The much-awaited inaugural season of the NBA In-Season Tournament has begun with 30 teams competing for the Las Vegas crown that will culminate in an epic final on December 9.
This is aA piece of exciting news for NBA fans across the globe yet many are still confused about the format, schedule, groups, and overall structure of the new tournament. The biggest news is that the tournament is here and supposedly going to be one of the top 10 sporting contests in the US. So, you better get them jerseys out and get moving.
You can catch the latest action on ESPN, TNT, Bally Sports, and NBA TV or you can subscribe to NBA League Pass which is exclusively available with Xfinity TV. For an HD experience with the perfect sports stream companion, you can contact the Xfinity customer service team for several options to watch the inaugural edition of the NBA In-Season Tournament.
If you haven’t started following it yet then start today. There is still a long way to go before a champion is crowned and who knows that could be your team. Moreover, if you are still a little bit annoyed with the new format then just keep on reading as we’ll be taking you through the ropes to provide a complete breakdown of the new competition in town.
With this let’s get into the early impressions of the first game.
Early Impressions
The tournament began last Friday, November 3rd, and left many people many people baffled seeing their favorite superstar playing is a court that looked more like a swimming pool than a professional setting for the biggest sport in the US.
Overall, the players looked happy and ready to bring the heat. The Bucks vs Nicks was a pretty epic showdown with Milwaukee Buck just edging the win 110-105 from their archrivals. Damian Lillard, the star of the show, led from the front to secure an epic win for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks dominated the majority of the game with the Knicks making a strong comeback in the fourth quarter to register their early season domination as a close fight. From the looks of it, the early season tournament feels pretty competitive and will undoubtedly be a harbinger that will decide the future momentum of the rest of the NBA season.
Lastly, as a fan, I would like to cry aloud that the courts and the new jerseys are so bizarre as if coming out of a sci-fi movie. Some were acceptable but what is the point of changing the courts and jerseys every year? Continuity is what makes them iconic and memorable.
What’s the Format?
The new format is different than what we are used to but not that difficult to understand. So, bear with me here. So, 30 NBA teams have been divided into six groups within their conference with each group comprising a total of five teams. Each team will play a total of four games during group play with each team facing each other only once.
The six winners of the group will directly advance to a single-elimination or knockout round and the two remaining quarterfinalists will be wild card selections based on the best performance of the two teams in the group play games that finished second in the group.
This is where all the confusion starts when it is a very simple thing to begin with. So, here we go again. The knockout rounds will comprise a total of eight teams, six of which will be group winners and two of them will be wildcards that will be selected among the six runners-up from the groups based on the best overall performance. See?, itIt is not that difficult to understand.
How Were the Groups Decided?
The groups were decided on a random draw where each team was placed in one among a total of five pots to ensure uniformity in group quality.
The team division into pots was based on their overall performance in the last respective conference season with the top three teams taking the first pot and 3rd to 6th best teams taking the second pot.
What are the Awards & Prizes?
The prize money for the tournament is as follows:
- $50,000 for players on a team that loses in the quarterfinals
- $100,000 players on a team that loses in the semifinals
- $200,000 for players on a team that loses in the championship
- $500,000 players on a team that wins the championship
Individual and team awards comprise:
- Most Valuable Player
- All-Tournament Team
What is the Purpose of the Whole Tournament?
The purpose of the whole tournament is to bring forward an exciting new format during the early season to attract the global basketball and sports community to the NBA while providing the teams an opportunity to try out fresh blood for the main season.
All in all, the tournament is an exciting opportunity for both players and teams alike. New players will have the chance to prove their mettle on the big stage and teams can paint and adjust the canvas of their team early on the season while building a winning momentum.
Predictions: Who is Going to Win?
Boston and Denver seem as the favorites to win the competition. However, there are other teams to watch out for that could step up their game early in the season to give us plenty of thrills, excitement, and huge upsets.