ESPN.com.brNov 3, 2023, 06:49Reading: 5 min.
Friday (3) is the opening day of the NBA. But not that a great star will play his first game for a new team, but rather the start of the main news of 2023/24: the NBA Cup, a tournament that will have a group stage and knockout stages, all while the regular season takes place. .
On the first day of the competition, matches between Milwaukee Bucks It is New York Knicksin addition to Denver Nuggets It is Dallas Maverickswill have broadcast by ESPN on Star+.
But what exactly is the NBA Cup? How will the tournament work? Why is this happening? What does the NBA hope to get out of this?
With those questions in mind, here’s what we know and don’t know about the NBA’s season-ending tournament:
Why is this happening?
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has wanted to implement this for years for several reasons. Much like the play-in games, however, it took a long time for him to convince everyone involved to give it a try.
The first hope, obviously, is that it generates revenue. The NBA believes the season’s tournament could become a significant money-making franchise over time due to the ability to sell its television rights — as has happened with the WNBA’s version of the event. The other hope is to attract more eyes to the league.
The time period in which the tournament is set — from early November through the first week of December — may be the most irrelevant part of the NBA schedule. It is after the initial rush of the early season and along with the college football and football regular seasons. NFL. If this tournament manages to bring more attention to the sport at the least relevant time of the year, it will be seen as a victory.
What will the format be?
Silver has long been fascinated by European football, and the basis for the NBA’s season-long tournament is cup tournaments across Europe. In these leagues, there is a regular season championship, determined by the team with the most points all year, and then a separate tournament (or, in some leagues, multiple tournaments) that runs concurrently with the league.
Unlike European soccer tournaments, which are all played outside of the league schedule, the NBA Cup is included in the NBA’s regular season schedule. The 30 teams were divided into six groups of five teams.
The four group stage games will be played on seven dates in November: four Fridays (3, 10, 17 and 24 November) and three Tuesdays (14, 21 and 28 November).
The quarterfinals will be played on December 4th and 5th at the home of the top-seeded team, and the semifinals and title game will be on December 7th and 9th in Las Vegas.
How will this impact the classification and the championship?
Teams will have to quickly adjust to the new games added to their seasons.
Typically, the NBA sends out a full 82-game schedule in mid-August. This year, however, the league will only send each team 80 games. Why? Each team’s final two regular season games will be determined by how the season tournament plays out.
The 22 teams that fail to qualify for the round of 16 of the season’s tournament will have their final two games scheduled – one at home and one away – on December 6th and 8th against other teams eliminated in the group stage.
The Eastern teams that lose in the quarterfinals and the Western teams that lose in the quarterfinals will face each other on December 7th. Teams that lose in the semifinals in Las Vegas will have played 82 games, while those that reach the title game will end up playing 83 times – with the championship game not counting toward the regular season standings.
Why will the NBA Cup include regular season games?
Before its release, one of the biggest questions surrounding the season’s tournament was why any team would be incentivized to compete in it. By making it part of the regular season schedule and making each game count toward the regular season – very important from a playoff playoff standpoint – the NBA has created a situation where it is in the teams’ best interest to win these games.
If this had been organized like European soccer tournaments, nothing would have stopped NBA teams from literally or figuratively giving up, sitting all their best players and getting extra rest time. Under this system, however, they will have every incentive to play and win.
What will the groups be like?
To create the groups — which were separated by conferences — the NBA placed all 15 teams in each conference into five pots, separated by their seeding last season. Thus: Pot 1 included the teams that finished 1-3 in the regular season, teams 4-6 went into Pot 2, teams 7-9 in Pot 3, teams 10-12 in Pot 4, and teams 13 to 15 in Pot 5.
As a result, the following groups were drawn:
A group: Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons
Group B: Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets
Group C: Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic
Group D: Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers
Group E: Denver Nuggets, LA Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets
Group F: Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City ThunderSan Antonio Spurs
What do players get?
Another incentive: the players on the winning team will receive US$500,000 each (R$2.47 million), while the runner-up will receive US$200,000 (R$990,000). The losers of the semi-finals will receive US$100,000 each (R$495,000), and the losers of the quarter-finals will receive US$50,000 each (R$247,000).
Are there individual prizes?
There will be an MVP award for the season’s tournament, as well as an ideal team for the entire tournament.
Will there be any impact on the playoffs?
No. While there was some debate among league members about guaranteeing a playoff berth as a reward for winning the tournament, ultimately that idea – or any other to further incentivize teams – did not come to fruition. The only impact of the playoff will come from the wins and losses accumulated throughout the tournament.
Why is it called the NBA Cup?
Because it’s easy to change. In the short term, the NBA said it chose the most basic title for the tournament and its trophy — the “tournament of the season” and the “NBA Cup” — as a way to introduce the concept to fans. However, using such bland and nondescript names has another clear advantage: When the league tries to sell the naming rights to both, it will be an easier transition from a common name than one connected to a specific individual (like the late David Stern, a possibility that had been raised before the tournament was officially revealed).
