NBA reveals plans for in-season event that’ll begin in November. Right here’s the way it will influence the Celtics

Celtics

The Celtics will play within the Jap Convention’s Group C.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver publicizes the thirteenth choose within the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June 22, 2023, in New York. (AP Picture/John Minchillo) AP

By Related Press and Conor Roche

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Coming quickly: the NBA Cup.

The NBA unveiled the main points Saturday of its inaugural in-season event, which may have a prize pool of about $18 million and will probably be capped by a championship recreation — which received’t depend within the standings — in Las Vegas on Dec. 9. It’s an occasion that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver needed for years, giving groups a trophy to play for in the course of the common season.

And now, it’s lastly actuality.

“It is a idea that has been rumbling across the league workplace for about 15 years,” Silver mentioned. “It’s not a brand new idea in sports activities. For people who observe notably worldwide soccer, it’s an extended custom of getting in-season tournaments … so we thought, what an ideal alternative for a world league just like the NBA and it’s an ideal match for our recreation.”

The event payouts for gamers on customary contracts will probably be $500,000 apiece for these on the profitable group, $200,000 apiece for these on the runner-up, $100,000 apiece for these on the groups that lose semifinal video games and $50,000 for these on the groups that lose within the quarterfinals.

Two-way gamers on any of these groups are eligible for as much as half these quantities, relying on what number of video games they spend on a roster in the course of the event.

A significant a part of Saturday’s reveal was the teams. There are six teams that may decide which eight groups will make the eight-team knockout stage of the event because the winners of every group plus the 2 finest second-place groups will transfer on.

The Celtics will play in Group C of the Jap Convention. Their five-team group consists of the Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, and Orlando Magic. The Celtics will play every group as soon as. They’ll host video games towards the Nets and Bulls whereas touring for video games towards the Magic and Raptors. 

The teams had been randomly decided based mostly on final season’s standings. 

Listed below are the opposite 5 teams: 

West Group A — Memphis, Phoenix, the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah, and Portland.

West Group B — Denver, the Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans, Dallas, and Houston.

West Group C — Sacramento, Golden State, Minnesota, Oklahoma Metropolis, and San Antonio.

East Group A — Philadelphia, Cleveland, Atlanta, Indiana, and Detroit.

East Group B — Milwaukee, New York, Miami, Washington, and Charlotte.

Video games will begin on Nov. 3, being performed totally on Tuesdays and Fridays in November — aside from Nov. 7, when the NBA will play no video games to commemorate Election Day. That announcement got here Saturday, and can mark the second consecutive yr when the NBA has no video games on that date with hopes of selling civic consciousness and engagement.

The Last 4 will probably be in Las Vegas.

“This metropolis is aware of how you can host huge occasions,” Silver mentioned.

Groups had been assigned to a five-team group. They’ll play one recreation towards one another; the six group winners will make the quarterfinals, as will the 2 finest second-place groups from the teams.

“I’m enthusiastic about this midseason event,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr sadded. “I believe it’s going so as to add a component of vitality and pleasure for the gamers and coaches and the followers. I believe it’s a fantastic thought.”

Joe Dumars, the league’s govt vp of basketball operations and a Corridor of Famer as a participant, mentioned he thinks gamers will like the thought — even when it takes a while.

“Everyone’s not going to purchase in straight away,” Dumars mentioned. “That may’t be the objective, that everyone’s going to purchase in from Day 1. This stuff take time. And I believe as time goes on you may construct this up and other people can actually get into it.”

Event video games, aside from the championship recreation, will all depend within the standings — a lot in the identical manner that the WNBA runs its Commissioner’s Cup occasion.

It’s been recognized for a while that groups will probably be getting solely an 80-game schedule when the 2023-24 slate is launched by the NBA within the coming weeks.

Video games 81 and 82 will probably be added in December; that is the place issues get tough.

Groups that don’t make the knockout stage will probably be assigned two video games towards different non-knockout qualifiers, and people would be the lacking two video games on their schedules.

For the eight groups that make the knockout stage, the quarterfinal recreation turns into the 81st recreation added to their schedule. Quarterfinal losers — two from the East, two from the West — will play one another, and that’ll be the 82nd recreation on their schedules. Semifinalists — once more, two from the East, two from the West — will play, and that recreation turns into the 82nd recreation on their schedules.

Meaning the championship recreation will probably be considered one of 83 video games on the schedule for the final two groups standing. And because the season is 82 video games, that recreation received’t depend within the standings, nor will the stats depend for something. They’ll be taking part in for cash and the trophy.