnesota Timberwolves

Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors

Al Horford, Boston Celtics

Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors

Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors

Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves

MVP Prediction

In the 2015 NBA All-Star Game, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook hit 16 of 28 field goals (five of nine from three-point range) en route to a 41-point night. He won the MVP, and the West won by five.

In the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, Westbrook hoisted 23 shots in 22-plus minutes, and his 31-point, eight-rebound, five-assist, five-steal night led to an MVP award. Once again the West won, this time by 23.

It was more of the same in 2017, as Westbrook took 26 shots in 19-plus minutes. For those scoring at home, that's about a shot-and-a-half per minute. He shot 16-of-26 and scored 41 points.

He didn't win the MVP award this year, but that's only because New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis dropped an All-Star Game record 52 points in addition to grabbing 10 boards. The West scored between 47 and 49 points in each quarter and won by 10.

The trend here is obvious: In a game where some players go half speed, Westbrook still goes all out to win, even it means shooting nearly every time he touches the ball.

However, Westbrook has an added incentive to dominate this year: He did not get the starting nod for this All-Star Game.

For the record, he could still be named a starter, as Team LeBron needs a replacement in the lineup for Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins, who suffered a season-ending torn left Achilles. One has not been named as of yet.

That being said, Westbrook could still look to take control of this game, considering that he was never named a starter to begin with. He plays with a passion and intensity that's unrivaled in the NBA, and that could take center stage.

Other All-Stars are good MVP candidates as well, though.

Like Westbrook, Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard has a lot of motivation for this game, as he wasn't named to the All-Star team in either of the past two years despite averaging 26.0 points and 6.3 assists per game.

Curry and James will undoubtedly want to prove that they picked the right rosters, so we could see them try to take over. Davis, Houston Rockets guard James Harden and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo are three of the NBA's best players and can fill out the box score line on any given night.

That being said, it's hard to bet against Westbrook given his All-Star Game performances over the past three seasons. Look for him to score over 40 points in a fun and competitive game en route to his third MVP in four years.