The NBA has become one of the most popular sports leagues in the world in recent years. The league has averaged a viewership of 5.47 million per game on ABC, ESPN, and TNT. Continued development and innovation by the leadership of the NBA has resulted in the NBA’s constant growth. The latest innovation that the fans are about to witness on Saturday is the In-Season Tournament.

There is a lot of intrigue surrounding the new addition to the basketball calendar, as a lot is still unknown. With the Cavaliers and the Pacers tipping off the tournament on Saturday, we take a look at the prize pool and various other facets.

How does it work and what’s the prize?

30 teams will be divided into 6 groups of 5 teams each. The groups were randomly drawn on the basis of last season’s records. Each team will play two home games and two away games during the group stages. In-Season tournament games will be played on Wednesdays and Saturdays, beginning from 4th November.

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Three group winners and the best second-placed teams from each conference will qualify for the knockout stages. The winners of the quarter-finals will advance to the semis in Vegas on December 8th. The inaugural winner of the In-Season tournament will be decided on December 10th in Vegas. There will be a total of 67 games played in the tournament and those games will count towards the regular-season standings, except the finals.

Each player on the NBA in-season tournament championship squad will receive $500,000. Whereas, the second-place team’s players will take home $200,000 each, and those on the losing semi-finals teams will receive $100,000 each. Quarterfinalists will earn $50,000 per player.

Skepticism regarding the Tournament

The In-Season tournament has been in the works for almost 15 years, according to NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver. He said, “What a perfect opportunity for a global league like the NBA. It’s a perfect fit for our game”. However, many people don’t share the same level of enthusiasm for the new tournament.

The Grizzlies point guard Marcus Smart said, “Being completely honest, nobody cares about (winning the in-season tournament), it’s the big one that we care about.”

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The In-Season tournament faces a challenge in providing adequate incentives for NBA players. Given that most NBA players earn millions annually, a prize of $500,000 may not be a significant enough financial motivator. On top of that, the tournament also doesn’t provide any significant incentives for franchises to take it seriously.

Many stakeholders argue for an incentivized connection to the regular season, such as an extra playoff spot, improved playoff seeding, home-court advantage, or another factor that provides an advantage in the pursuit of the league title. Will the In-Season Tournament become successful? Let us know in the comments below!

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