LAS VEGAS The Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets, two rising Western Conference rivals, got into a little altercation on the court near the end of the second NBA Cup semifinal game.
Two defenses who enjoy mauling one another had been playing a hard game, and at last the rivalry between the sides erupted into some light shoving, jawing, and posturing.
Following the game, Thunder forward Jalen Williams stated, “[The NBA Cup] does have a certain energy to it that makes it very competitive.” The money is most likely the reason. However, it has a highly competitive element. Everyone wants free money, of course.
NBA executives were likely pleased to see the animosity between the teams and Williams’ remarks, even though the league would never fully acknowledge that it was okay for players to fight on the court. This is because the goal of the NBA Cup, which is currently in its second season, is to make early-season games more exciting. Additionally, it appears that coaches, players, and fans are all on board in Year 2.
On Monday, the day before his club would play the Milwaukee Bucks in the Cup final, Thunder player and MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stated, “It’s been fun.” The game obviously has a slightly different feel because of the higher stakes. It is an excellent prelude to the postseason. It’s clear that the stakes are higher than they would be in a typical season, and it’s beneficial to gain experience in games with slightly higher risks.
Prize money, as Williams hinted to, is one factor contributing to the elevated stakes. The victorious team’s players get $514,971, while the runners-up earn $205,988 and the semifinal losers earn $102,994.
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Before the semifinals, Bucks coach Doc Rivers stated, “I like the tournament.” Throughout the weekend, Rivers expressed his wish for his team to be competitive and fearless in their pursuit of the Cup.
Additionally, he stated: “I believe it’s a litmus test for the team.” When I looked at last year, I wondered if Indiana would go to the Eastern Finals without this tournament.
Although there is a little more fervor in the games than in a normal regular season clash, players and coaches from all of the participating clubs appear to concur that the Cup hasn’t advanced to the NBA Playoffs level. The games’ scheduling even contributes a little flair. For instance, Rivers claimed that his coaching staff is able to develop a more thorough game plan because of the two days off between the semifinal and final than they could for most games.
Fans appear to have noticed the increase in energy as well, which is perhaps even more significant for the league.
Brandon Jones, a 36-year-old Los Angeles Lakers supporter who traveled from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, stated, “I know they added the Cup to try to make it more competitive early in the season.” Before knowing which teams would play, Jones purchased tickets for the West semifinal. When he saw how reasonably priced the seats were, he also purchased tickets for the East semifinal. Because it makes you care a little bit more, it’s cool for fans.
I like that there is a difference and that it has brought a little bit of intensity. stated 24-year-old Henderson resident Rishab Aida, a Golden State Warriors supporter. Every stage of the Cup has incentives, which I enjoy because it gives players something to aim for. The fact that the gamers have somewhat taken it seriously is awesome.
The league appears happy with the Cup’s expansion in its second season, even though it is willing to change and tweak the competition. In order to get frank input on what worked and what didn’t, NBA executives went on what they dubbed a listening tour with players, coaches, and front office staff following the inaugural Cup.
After acknowledging that the Thursday afternoon local start time the previous year may have reduced attendance, the NBA made the adjustment to move the back-to-back semifinal games from a weekday to a weekend. The league reports that around 17,000 people attended both semifinals this year.
When it comes to improving the Cup, the NBA doesn’t consider any problem too minor. For instance, the league changed the Cup’s scoring and point differential regulations this year to discourage teams from purposefully using overtime to gain five more minutes to increase their lead. (In Cup group games, point differential is a crucial tiebreaker.)
The NBA’s head of strategy and analytics, Evan Wasch, predicts that the tournament will keep changing over the next few years. According to Wasch, the league’s two proud points this year were the players’ support and their apparent superior comprehension of the Cup’s second season format. Additionally, teams’ readiness to accept the point differential tiebreaker and make an effort to score points at the end of games.
In the end, the NBA knows that the Cup still needs to expand significantly in order to achieve its ultimate objective.
You don’t create traditions overnight, so these things take time, Wasch told NBC News on Monday. Although I was not around in the 1940s, I think that the NBA Finals did not have the same significance at that time. We didn’t have any hopes that this would reach the potential level in the first, second, or even third, fourth, or fifth years. Furthermore, I don’t believe anyone can predict with precision when it will reach the plateau or peak that we hope it will.
However, we hope that this Cup will eventually challenge the notion that there is only one thing to win each year and that it will result in a legitimate second championship.
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