The first-ever In-Season Tournament for the NBA is officially underway. Although there has been much discussion and confusion surrounding how it works, there have been some great games around the league during the tournament.
New jerseys, new courts, and a brand-new bracket that the league hopes will stick going forward. Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors gave a hilarious response regarding how he would explain the In-Season Tournament to a fan.
Both fans and players have expressed their confusion regarding how the tournament works. Although it has been a bit confusing, the NBA is hoping the tradition will stick from year to year going forward. As it goes, it takes time to develop a tradition in sports.
The NBA In-Season Tournament features each team playing four games in the group stage. From there, the top eight teams advance to the knockout stage. The NBA Cup, the newest NBA trophy, and a $18 million pool prize will be awarded to the tournament winner.
The tournament started on November 3rd. The championship game will be held on December 9th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Barnes and the Raptors will be featured in Group C of the Eastern Conference this year.
Along with two wild card teams, the winners of each group will move on to the tournament’s second phase, the knockout stage. Single-elimination games will be used in the knockout stages until the In-Season Tournament champion is crowned.
Although there is a bit of confusion, it will become easier to understand as the years go by. However, listening to Barnes’ advice of turning to Google to understand the concept would undeniably help.
