After the “Play-in Tournament”, it’s time for the “In-Season Tournament”. This is the name given to the brand new NBA tournament which will take place from mid-October to early December, in parallel with the regular season.
The NBA unveiled the visual identity Friday, and the league announced that the draw would take place on Saturday, at 1:30 a.m. French time. A draw that will define three pools of five teams in each conference. Three different pools of the current divisions, even if, inevitably, teams will find themselves together in both cases. To prevent the best teams from ending up in the same group, the NBA has implemented a “seeded” system, as is the case in Europe with the Champions League football.
We also learned that an MVP would be designated at the end of the competition, and that there would be the election of an All-Tournament Team.
Here’s what you need to know about this NBA tournament.
CALENDAR
In August, the NBA unveils a schedule with 80 games for the 30 franchises. The matches of the “In-season tournament” are included, ie four teams: two at home and two away.
WHICH QUALIFIED FOR THE ELIMINATORY PHASES?
Then, the six teams that will win each group, plus two teams drafted, will advance to the knockout stage of the tournament. The two teams drafted will be selected from the 2nd place in each pool, and the NBA will select those with the best regular season record at that time of the season.
QUARTER-FINALS
It will be a round of a game, probably on the field of the highest ranked. The NBA is to release details this Saturday. What is certain is that the winners will qualify for the Final Four, while the losers will continue the regular season. For participants, this will be considered their 81st regular season game.
THE FINAL FOUR
The Semi-Finals and Finals of the In-season Tournament will take place in Las Vegas, December 7-9, 2023. Only the Semi-Finals will count towards the regular season, and this will be the 82nd game for the regular season. However, the final is not counted in the regular season.
EARNINGS PER PLAYER
- Winners : $500,000 per player
- Finalists : $200,000 per player
- Semi-finalists : $100,000 per player
- Quarter-finalists : $50,000 per player
