In an evening filled with competitive spirit and a touch of celebrity flair, Shaq's OGs emerged victorious in a newly formatted All-Star tournament. The event, which took place on [date], saw Shaq's OGs outplay Chuck's Global Stars in the championship game, following their impressive 42-35 semifinal win over Candace's Rising Stars. The tournament featured a four-team, single-elimination format with a target score of 40 points for each round, replacing the traditional East versus West setup.
Chuck's Global Stars secured their place in the final after a 41-32 victory against Kenny's Young Stars. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fueled their success with a game-high 12 points on perfect shooting from the field. Meanwhile, Damian Lillard and Curry were pivotal in Shaq's OGs' semifinal win, contributing nine and eight points respectively.
The revamped format drew mixed reactions from players. While the action on the court received praise, the frequent interruptions were met with some dissatisfaction. Comedian Kevin Hart entertained the audience with his commentary and banter, but his antics occasionally brought play to a halt. The absence of injured stars such as LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Anthony Edwards also cast a shadow over the tournament.
"But I had fun, nonetheless. I feel like it was a little bit more towards the competitive side tonight, which is a good feeling, a step in the right direction. I guess it's up to the guys that handle all that stuff to figure out what's next and how to keep making it more and more interesting. Hopefully, we get there one day." – Gilgeous-Alexander
Some players expressed their discontent with the stoppages. Jaylen Brown noted that while players enjoyed themselves, the frequent pauses were not ideal for maintaining physical play.
"I would say it's not ideal to stop like that if you want guys to be physical. I think guys were still out there having fun. All the OGs, team old knees and old backs, we came out on top, so I don't think anyone else should have had any excuses. It's definitely not ideal." – Jaylen Brown
Trae Young candidly shared his displeasure with the format and the breaks.
"To be honest, I didn't like it at all." – Trae Young
"I didn't like the breaks. The games were so short. Obviously, we can score. So, they're trying to, I feel like, trying to extend the game, extend the TV time with the breaks and things like that." – Trae Young
Curry acknowledged the necessity for change and welcomed the fresh energy that the new format brought to the event.
"We needed to change, needed some new life, new juice in the game, something kind of unexpected." – Curry
The evening also paid tribute to the TNT broadcast crew, resulting in a nearly 20-minute break in play. This pause contributed to the series of stop-start interruptions that characterized the event.
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