For 78 years the only trophy that NBA teams cared about was the Larry O’Brien trophy. The trophy is awarded to the winner of the NBA Finals after a long and grueling regular season and playoffs. But now, the new addition of the inaugural NBA in-season tournament gives teams and players another award to chase just weeks after opening day.
The highly controversial NBA in-season tournament is a new tournament which made its debut a few weeks ago. The contest divides all 30 teams into 6 groups based on the previous season’s standings. Each team will play two home and two away games for a total of 4 games. The winner of each group will be determined by record in group play and point differential. All group play games will be counted toward regular season stats and standings. There will be six winners (one from each group) and two wildcards (the two next best teams by record/point differential in each conference.) These eight teams will all travel to Las Vegas from December 4th-8th to compete in the knockout stage (win or out) to have a chance at the NBA cup which is awarded to the winner of the tournament.
The league marketed the tournament releasing new jerseys and courts for each team. There is no doubt that this new idea is highly innovative, but what do people think about it?
“I really like the new tournament,” said sophomore Cash Chua. “It gives players something to play for and teams new opportunities.”
Chua is a big fan of this new tournament, but sophomore and NBA fan Jacob Chiu isn’t. “The new tournament is pointless,” said Chiu. “The bright colors on the court are disgusting to look at too.”
The contradiction between these two students’ statements represent the conflicted feelings about the tournament in the greater public. The NBA’s goal with the tournament is to help prevent one of the league’s biggest problems, load management (players sitting out)-by giving them something to play for, just like Chua said. The NBA also wants to earn more regular season income and bring more awareness to the long 82-game season.
So far, the tournament has not been working. Players still sit out. But, one thing the league has done well with this, is promoting the tournament all over social media, leaving fans online in controversy too. Many online agree with Chiu, saying the bright colors on the newly designed courts make it hard to watch. The leagues own players have opened up about some of their aversion with the tournament
“The point differential thing, I’m not the biggest fan of it,” said Boston Celtic and NBA superstar Jayson Tatum “When the game was already over and the guys are still trying to score, you know, it’s all about respecting your opponents.” Tatum is one of the many players who have shared their opinions about the tournament. One factor that could lead to the failure of the tournament is the players’ dislike for it.
On the other hand, tons of NBA fans have expressed their love for the tournament. One thing that is often brought up is the comparison to the actual NBA playoffs. Some fans call the tournament games ‘playoff-like atmospheres.’ Fans have also seen under-the-radar players excel during tournament games, shining the light on Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who earned ‘All in-season tournament team’ honors, awarded to the 5 best players during the tournament. Staying on track with the players, one of the main rewards players chase after is the $500,000 awarded given to each player on the winning team, doubling 3 of the winning Lakers players’ salary. When asked if he is “too old to be taking charges” billionaire and face of the NBA LeBron James replied “Not for that 500 thousand I ain’t.”
