2023-24 NBA In-Season Tournament: Everything to know about the new tourney
Taking a page from European soccer, the NBA is adding an in-season tournament.
The NBA on Saturday announced details of the event, which will take place next season. The league’s hope is that it takes off in interest and popularity like soccer’s FA Cup in England and Copa del Rey in Spain. The NBA's goals are to create “another competition to win, engage fans in a new way and drive additional interest in the early portion of the regular-season schedule."
The winner will take home the NBA Cup.
Getting buy-in from players, teams and fans is the first step.
"By creating that win-or-go-home energy, which we see in other sports driving significant levels of competition, we think there's an element there that’s beneficial,” NBA executive vice president of basketball strategy and analytics Evan Wasch said, adding, “Ultimately, NBA players are among the most competitive people on the planet when you put them in these single-elimination situations, in these special environments with that look and feel, with this prize money, with these recognitions on the line, we think the rest will do itself.
"But it also has to be collaborative and collective conversation among teams and players, which it has been that, if we want to buy into this and build it into something significant.”
What is the NBA In-Season Tournament?
It is a new annual tournament featuring all 30 teams, debuting in the 2023-24 season. The NBA has talked about this for years, and it is now a reality. The event will consist of 67 games, all of which count against a team’s regular-season record.
When is the NBA In-Season Tournament?
It will take place in November and December with tournament games on Tuesday and Friday in November, beginning Friday, Nov. 3 (except Election Day on Nov. 7), continuing with the quarterfinals on Dec. 4-5 and ending with the semifinals and finals Dec. 7 and Dec. 9 in Las Vegas.
While the groups were announced on Saturday, the In-Season Tournament schedule and TV information will be announced in August.
What is the format for the NBA In-Season Tournament?
It starts out as round-robin group play and then progresses to single-elimination for the final eight teams: quarterfinals, semifinals and final.
Each conference will be split into three five-team groups. The groups were determined by teams’ regular-season records in 2022-23 in a draw from these five pots:
Pot 1: The teams with the three best prior-season records in a conference.
Pot 2: The teams with the fourth-through-sixth-best prior-season records.
Pot 3: The teams with the seventh-through-ninth-best prior-season records.
Pot 4: The teams with the 10th-through-12th-best prior-season records.
Pot 5: The teams with the 13th-through-15th-best prior-season records.
Each team will play four games against the other teams in its group − two at home and two on the road.
The winner of each group plus a wild card from each conference (team with the best record that finished second in its group) advance to the quarterfinals.
All games except for the semifinals and final will be played in NBA markets.
What are the groupings for the NBA In-Season Tournament?
Eastern Conference
East Group A: Philadelphia 76ers; Cleveland Cavaliers; Atlanta Hawks; Indiana Pacers; Detroit Pistons
East Group B: Milwaukee Bucks; New York Knicks; Miami Heat; Washington Wizards; Charlotte Hornets
East Group C: Boston Celtics; Brooklyn Nets; Toronto Raptors; Chicago Bulls; Orlando Magic
Western Conference
West Group A: Memphis Grizzlies; Phoenix Suns; Los Angeles Lakers; Utah Jazz; Portland Trail Blazers
West Group B: Denver Nuggets; Los Angeles Clippers; New Orleans Pelicans; Dallas Mavericks; Houston Rockets
West Group C: Sacramento Kings; Golden State Warriors; Minnesota Timberwolves; Oklahoma City Thunder; San Antonio Spurs
What is the Cleveland Cavaliers' NBA In-Season Tournament schedule?
The Cavs' schedule during the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament is slated as follows:
Friday, Nov. 3, @ Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 17, vs. Detroit Pistons, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 21, @ Philadelphia 76ers, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
Tuesday, Nov. 28, vs. Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m.
What are the incentives?
Beyond winning the NBA Cup, players on teams that reach the quarterfinals and beyond will receive additional financial compensation − $500,000 for each player on the championship team; $200,000 for players on the runner-up team; $100,000 for players on the losing semifinals teams and $50,000 for each player on a team that loses in the quarterfinals.
A tournament MVP and all-tournament honors will also be awarded.
Are there any quirks to the tournament?
At least two teams will play just 40 home games instead of a normal 41-game home schedule, and it’s possible two teams will end up with 42 home games instead of 41.
The 22 teams that don't make the quarterfinals will be scheduled to play games on off nights of the tournament after group play is completed. All teams will still play 82 regular-season games.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA In-Season Tournament: When is it? How does it work? Format, groups
