NBA In-Season Tournament: All You Need to Know About the Rumored ‘Cup Games’ to be Started From 2023-24

A strategy for the in-season tournament has apparently been developed by the NBA and might be put into action as early as the 2023–24 season. The NBA has developed a “template” for an In-Season Tournament, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic on Friday.

This competition has been speculated for years. The success of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup and the NBA Play-in Tournament gave Adam Silver the power he needed to press for this.

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The intention is to integrate the majority of this into each team’s regular season, much to the WNBA’s Commissioner’s Cup. For instance, a typical midweek Celtics vs. Knicks matchup in the first week of November may be recognized as a tournament game and get extra significance.

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NBA In-season tournament

Eight teams would move on to a single-elimination tournament in December based on their performance in those games. The regular seasons of the other 22 clubs would resume.

The 82-game schedule would include all In-Season Tournament games. The two teams who advance to the championship game will play one more game during the regular season (83 total).

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Benefits of the new format

When more casual fans are more likely to be focused on football, it may liven up the first few months of the season. Officials from the league like to find a method to motivate supporters before Christmas Day since they dislike the old cliche that the NBA season actually begins on that day.

Beyond winning the championship in June, it can give supporters something to cheer about. Ten teams have a chance to win the championship, even in what is seen as a wide-open championship season, like the one that is about to begin. That eliminates two-thirds of the league even before the first game is played. But those groups have a chance to heat up and take this early season championship.

WNBA Commissioner’s Cup

The WNBA Commissioner’s Cup, which has been incorporated into the league’s schedule for the past two seasons, looks to be quite similar to the concept, albeit it is not exactly the same.

Each WNBA club participates in 10 “Cup” games that contribute toward the standings for the In-Season Tournament during the Commissioner’s Cup. Similar to how they would in the NBA’s rumored In-Season Tournament, the games also count against each team’s overall record.

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