After years of discussions and studies of European Cups in football, the NBA took the plunge with the creation of the “in-season tournament”. This is an NBA tournament with no real sporting stakes, even if all the matches count for the regular season. This Friday evening is the first evening with six matches on the program: Pacers – Cavaliers, Bucks – Knicks, Bulls – Nets, Thunder – Warriors, Heat – Wizards, Nuggets – Mavericks and Blazers – Grizzlies.
AN NBA TOURNAMENT WITH SIX POOLS
To create the groups below, the NBA implemented a seeding system, based on last season’s rankings, 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.
A VERY PRECISE CALENDAR
Each team will therefore play four matches (two at home, and two away), and they will take place in November on fixed dates: November 3, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24 and 28. That’s three Tuesdays and four Fridays. The NBA, like European football, wants to create events for spectators.
DIFFERENT JERSEYS AND PARQUETS
To distinguish the NBA tournament from the rest of the regular season, each team will play with a different jersey and on a different floor!
WHO QUALIFIES FOR THE ELIMINATORY PHASES?
The six teams that win each pool, plus two drafted teams, will advance to the knockout stage of the tournament. The two teams drafted will be selected among the 2nd in each pool, and the NBA will select those with the best regular season record at that point in the season.
QUARTER-FINAL
It will be a one-match round, on the field of the highest ranked, and the matches will take place on November 4 and 5. The winners will advance to the Final Four, while the losers will continue in the regular season. For the participants, this will be considered their 81st regular season game.
THE FINAL OVEN
The semi-finals and final of the In-season Tournament will take place in Las Vegas on December 7 and 9, 2023. Only the semi-finals will count for the regular season, and it will be the 82nd game for the regular season. However, the final is not counted in the regular season.
THE TROPHY
The winner of the “in-season tournament” wins the NBA Cup. The NBA has also decided to designate an MVP of the competition, as well as the best five of the tournament, the All-Tournament Team.
WINNINGS PER PLAYER
- Winners : $500,000 per player
- Finalists : $200,000 per player
- Semi-finalists : $100,000 per player
- Quarter-finalists : $50,000 per player
