The second ever NBA Cup kicks off Tuesday night, with the Sixers and New York Knicks headlining the opening night of Group Play. How does the NBA Cup -- formerly known as the In-Season Tournament -- actually work? Here is a refresher of its format and a preview of what the Sixers will be up against.
Group Play
Each conference has three groups of five teams, which were chosen at random over the summer. In Group Play, each team plays each of the other four teams in their group once. All Group Play games count towards a team's regular season record and statistics.
Here is the Sixers' schedule of Group Play contests:
• Nov. 12 vs. New York Knicks
• Nov. 15 @ Orlando Magic
• Nov. 22 vs. Brooklyn Nets
• Dec. 3 @ Charlotte Hornets
Eight teams emerge from Group Play: the leader of each of the six groups, and one wild card team in each conference. An important note here: the first tiebreaker for teams with the same record in Group Play is point differential. As was the case last year, you may see plenty of teams trying to run up the scores of Group Play games to bolster their standing in potential tiebreaker situations.
The Knicks are the clear favorites in this group, particularly with Orlando star Paolo Banchero likely to be sidelined for the entirety of Group Play. But the beauty of the NBA Cup is supposed to be the unpredictability of it all; the Indiana Pacers going all the way to the championship game of the inaugural In-Season Tournament was a strong development for the league.
Knockout Rounds
Once the eight teams to advance beyond Group Play have been determined, the Knockout Rounds commence. This is rather simple -- the eight teams are divided by conference into a single-elimination bracket. Teams who win a quarterfinal game will advance to Las Vegas, where the semifinals and championship take place.
All quarterfinal and semifinal games count as regular season games, and teams who do not qualify for the Knockout Rounds will have two standard contests scheduled as the NBA Cup nears its end.
Once the two finalists have been determined, though, the championship game does not count as a regular season contest. Teams who participate in the final battle of the NBA Cup will end up playing 83 games before the playoffs begin, but this one will not count on their record.
Prizes
Every player on a team that qualifies for the Knockout Rounds receives a cash prize, but the significance of said prize will vary depending on the team's success within the bracket. Players on the team which wins the NBA Cup will each earn $500 thousand. This is not a significant financial boost for many of the league's stars, but it is for younger players with lesser track records. If last year's events are any indication, those highly-paid star players want to take pride in helping their lower-profile teammates secure some extra financial security.
Will the Sixers' 2024-25 turnaround be sparked by the NBA Cup? It's time to find out.
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