The National Basketball Association hosted its typical regular season start in October, but a brand new In-Season Tournament is currently making its debut in the league. The tournament began Friday, Nov. 3, and the Championship will be held Saturday, Dec. 9, in Las Vegas.
NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, has been wanting to implement this concept as he hopes to draw more attention to the regular season of the NBA, therefore increase revenue for the league.
This new competition consists of the group play phase where all teams from the Eastern and Western conferences are randomly selected into three groups of five. The teams play each other to earn the best record in their group, which will advance them to the knockout rounds. The six teams with the best records, along with one wild card team from each conference will advance to the knockout rounds, where single elimination play will take place.
Each player on the champion team will receive $500,000 while the runners-up will earn $200,000 each. The league will also award a ‘Most Valuable Player’ award for the tournament along with an All-Tournament team award.
Tipping off the tournament, teams such as the Sacramento Kings, Los Angelos Lakers, Indiana Pacers, and Milwaukee Bucks made statements going 4-0 in the group play round and automatically advancing forward. Following close behind, the Boston Celtics and the New Orleans Pelicans advanced as well, leaving the New York Knicks and the Phoenix Suns to be selected as the wild card teams also moving onto the knockout rounds.
One key player who is a front-runner for the tournaments’ MVP award is Milwaukee’s new acquire, Damian Lillard as he is averaging 29.6 points per game showcasing his strong veteran abilities on his new team. Another candidate is New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram who averages 27.4 points per game and has carried his team through the tournament. Ingram will face Los Angelos’ star LeBron James in the western conference semi-final game, another popular player with outstanding statistics, placing him high on the MVP ladder.
Going into the semi-final round of the tournament, the competition is getting heated. The semi-finals will take place on Thursday Dec. 7 at 5 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. ET. New Orleans will face Los Angelos and Milwaukee will face Indiana in two close matchups as Milwaukee is favored by 5.5 points and Los Angelos by just 1.5 according to ESPN.
The outcomes of these games will set a new tone for the teams continuing through the regular season, with the 2024 playoffs in mind which will begin on Apr. 20.
The NBA regular season consists of 82 games, but the results of this new in-season tournament are giving players, coaches, and fans a sneak peak into what the 2024 playoffs could look like as prize money and awards are on the line, creating pressure that is not seen as commonly in the regular season.
The first ever NBA Cup championship game will take place on Saturday Dec. 9 at 8:30 p.m. ET between the winners of Thursdays matchups.
I love this new addition to the NBA as I think it brings a lot more excitement to the regular season. The NBA tends to not be as popular before playoffs start as an 82 game season doesn’t make individual games seem significant. However, with this new thrilling form of competition, the NBA is gaining more views and fan reactions. Overall, I think the new in-season tournament is an extension of the great intensity and spark the NBA has held for decades.
