NBA In-Season Tournament

[JeremyG]

Is it just me or would anyone else not be all that upset to for our team to not advance have 1-2 extra games of high intensity wear and tear?

They fill our schedule in with 2 extra games anyways if we don’t make it. The only way we add games is if we go to the championship and it’s just 1 game at that point. A game that I don’t believe counts in the standings

And the stats for that game don't count either, right? They just sort of disappear like for the play-in games I think. It will be crazy if some sort of record is broken, but it doesn't count.

[Split T]

That’s weird to me. I don’t correlate them at all. They are two different things and I wouldn’t compare them or even consider the NBA Cup some sort of championship level event.

[Split T]

Is it just me or would anyone else not be all that upset to for our team to not advance have 1-2 extra games of high intensity wear and tear?

They fill our schedule in with 2 extra games anyways if we don’t make it. The only way we add games is if we go to the championship and it’s just 1 game at that point. A game that I don’t believe counts in the standings

And the stats for that game don't count either, right? They just sort of disappear like for the play-in games I think. It will be crazy if some sort of record is broken, but it doesn't count.

Ya…so you know Booker will hit 7 3s and get a triple double

[JeremyG]

That’s weird to me. I don’t correlate them at all. They are two different things and I wouldn’t compare them or even consider the NBA Cup some sort of championship level event.

Then why are they calling it a "Championship" game?

"...will culminate with the Championship on Saturday, Dec. 9." https://www.nba.com/news/in-season-tournament-101

[Flagrant Fowl]

As opposed to calling it what else?

This discussion is turning into a Seinfeld plot.

[Split T]

That’s weird to me. I don’t correlate them at all. They are two different things and I wouldn’t compare them or even consider the NBA Cup some sort of championship level event.

Then why are they calling it a "Championship" game?

"...will culminate with the Championship on Saturday, Dec. 9." https://www.nba.com/news/in-season-tournament-101

I just mean in comparison to the NBA Finals…I don’t think anyone is going to put the two on similar standing at all.

To me saying you don’t want to win this before winning an NBA championship is like being mad getting the 1 seed or winning your division before winning the title…but you guys obviously see it differently than me.

[The Bobster]

I just don;t see what the draw of this is. They're just taking a random selection of games and calling them an in-season tournament which doesn't take place over a single week, but because they use a different court its supposed to be an event?

If you want it to be important, do it over the All-Star Break and get it all done at once.

[TOO]

I just don;t see what the draw of this is. They're just taking a random selection of games and calling them an in-season tournament which doesn't take place over a single week, but because they use a different court its supposed to be an event?

If you want it to be important, do it over the All-Star Break and get it all done at once.

I'm with you. It all just seems forced and silly.

[Superbone]

Is it just me or would anyone else not be all that upset to for our team to not advance have 1-2 extra games of high intensity wear and tear?

They fill our schedule in with 2 extra games anyways if we don’t make it. The only way we add games is if we go to the championship and it’s just 1 game at that point. A game that I don’t believe counts in the standings

Wait, we have 84 games this season? I thought it was only one possible extra game for the championship?

[Flagrant Fowl]

Being outright against it at this point seems like just being a contrarian for no specific reason.

Coming to a conclusion after 3 games (2 for the Suns) seems very shortsighted.

There's literally zero downside to this tournament.

[Flagrant Fowl]

I just don;t see what the draw of this is. They're just taking a random selection of games and calling them an in-season tournament which doesn't take place over a single week, but because they use a different court its supposed to be an event?

If you want it to be important, do it over the All-Star Break and get it all done at once.

They're not random. It's clearly laid out if you take the time to follow it. And a 30-team tournament during the All-Star break defeats the purpose of a "break" in the first place.

[Split T]

Is it just me or would anyone else not be all that upset to for our team to not advance have 1-2 extra games of high intensity wear and tear?

They fill our schedule in with 2 extra games anyways if we don’t make it. The only way we add games is if we go to the championship and it’s just 1 game at that point. A game that I don’t believe counts in the standings

Wait, we have 84 games this season? I thought it was only one possible extra game for the championship?

No they only scheduled 80 games this year and will add 2 more for everyone

[Wally_West]

Wouldn’t surprise me if they try to add playoff implications, like winning guarantees you home court in a round if you are the lower seed, a guaranteed play-in spot if out the top 10.

[Split T]

Sounds like some Boomers in here that want to complain about anything new

And I agree with FF, seems weird to complain about before it’s even happened. Give it a shot…the 8 team single elimination portion is the main event. Anyone making conclusions before then has clearly just made up their minds and is unwilling to give it a chance.

[Split T]

Wouldn’t surprise me if they try to add playoff implications, like winning guarantees you home court in a round if you are the lower seed, a guaranteed play-in spot if out the top 10.

Here’s my thought…

When the league expands to 32, you make it 4 groups of 8 for the group stage(1 game vs each team for 7 games). Group winners get a 1st round bye for the single elimination tourney. 2nd place team in each group gets a home game for 1st round and then you have 4 wild card teams who play the 2nd place finishers in the 1st round. Winners of that play the 1st place teams on their home court. Final 4 moves to a neutral site like currently.

Prize breakdown:

Making the 12 team tourney but losing round 1(50K per player)

Making field of 8 but losing round 2(100k per player)

Making final four but losing(250k per player)

Making Championship game(500k per player)

Winning the championship then gives you an additional bonus as follows..

Guaranteed to be a 10th seed, so if you finish 11-16, you get 10.

In addition,!if you finish 9/10, you get 8th.

If you finish 7/8, you get 6th

If you finish 5/6, you get 4th.

If you finish 3/4, you get 2nd

If you finish 2, you get 1.

If you finish 1, you get HCA through finals.

If you already had HCA through finals you can pick 1 away game at any point in the playoffs and make it a home game.

[Superbone]

Sounds like some Boomers in here that want to complain about anything new

And I agree with FF, seems weird to complain about before it’s even happened. Give it a shot…the 8 team single elimination portion is the main event. Anyone making conclusions before then has clearly just made up their minds and is unwilling to give it a chance.

For the record, I haven't pushed back. Just trying to understand. (And I'm barely a Boomer! Had to look up the years.)

[Split T]

For the record, I haven't pushed back. Just trying to understand. (And I'm barely a Boomer! )

You’re good Bone, wasn’t meaning you…and I’m just giving people a hard time…it’s all in good fun.

[Flagrant Fowl]

I'm very skeptical of rewarding playoff seeding based on tournament results because I think it opens a lot of ways for teams to implement some form of "tanking", and preventing that is part of the reason this tournament was created in the first place.

[Kryptonic]

This is how I picture split thinking about basketball… 🫡

Those incentives would definitely motivate teams… I was thinking that they could add one lotto ball for the winner too to give them odds in the draft but then again that may be out of whack with trying to utilize the lottery to improve teams that are performing poorly. I like the idea of the team getting to steal a home game and could really throw a twist in things… I’m sure arenas and ticket holders might lose their minds though so I’m assuming there would have to be a set time to execute this benefit. Still… cool idea.

[Split T]

I'm very skeptical of rewarding playoff seeding based on tournament results because I think it opens a lot of ways for teams to implement some form of "tanking", and preventing that is part of the reason this tournament was created in the first place.

How would it open up tanking?