LeBron James raises the NBA Cup trophy after the Los Angeles Lakers won the league's initial ... [+] in-season tournament. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesThe second annual NBA in-season tournament — rebranded this year as the Emirates NBA Cup — began its five-week run with eight games in group play Tuesday night.
The tournament, which features flashy playing surfaces, advancement bonuses and a championship trophy created by Tiffany & Co., will conclude with the championship game Dec. 17. Cup games are played every Tuesday and Friday.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are the defending champions, and they were so invested in the initial Cup that they hung the title banner in the rafters of the Crypto.com Arena alongside their 17 NBA championship flags.
"It (Cup) is set within the context of the early season when everybody's hopeful, everybody still thinks they're really good, and people are still trying to figure out who they really are," Minnesota coach Chris Finch told NBA.com.
"So there's a lot of things going on when those games come. They for sure feel bigger than just any other regular-season game."
Emirates airline and the NBA completed a multi-year sponsorship agreement in February that extends the company's reach in professional sports.
The airline, a part of Dubai's state-owned Emirates Group, also sponsors professional soccer teams Arsenal, AC Milan and Real Madrid. Like players on those soccer teams, NBA jerseys will include Emirates branding in Cup games.
While the value of the NBA/Emirates deal is unknown, Emirates execute Boutros Boutros said the company estimates it will generate $500 million a per year in advertising revenue.
KING JAMES REPRISE
LeBron James was named the MVP of the inaugural NBA in-season tournament last season. (Photo by ... [+] Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesJames was named the 2023 MVP after averaging 26.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists while shooting 56.8 percent from the field and 60.6 percent on three-pointers in seven tournament games, when the Lakers went 7-0.
The Lakers beat Indiana 123-109 in the championship game at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, also the site of this year's semifinals and finals.
"I'm going for it," James said of his motivation. "Yeah, why not? Why not? One game? Me and one game, I'm going for it. For sure."
Lakers players received $500,000 apiece for winning, and Pacers' players received $200,000 apiece.
Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton burst onto the national stage with his play in the NBA Emirates Cup last ... [+] season. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesSIX GROUPS OF FIVE
The 15 teams in each conference were divided into three groups of five in a random drawing in July. The selection process was done by tiers, based on the previous year's record, so as to avoid bunching top teams together.
East Group A: New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Charlotte
East Group B: Milwaukee, Indiana, Miami, Toronto, Detroit
East Group C: Boston, Cleveland, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington
West Group A: Minnesota, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento, Houston, Portland
West Group B: Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah, San Antonio
West Group C: Denver, Dallas, New Orleans, Golden State, Memphis
Phoenix's Kevin Durant is expected to miss early Cup games after making the all-tournament team a ... [+] year ago. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesEach teams plays the other four in its group, two at home and two on the road, and the group winners plus the top second-place finisher from each conference will advance to the knockout round. Ties are broken by first head-to-head record, followed by point differential and total points scored. Points scored in overtime are not counted.
The 22 teams who do not quality for the knockout round will play opponents to be determined by group standings on Dec. 12-13 and Dec. 15-16.
The 2024 Cup quarterfinals will be held Dec. 10-11, with the semifinals on Dec. 14 and the final Dec. 17. The four quarterfinals will be played on the home court of the highest group finishers. All games but the championship game will count in the regular-season standings.
Anthony Davis is second in the NBA in scoring entering the 2024 NBA Emirates Cup. He made the ... [+] all-tournament team a year ago. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesPLAYER PERKS
Players are rewarded for how far their team advances, as determined by the collective bargaining agreement.
Players on the winning team receive $500,000 apiece, as last season.
Runnersup: $200,000 per player.
Semifinalists: $200,000 per player.
Quarterfinalists: $50,000 per player.
In addition, coaches participate in the distributions. A head coach will receive the same appoint as the players, depending on advancement. Assistant coaches are to receive 75 percent of the head coach's payout.
No comments:
Post a Comment