The NBA is a ton of fun right now—it's mt prices 2k20 league bursting with young stars playing an up-tempo brand of basketball. Yet the league's All-Star game has long been a defense-free, inessential slog—albeit a slog full of wide-open windmill dunks. There's no impetus for the players to really try during the game—so why should they?

But the NBA on Tuesday announced rule changes to the game that may give basketball fans an actually competitive game played by the best players in the world. Whereas the game used to be played in an Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format, now the teams will be decided by two captains—the two All-Stars from each conference with the most fan votes—who select players for their respective teams, one-by-one, with no regard to which conference they play in. (Those players who receive enough votes to earn "starter" roles will be selected first.)

This will revamp the game for at least two reasons. No. 1: It'll be fascinating to see who the captains select and in what order. For instance, last year's vote would have made LeBron James a captain; if that happens again, does he avoid former teammate/defector Kyrie Irving at all costs? Drama! And No. 2: the Western Conference has way, way more talent than the East, so using a draft format eliminates one team being far better than the other.

But the bigger possibility is that the schoolyard, captains-draft-teams format might inspire players to actually... compete. Last year, the West won by a ludicrous score of 193-173. In 2017, New Orleans Pelican Anthony Davis cruised to the MVP award by dropping 52 points. But let's say the captains in 2018 are the same as they would have been in 2k20 mt central—James and Golden State Warrior Steph Curry. Those two have faced each other in three straight NBA Finals. Even if the game holds no real weight, they definitely don't want to lose to another in anything.