Does it count for anything towards the teams’ seasons? Are NBA fans excited about it? Is it just a gimmick to boost viewership, and if so, is the NBA struggling?
I’m wondering too. Is it the league’s way of trying to mitigate load management?
Yes, it counts towards the regular season standings. No, it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with load management. It seems to be about increasing interest in the games during the first half of the season.
ESPN has a pretty good primer about it. The FAQ section, just after the Friday night results in the story, covers the basics.
Thanks. That’s helpful.
From the article:
It’s after the initial rush of the season starting, and alongside the college football and NFL regular seasons. If this tournament can bring more attention to the sport during its least relevant time of the year, it will be seen as a victory.
So, yeah, to generate interest and make some money. The NHL, whose season is close to the NBA, did something similar a couple weeks ago where every team in the league played on one day in the “Frozen Frenzy.”
I think competing with football is a challenge. A football fan may watch the NFL on Thursday night, then high school football Friday night, the college games all day Saturday, NFL games all day Sunday, and then Monday Night Football. That leaves just Tuesday and Wednesday with no football. Other than the local high school game, college and NFL games permeate the airwaves and streaming 4 days a week!
This was the interesting part for me. Although the games played mostly count towards the final standings, they do have a way of making sure every team plays the same number of games.
How will this impact the regular-season schedule and standings?
Typically, the NBA sends out a full 82-game schedule in mid-August. This year, though, the league only sent 80 games, with a gap in the schedule from Dec. 3-10. Each team’s final two regular-season games will be determined by how the in-season tournament plays out.
The 22 teams that fail to qualify for the knockout rounds of the in-season tournament will have their final two games scheduled – one at home and one on the road – on Dec. 6 and 8 against other teams eliminated in the group stage.
The East teams that lose in the quarterfinals and the West teams that lose in the quarterfinals will play each other on Dec. 7. The teams that lose in the semifinals in Las Vegas will have played their full allotment of 82 games, while the teams that reach the championship game will actually wind up playing 83 games – with the championship game not counting toward the regular-season standings.
NBA was the last sport I gave up watching. Back after MJ and the Bulls made winning boring! Used to really appreciate that they played each team in their division the most, and only played the other conference twice - home and away. Really made for fun seasonal rivalries, then getting to bone up on the other conference for the playoffs.
Now, I couldn’t imagine giving a darn about the NBA season or playoffs - even before this nonsensical attention stunt.
I figured the NBA saw the FA Cup and decided they wanted something like that.
I, myself, am deeply enjoying the games.
Tonight, the Suns and Jazz had a slugfest in which Durant had a 38/9/9 night. KD was unstoppable and clutch.
The games are good, some of the new courts they are using for this are ridiculous. Last night the court for the Bulls/Magic game was so bright red it was hard to watch.
Pacers beat the Celtics in the first round of the knockout bracket! What a game!
And off we go to Vegas!
The tournament isn’t about fan interest, per se.
It’s about sports betting! Follow the money.
Speaking as an Indiana Pacers fan living in Virginia, who came into the season frustrated that I’d only be able to watch them during their ONE nationally televised appearance and whenever they played the Washington Wizards, the fact that I get to watch three more Pacers games on national TV here is definitely a morale boost.
This is an exciting team to watch, and dammit, I wish we got more attention.
Tyrese Haliburton is a superstar in the making. Too early to consider him to be in the MVP discussion? I don’t think so.