DENVER — Quick (no peeking), name the winners of the first two NBA Cups?
. . .
Exactly.
The league’s in-season tournament, in all its marketing majesty, is back for the Miami Heat for a third time starting Friday night against the Charlotte Hornets at Kaseya Center, replete with distinctive Cup court and promise of (further) riches for players.
For the Heat, the exercise in the event’s first two seasons has been one as middling as the team’s overall record in the standings during that period, at 2-2 in pool play in each of the event’s first two seasons, failing to advance to the Cup’s knockout round each time.
In addition to Friday night’s game against the Hornets, the Heat’s other games in pool play are Nov. 14 at the New York Knicks, Nov. 21 at the Chicago Bulls and Nov. 26 at home against the Milwaukee Bucks.
As in the event’s first two iterations, all games in Cup competition, with the exception of the championship game, count toward the regular-season standings.
The winner of each five-team pool advances to the knockout round, as well as one wild-card team from each conference.
The knockout round begins with quarterfinal games on the home courts of higher seeds, with Cup semifinals and the championship game in Las Vegas.
For those lacking the motivation to be NBA Cup champion, there otherwise is decided financial incentive for the rich to get richer.
Players on teams advancing to the knockout round receive $53,093 each. Players appearing in the semifinals receive $106,187. Players on the losing team in the championship game receive $212,373. Players on the title team receive $530,933 apiece.
As for fans, they will have to pay to view, with all games in the knockout, semifinal and final round to be streamed exclusively on Amazon Prime. Nothing over the air. Nothing on cable.
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The 22 teams that do not qualify for the knockout rounds will play two regular-season games on off nights during the knockout rounds (Dec. 11 or 12 and Dec. 14 or 15). The four teams that lose in the quarterfinals will play a regular-season game on Dec. 11, 12, 14 or 15.
As for the overall impact on the tournament, well . . .
. . . for those who haven’t guessed yet, the winners of the first two NBA Cups were the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023 and the Milwaukee Bucks last year — not exactly held in the same esteem (or any esteem at all?) as the championship Celtics and Bucks in those respective seasons.
For the Heat, just as significant as opening Cup play Friday is that the game against the Hornets also opens a four-game homestand and stretch of six of seven at home, an opportunity to gain a degree of stability after playing six of their first eight on the road, coming off a four-game western swing.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra previously expressed an appreciation for what the NBA is attempting to accomplish with the in-season tournament.
“This,” he said, “I think, you just give it a little bit of time and I think ultimately it would be a good thing for the league.”
Still spirited
In the wake of the Heat’s solid start in the team’s first full season since the Jimmy Butler trade, Spoelstra was asked after Monday night’s victory over the Clippers about coaching a team without ego.
That led to a smile before his response.
“Oh we have egos, what makes you think that?” he said as he laughed. “We have a very ambitious group, but if you wanna conquer the world, you better have some ambition. We have a very ambitious locker room, I really love that about our group.” . . .
Add Clippers coach Tyronn Lue to those praising Spoelstra for adjusting his team’s up-tempo approach to suit his roster.
“That’s what great coaches do,” said Lue, who was a Team USA Olympic assistant like Spoelstra at the 2024 Paris Games. “You’ve got to adjust to the team and the personnel you have. You can’t run the same system if you don’t have the same players. Spo does a great job of that, just catering to the team he has.”
