Everything to Know About the Rebranded NBA Cup
The NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament in 2023 was a success based on almost all metrics. The league set an attendance record that November and TV audience for tournament game windows grew 26% over the prior year. The championship game between the Indiana Pacers and the Los Angeles Lakers was the second most-watched game of the season excluding the playoffs. Most importantly, players and coaches bought in.
It will return this year, rebranded as the Emirates NBA Cup. Even though you’re familiar with the concept of the tournament from last season, you may not remember all the nuts and bolts of how it works, or the slight changes that have been made. So, we’ve compiled a list of everything you need to know.
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Contents
What is the NBA Cup?
The NBA Cup, previously known as the In-Season Tournament, is a relatively new event that takes place during the regular season. This will be the second iteration of the tournament. The format was agreed upon by the league and the National Basketball Players Association in the collective bargaining agreement signed in June 2023.
How does the NBA Cup work?
The 30 NBA teams were divided into six groups of five teams. Each team will play the other members of its group once. Then eight teams will advance to a single-elimination tournament. The team in each group with the best record in group-play games will advance, along with the team from each conference with the best record in group-play games that finished second in its group.
The knockout stage will culminate in a championship game to determine the winner of the NBA Cup.
What are the NBA Cup tiebreakers?
If multiple teams are tied for first place in a group, or for the conference “wild card” spot, the tie will be broken according to the following, in sequential order:
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Group stage head-to-head
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Group stage point differential
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Group stage total points scored
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2023-24 regular season record
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Random drawing
What NBA teams make up the groups?
Each team was placed into a “pot”…
