NBA Confirms New In-Season Tournament For Next Season, Releases Group Settings
deadline.comIn a move to inject some excitement into its regular season, the National Basketball Association has unveiled its new in-season tournament.
The NBA Cup is a European cup-style competition that adds some sizzle to the early season schedule. Players on the winning team will get $500,000 each. “This is a concept that has been rumbling around the league office for around 15 years,” Commissioner Adam Silver said on a special episode of “NBA Today” from “NBA Con” as part of the league’s annual gathering in Las Vegas. “We thought what a perfect opportunity for a global league like the NBA, and it’s a perfect fit for our game. “New traditions take time.
But, all throughout sports, we are seeing new innovations, and now is the time for this NBA in-season tournament.” The league unveiled the six five-team groups — three made up of Eastern Conference teams and three made up of Western Conference foes — that will be in the group stage of the tournament: Group 1: Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons Group 2: Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets Group 3: Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic Group 4: Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers Group 5: Denver Nuggets, LA Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets Group 6: Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs The teams were grouped by splitting each conference into five pots that were separated by last year’s regular-season standings.
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