NBA In Season Tournament format has 30 teams competing for a spot in an 8-team single elimination contest. They will be divided into 6 groups.
The regular NBA season is scheduled to run from October 2023 to April 2024. For now, the NBA Summer League is taking place from July 7-17.
The new tournament may start in November and end in December. The mid-season tournament which has been in talks for quite some time will actually start early. The first six weeks will decide the Final Four.
As exciting as the new format sounds, it is not sure if the players and teams would give their very best and show interest in the tournament. No one would want to get injured during competitive tournament games.
They have a lot at stake during the regular season and would want to focus more on the ultimate prize, the NBA Championship. Thus, it will be interesting to see whether the franchises prioritize the tournament or not.
July 8 is the date when the official announcements regarding the first-ever tournament will be made. The dates, schedule, locations, and more will be announced on Saturday.
What Is NBA In Season Tournament?
NBA in-season tournament is a new format set to be introduced in the 2023-24 season. The regular season will also have a month-long contest.
The introduction of such tournaments had been rumored for a long time. The league had been planning and developing a concept to make the lengthy basketball season more attractive.
NBA new in season tournament will have 6 intraconference pools with five teams each. Each team plays 4 games, two at home and two away.
The short but competitive tournament is actually planned to spice things up in the regular season. TV viewership tends to decrease after a few weeks and this is what the league plans to tackle.
Moreover, how will it help the regular season viewings is something to be focused on. The new format will liven up the lengthy regular season.
How NBA In Season Tournament Works?
The new in-season tournament will have group games for the tournament starting on select dates during the regular season’s first six weeks.
The concept of the in-season format can be said to be derived from the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup and European Soccer which also has in-season tournaments.
As the teams play against each other during the first six weeks, the top teams from each of the pools will further advance to the next stage.
The pool winners will be joined by two wild-card teams and will have a single-elimination format. The semi-finals and finals are to be played on a neutral side.
The regular season will now have only 80 games. The first two rounds of the tournament will be counted as regular games and the teams that reach the finals will play one extra. The 83rd game will not be counted in the regular season.
The 22 teams that do not advance to the knockout stage will have two games scheduled after the knockout stage teams have been fixed.
NBA In Season Tournament Final Four
NBA mid season tournament could have Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, LA Lakers, and Boston Celtics as the final four based on last season’s performances.
It is scheduled for December 7 and 9. The final four projections are based on how the teams performed last season. Denver Nuggets, the NBA Champions had an amazing season overall.
They dominated right from the start and were Divison leaders, Conference, and NBA champions. They had a .646 winning percentage last season with a 53-29 record.
Miami Heat are also a force to be reckoned with. The runners-up last time out will surely look to add a newly introduced title to their name.
The Division and Conference title holders will carry their momentum from last season and improve their records. Jimmy Butler and his crew will be eyeing for the win.
The Lakers and Celtics are teams that are experienced when it comes to the knockout stage. The Celtics were Division leaders and lost only in the latter stage of the Conference Finals.
The Lakers did not have a fantastic regular season as they barely qualified for the playoffs but this is where they come to play. The more they advance, the better they play. Although the Conference Finals against the Nuggets was an exception as they suffered a heavy 0-4 loss.
NBA In Season Tournament Prize
The prize money for the in-season tournament is set at $500,000 for each member of the winning team. It is quite a generous sum for such a short tournament.
The league is bound to start in November and will continue through December. The teams will not have any home advantage during the Final Four.
NBA in-season tournament prize money can be estimated at $7.5 million as every player gets an equal chunk of the total prize money as there are 15 players.
Each NBA team has a maximum limit of 15 players on their roster. Out of the 15 players, only 13 are allowed to be active during a game.
Whether you play each game or not, you will be eligible for the prize money if your team emerges victorious in the first-ever in-season tournament. It is not yet sure if the management team also shares the prize money. As of now, only the players are to receive the prize.
The NBA teams are worth $2.86 billion on average. According to Forbes, the Golden State Warriors generate $765 million in revenue, operating at $206 million, and are valued at $7 billion. The most valuable in the NBA.
The prize for the in-season tournament is not so much as compared to this, but an additional $500,000 for a single player is a bonus every player would love to receive.
NBA In Season Tournament Las Vegas
NBA in season tournament Final Four will take place in Las Vegas. Although the dates are fixed, the venues are yet to be officially announced.
The official announcements concerning all the details for the new tournament will be aired on ESPN at 7:30 pm ET on Staryday, the 8th of July.
NBA in season tournament details will be unveiled in Las Vegas itself on Saturday night. The broadcast will feature Victor Wembanyama, Paolo Banchero, and more.
Thomas & Mack Center are the favorites to host the Final Four as they are already hosting the Las Vegas NBA Summer League. They have a capacity of 17,923 for basketball games.
Another string candidate for the venue is the Cox Pavilion as they too are hosting the Summer League. The venue is cozy as they can only cater to 2,454 individuals.
The T-Mobile Arena has a capacity of 18,000 for basketball games. The arena has seen plenty of big-magnitude basketball games and will be a strong candidate to host the Final Four.
The MGM Grand Garden Arena can also be used as a neutral venue for the tournament’s latter stages. They have previously held NBA games and also have experience in hosting collegiate basketball games.