![]() Until 2013, when the NBA-taking its alt-jersey obsession to a fanatical new extreme-attached short sleeves and then, for good measure, shrunk every jersey two sizes too small. As for the other major experiments …Įvery NBA star, of every generation, from Bill Russell to Joel Embiid, has worn some version of the same uniform top: a front, a back, two shoulder strips of varying width. On a scale of 1 to 5, I’ll give the in-season tournament a 3.5, one of the better innovations of the Silver era. ![]() So we can quibble over the details, the structure, and the court designs-and league officials will reassess it all-but it’s pretty clear this thing is here to stay. In a way, the tournament was a triumph of group psychology: It mattered because everyone acted like it did, which in turn made it feel more meaningful.Īnd if the point of the exercise was to inject a little more excitement in an otherwise languid part of the season, well, mission accomplished. We want pro athletes to compete for competition’s sake, don’t we? That they went this hard for a trophy that everyone agrees is, well, sort of contrived, is actually, weirdly, a plus. It isn’t, it can’t be, and again, that’s OK. As Lakers star Anthony Davis said Saturday night, “We know it’s not the real thing.” Will we still be talking about the Cup next week? Or even, say, tomorrow? Also doubtful. Are Nikola Jokic, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant losing sleep over not winning the NBA Cup? Doubtful. 9 do anything to burnish LeBron’s legacy? Um, no. All of which makes this inaugural run memorable.ĭoes a championship won on Dec. And it generated some hard feelings, with vets like DeMar DeRozan bristling over opponents running up the score to boost their point differential. It produced some controversy, including the Lakers’ questionable late-game timeout against the Suns. The tournament gave us some genuinely wonderful moments, like the Pacers’ joyful celebration with their fans after winning their quarterfinal game. The young and frisky Pacers aren’t ready to contend yet, but this tournament run could serve as a springboard and confidence booster. For a rising star like Tyrese Haliburton, the tournament was invaluable, providing a playoff-like experience and a boost to his national profile. Would the championship have felt quite as vibrant without that crowd? Without LeBron? We’ll find out in future years.īut back to basketball. ![]() One other caveat about Saturday night: It involved LeBron and the Lakers, who count Vegas as an extension of their home market. (The one glaring exception being the Lakers’ 44-point rout of the Pelicans, who apparently were there just to prove that, well, not everyone cared equally.)Ģ023 NBA In-Season Tournament Winners and Losers The In-Season Tournament Offered a Window Into the NBA’s Future The NBA In-Season Tournament’s Real Test Begins Now And most of those games were legitimately intense. The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics sounded genuinely disappointed after losing in the knockout round. The Indiana Pacers, who lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the title game, clearly wanted it. just answered with a pretty emphatic “Yes.” LeBron wanted that trophy, and whatever amorphous meaning it carries. ![]() The biggest question I had about the in-season tournament was, effectively, Will anyone care about a made-up trophy won in December? LeBron James and Co. See “ synthetic ball” and “ shortened 3-point line.”) Experiment enough, and you’re sure to produce a few flops. But it’s a credit to Silver that his administration is so willing to tinker, whether with rules and game play or the broader structure of the season. Some innovations have fared better than others. Remember the shirseys? (Ack.) The award show? (Double ack.) The Clorox Clutch Challenge? (No, I don’t remember it, either.) Under Silver, the league has adopted coaches’ challenges, flopping penalties, lottery reform, a play-in tournament, an earlier trade deadline, a longer All-Star break, and a shorter preseason. And there have been lots of them in his 10 years as commissioner. Will Amazon or Apple or someone else shell out tens of millions to broadcast the tournament in the future? We’ll see.īut as a basic basketball and entertainment endeavor, I’d say the first-ever NBA Cup was a qualified success-one of the better experiments of the Adam Silver era. Was it worth the investment, the hype, the endless stream of Michael Imperioli commercials? That’s for the bean counters to assess. ![]() Was the in-season tournament a ratings bonanza? Not exactly. Click here to read the The Ringer’s 2023-24 NBA rankings.Īs a business matter, it’s all a bit murkier. ![]()
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