The NBA’s financial situation has transformed drastically from struggling in the 1980s to becoming a highly profitable and successful entity in recent years. What changed, you might ask? Michael Jordan’s arrival and immense popularity played a significant role in the NBA’s turnaround. But then NBA Commissioner David Stern’s marketing genius played an even more crucial role. Constant innovation and continued brilliance have made the NBA one of the most-watched professional leagues in the world.

The latest innovation NBA leadership has come up with is the In-Season tournament. With the In-Season tournament getting underway on 3rd November, we explore the schedule and format for the remaining games.

When will the In-Season games be played?

The 30 teams will be grouped into six groups, with each group consisting of 5 teams. The groups were determined randomly, taking into account the teams’ performance from the previous season. During the group stage, every team will have two home games and two away games. The In-Season tournament matches take place on Wednesdays and Saturdays, starting from November 3.

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The group winners and the top-performing second-placed team from each conference will move on to the knockout stages. Victors in the quarter-finals will progress to the semifinals in Las Vegas on December 8th. The first-ever In-Season tournament champion will be crowned on December 10th in Vegas. In total, 67 games will be played, and all of them, except for the finals, will contribute to the regular-season standings.

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.

Mixed feelings surrounding the tournament

The NBA’s latest innovation has had a mixed response from the NBA community. Legendary NBA coach Gregg Popovich said that the In-Season tournament is “exciting for everybody”.

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“You have to understand all these guys are very competitive, if you put something out there like this, it just adds to that competition,” he added. While the tournament offers a unique experience, it’s essentially a diversion from the real prize, the NBA championship.

The Memphis Grizzlies‘ new recruit, Marcus Smart, didn’t mince his words when talking about the In-Season tournament. He said, “Being completely honest, nobody cares about (winning the in-season tournament), it’s the big one that we care about.” The In-Season tournament could prove to be a success like the Play-in tournament and become a staple of NBA basketball. However, the tournament’s success hinges on the level of fan support it receives.

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