As expected, the NBA has unveiled the schedule for its very first tournament, also called the NBA Cup, and the thirty franchises are now aware of the four games they will play alongside the regular season. What we see is that the Spurs are the only team to have more than two televised meetings on ESPN and TNT.
Placed in Group C with the Kings, the Warriors, the Timberwolves and the Thunder, the Spurs will play their first match on November 10 against Wolves, then the other holes will be televised: the 14 against the Thunder, the 17 against the Kings and finally on November 24 against the Warriors.
On the first night, which will take place on November 3, the two star meetings will oppose the Bucks to the Knicks, and the Nuggets to the Mavericks.
To read >>> Full NBA Tournament Schedule
An NBA tournament with a seeding system
To create the groups below, the NBA had implemented a seeding system, based on last season’s ranking, with five different hats.
Group 1: Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons
Group 2: Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets
Group 3: Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic
Group 4: Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers
Group 5: Denver Nuggets, LA Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets
Group 6: Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs.
Each team will therefore play four matches, and they will take place in November on fixed dates: November 3, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24 and 28. That is three Tuesdays and four Fridays. The NBA, like European football, wants to create appointments for spectators.
The final stages from December 4 to 9
Then, the first six of each pool, and the two best runners-up will participate in the quarter-finals on December 4 and 5. It will be on a match, and on the field of the highest ranked.
Finally, as planned, the Final Four will take place in Las Vegas on December 7 and 9 at the T-Mobile Arena. Only in the final will the best team in the East be able to face the best team in the West.
Answer in November and December next, with a nice bonus of 500,000 dollars for each player of the winning team.
