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The In Season Tournament: What You Need to Know

     This week in the NBA, the inaugural In Season Tournament began. With the introduction of the In Season Tournament this year, many NBA fans and players alike don't know what to expect. The tournament is set up to take place with a variety of its games spread out throughout the span of the first half of the NBA regular season schedule. The tournament starts with a group stage where each conference is separated in three groups of five teams each, based on each team's regular season record from the 2022-23 season. In this stage, ending on Nov. 28, each team will play the other four within their group, where then, the top eight teams from around the league will move on to the second round. 

    The second round consists of of the top eight teams competing in single-game eliminations. The Quarterfinals games will take place from Dec. 4-5, resulting in the advancement of the league's top four teams, followed by the Semifinals games taking place on Dec. 7 at a neutral site. The winners of these two teams will face each other in the Finals on Dec. 9. The winners of the tournament will receive the first ever NBA Cup, and each player of the winning team will also receive a $500,000 bonus from the league.

    Although it would be quite an accomplishment and an early sign of success for teams who are looking to be competitive in this year's playoffs, many fans are still skeptical about how much players will truly care about and try in the tournament. With the NBA Cup being a brand new award, concerning the impact it will have on player's resumes going forward, many people are having trouble determining the true value of the trophy and consequently, what the games will look like as a result of the possibility of a lack of motivation within players to perform. This concern has only been elevated further as a result of the comments of some NBA players.

    For example, when asked about the In Season tournament, former DPOY Marcus Smart of the Memphis Grizzlies said, "Being honest, nobody cares about [winning the In-Season Tournament], it's the big one we care about".

    In addition to this, players such as Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets and Bones Hyland of the Los Angeles Clippers have even admitted to having no idea how the In Season Tournament works. Not a great sign for reassuring the fans of the sport with a commitment to delivering a quality product in games when it comes time for the latter part of the tournament in December. 

    Although there has also been a significant amount of positive feedback surrounding the tournament as well, with such a new and unprecedented concept being implemented in the realm of the NBA, the only thing we can do is wait and see. What do you think? Does the In-Season Tournament actually matter or is it just a stunt by the Association to get and retain more viewers during the "slow" months of the season?

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