INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — If you still didn’t like the NBA’s newest All-Star Game format, you probably just don’t like All-Star games.

That seemed to be the sports sphere’s consensus after the U.S.-against-the-world, round-robin tournament Sunday produced three thrilling mini-games and several impressive individual performances. Something about the setup compelled these stars to play their exhibition at a level much closer to real competition than usual.

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