Veteran NBA coach J.B. Bickerstaff will coach his first NBA All-Star Game next month.
Boston’s loss to Chicago on Saturday ensured Detroit will have the No. 1 seed in the East on Feb. 1 (the cut-off date for deciding the coaches). This will be Bickerstaff’s first time as an All-Star Game head coach, and he will coach one of the three teams — two USA, one world team — in this year’s All-Star Game format (more on that below).
The Pistons have been the clear No. 1 seed in the East and looked every bit the title contender this season, with a 32-11 record that leads the East and is second in the league (to the Thunder). This is the second year of the turnaround Bickerstaff has led in Detroit, he took over a 14-win team two seasons ago and led it to the playoffs last season. Bickerstaff finished second in Coach of the Year voting last season and is considered the frontrunner to win the award this season.
Another coach will come from the West. Because Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault coached the All-Star Game last year, he is ineligible to coach this year, which leaves either Mitch Johnson from No. 2 seed San Antonio or David Adelman from No. 3 seed Denver as the most likely coach from the West (just half a game separates their teams in the standings).
All-Star Game format
This year, the NBA All-Star Game returns to NBC and debuts on Peacock — and it falls right in the middle of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. That was a perfect setup for the first-of-its-kind All-Star Game format, a USA vs. World showdown that fans and players have been asking for.
The 24 All-Star players — 12 from each Conference, the 10 starters have been named — will be divided into three teams, two USA teams and one world team. Those three teams will compete in a round-robin tournament of four 12-minute games. Each of the three teams will have a minimum of eight players (if the USA or World teams are short on players, the league office will select one or more players to reach the required number).
At the end of the round-robin, the two top teams will play a championship game (the fourth 12-minute game of the day) for the title.
The 75th NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 5 p.m. Eastern, an earlier time than in previous years, leading into more coverage of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.