To spice up the long NBA season, this year the league has added a new in-season tournament.
In the middle of the grueling 82 game schedule, teams now have something new to play for before the playoffs even start.
The tournament is set up similar to the UEFA Champions League, with teams being divided into groups. Based on last year’s standings, each conference has 3 groups of teams with varying records.
The group winners and two wildcard teams will advance into the knockout stages, with the semifinals and finals being held in Las Vegas where teams will play for a trophy and cash prizes for each player.
Initially, there was skepticism surrounding if players would take these games seriously.
While the tournament model mirrors that of mid-season tournaments in professional soccer, those clubs often rest premier players in insignificant tournament games already due to them not counting toward the season’s record.
The key for the NBA is that these group stage games still count for regular season games.
While there is no playoff incentive to winning the tournament, teams would be stupid to coast through these games and take losses just because they count for the tournament.
To make these games stand out even more, teams have been playing on special colorful courts and wearing their City Edition jerseys on tournament nights. While the reception to these cosmetic changes have been mixed with some of the blandest City jerseys in quite some time coming out this year, the alternate looks have made these games feel special with the color flooding the courts.
Really, that’s the whole point of this: making regular games feel special. So often there is a notion that players don’t really take it serious until the playoffs or that the season really starts at Christmas.The NBA and this tournament has combated these ideas by adding stakes to the early part of the year.
In past seasons, a random Tuesday between the Warriors and Timberwolves would be a perfect recipe for load management and the stars would watch the game in street clothes. This year, that game spurred an on court brawl within the first two minutes and came down to the wire in an important group stage game.
Not only has the tournament spruced up the early part of the season, it had some teams playing meaningful basketball for the first time in a long time. In the East the Bucks, Knicks and Celtics have all had their fair share of playoff play in recent years, but the Pacers come into the quarterfinal having not played in a playoff game since the first round of the 2020 bubble.
Indy boasts one of the best players in the league in Tyrese Haliburton, who should be in the MVP conversation this year. The star point guard is showing shades of other greats before him, like a young Chris Paul and Steve Nash is in the driver’s seat for this Indiana team that likes to get up and down.
The Pacers have a talented roster with other players like Myles Turner, Obi Toppin, Benedict Mathurin, Bruce Brown and Buddy Hield and look like a cohesive team that can get up and down the floor on the fast break. While they lost the final to the Lakers, the Pacers have broken out and are no longer a secret.
In the West, another team that isn’t known for playoff success are the New Orleans Pelicans who also made a run to Vegas. The Pelicans have some of the league’s best talent…in theory.
When star forward Zion Williamson is on the court, he’s one of the best players in the league. An impact on both sides of the ball, Williamson adds a dynamic threat on the wings; in the post on offense while blocking shots and grabbing boards.
The problem is he’s barely on the court. Williamson has missed large chunks of every season since his one year at Duke and has battled foot and knee injuries, and consequently weight problems, since being in the NBA.
This year though, Zion has been healthy and a plus for the Pels. Making it to the semifinals, the Pelicans were able to play some basketball with stakes, which is the goal of the IST: make the regular season feel important.

The initial tournament ended with the Lakers hoisting the NBA Cup, but the entertainment and showcase it brought to the NBA in a season dominated by football has been a win for the league. Getting eyes on the NBA this early, regardless of who the champion is, is a success