The NBA is taking on a new dimension. They want to add a new twist to an already well-known league around the world and bring it closer to fans around the world. Something exclusive, something new, something never seen before, is coming this way. Here comes the NBA Tournament, which will take place during the regular season of the world’s most powerful league.
An interesting development in the North American Basketball League
As early as December
The tournament is scheduled to start on the 3rd of November and run until the beginning of December.
The 2023/24 season will be the premiere season for the tournament, and some of the details have been officially presented in the league’s new collective bargaining agreement, which came into effect on Saturday, the well-known sports website ESPN reported a few days ago.
Course of the tournament
All teams will play in a group stage, which will consist of six groups – three per conference – and will be selected by a random draw based on the percentage of wins of the teams in the previous season. Each team will play four matches within its group, with the knockout stage going to the six group winners and the two teams with the best winning percentage in their groups that did not finish first. All matches in the knockout phase, including the final, will be played on a one-win basis.
“This concept has been in our offices for about 15 years and is new to the sport,”
said League Commissioner David Silver, adding that they were somewhat inspired by football. Matches will be held mostly on Tuesdays and Fridays, and all except the final match will count towards the league standings.
It has been clear for some time now that some teams will get a schedule with 80 games instead of the usual 82 in the upcoming season. Two more will be added in December.
Generous financial prizes
The winner will take home the NBA Cup and the players of the winning team will each receive $500,000. This brings the total prize pool to around €16 million.
Official tournament groups:
- 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
Popovich still insists, has Wembanyama tempted him?
Legendary basketball coach Gregg Popovich has renewed his contract with the San Antonio Spurs of the North American Professional Basketball League (NBA) at the age of 74. Popovich will be with the franchise for another five years, the Texas franchise announced. The 19-year-old French basketball player Victor Wembanyama, 224 centimetres tall centre, will be coached by the experienced strategist during his first years in the NBA and is expected to have a brilliant career.
Gregg Popovich, who has been NBA Coach of the Year three times, has led the team to five championships since becoming coach in 1996. He also led the US team to Olympic gold in Tokyo.
The financial details of Popovich’s contract extension were not disclosed by the club, but ESPN reported that it is worth more than €73 million. This would overtake Monty Williams‘ six-year deal with the Detroit Pistons, who will get around 72 million for his coaching job there. Popovich also has the most wins in NBA history, with 1,366 wins and 761 losses.
The tall Frenchman disappointed in the opening round, but then did what everyone expected
Wembanyama started his NBA Summer League career with a win over the Charlotte Hornets, but he was anything but brilliant. He had 9 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks, but that didn’t negate his performance from the field. He hit only 2 shots out of 13 attempts and looked completely lost on the court.
“I didn’t know exactly what I was doing on the floor,”
were the Frenchman’s words after the opening game. The very next game was a different story. Wembanyama shone and showed the kind of game the general basketball public expects from a future superstar. He delivered 27 points for Portland, while adding 12 rebounds. There was no shortage of dunks and blocks – all the repertoire that is required, let alone expected, of a Frenchman in all the limelight.
It was also the last meeting the popular Wemby played in the summer league. The player and the club decided to take some time away from the spotlight and prepare for the regular part of the season in peace.
