NBA fans praised Team Candace, the winner of the Rising Stars Challenge, for its valiant effort against Team Shaq. The squad of rookies and sophomores had a team that included Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and James Harden on the ropes at certain points. Fortunately for the team stacked with future Hall-of-Famers, Damian Lillard led Team Shaq to a 42-35 win with nine points and the game-winning three-point shot.

But the younger side's effort was on full display. And that was the intention of this new All-Star Game format. This setup involved four teams, each composed of eight players. All three games were best to 40 points, with each player on the championship-winning team receiving a $125,000 reward. And it was clear from the jump to fans that players like Ryan Dunn, Amen Thompson, and Stephon Castle wanted to beat the heavy favorites.

Credit to the NBA for trying new things this All-Star weekend. The headline event has long been plagued by lackluster game that has never had any consequences. This year, Adam Silver tried to create new incentives for the players to compete more. However, the effort was still largely uneven throughout the night except for by Team Candace.

Team Shaq ended up winning the competition with a 41-25 victory over Team Chuck in the final. Fans and even Warriors star Draymond Green ripped the new format for various reasons. Green's take was more centered on the fact that Team Candace should not have been there on Sunday night to begin with.

Fans seemed more annoyed about how much airtime comedian Kevin Hart was given and the many commercial breaks, skits, and musical performances throughout the night. To sum it up, the audience wanted more competitive basketball. There simply was not enough action.

Overall, Adam Silver might have to go back to the drawing board after this weekend. However, contrary to what Draymond Green thinks, the Rising Star Challenge winners held up their end of the bargain. Getting these players involved in this event does not seem like a bad idea going forward.