NBA Cup is born

NBA Cup is born

The NBA has officially kicked off the NBA Cup, its first midseason tournament that will culminate with the finals on Dec. 9 in Las Vegas. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, introducing the competition, noted that the idea was discussed for 15 years by league officials before arriving at a format inspired by some European soccer competitions. “This is a perfect opportunity for a global league like the NBA,” Silver’s words, “throughout the sport we are seeing new innovations and the time has come for this season-long tournament.

All 67 games in both phases of the Season Tournament will count toward the regular season standings, excluding the Finals. All clubs will continue to play 82 regular season games each in the 2023-2024 season. Six groups of five teams, three from the Eastern Conference and three from the Western Conference, were drawn based on last season’s results. Each team will play twice at home and twice away in the tournament, facing each group rival once. These games will be played on Tuesdays and Fridays in November starting Nov. 3, excluding U.S. Election Day.

The first of each round and the next two best teams will qualify for the knockout quarterfinals, which will be held on December 4 and 5. The winners will advance to the semifinals, which will be held in Las Vegas on Dec. 7, and to the finals, which will take place two nights later. Each player on the winning team in the event will receive $500,000. “I’m very excited,” said Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr. “It will add an element of excitement for the players, coaches and fans. I think it’s a great idea.”