{"id":59740,"date":"2023-12-11T17:11:39","date_gmt":"2023-12-11T22:11:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=59740"},"modified":"2023-12-11T17:11:39","modified_gmt":"2023-12-11T22:11:39","slug":"nba-in-season-tournament-lakers-champions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/12\/11\/nba-in-season-tournament-lakers-champions\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pros and Cons of The In-Season Tournament"},"content":{"rendered":"

The inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament is complete. Ultimately ending with LeBron James<\/a><\/strong> and the Lakers winning the first NBA Cup<\/a>. Despite the initial reaction to the Tournament being divisive<\/a> the majority of people ended up enjoying the Tournament. I fall under the optimistic camp but acknowledge tweaks need to be made. Let\u2019s analyze the pros and cons of the In-Season Tournament’s first season.<\/p>\n

The Pros and Cons of The In-Season Tournament<\/h2>\n

Pro 1: More Competitive Games<\/h3>\n

The first and most obvious reason this tournament works so well is it increases the level of competition in regular-season games. Initially, people were concerned about the player’s effort level. However, it\u2019s clear the players bought in and it showed in the product. The result was more competitive, close, and high-intensity games during the middle of the regular season where typically the opposite is true. Both the group play and knockout rounds benefited from this. The group play matchups ensured entertaining matchups and an incredible slate of games every Tuesday and Friday. Adding prize money, making point differential matter and entertaining group play matchups were central to the tournament\u2019s success.<\/p>\n

Pro 2: Single Elimination Games Are Amazing<\/h3>\n

The intensity and environment of single-elimination games are unmatched. The Play-In Tournament gave us a taste of what single-elimination games look like in an NBA setting. The In-Season Tournament builds off this idea creating an incredible environment for the knockout rounds as a result. Simply put seeing playoff-level games in December is amazing. Single elimination also adds an element of unpredictably making big upsets more common.<\/p>\n

While the Lakers-Pacers final and the Lakers-Pelicans semifinal weren\u2019t extremely close, other knockout rounds games were highly competitive and intense. Furthermore, that doesn\u2019t project to the norm for the tournament. The Pacers’ magical run to the championship game is the perfect example of why single elimination works so well. As the tournament continues I predict more young teams like the Pacers making similar runs. This is certainly a positive for the league as more young players and teams will get recognized. Seeing the Pacers and rising superstar Tyrese Haliburton\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>getting praised in the media was a privilege and exactly what the league needs.<\/p>\n

Pro 3: Adds a New Element to The Regular Season<\/h3>\n

Similarly, this tournament adds a new element to the regular season. Creating new storylines and talking points as a result. For years the regular season has been a slog, especially for non-hardcore fans. The tournament allows the NBA to build a bigger audience and stay relevant during the NFL season. Early regular season talking points are typically around new or surprising teams before quickly transitioning to typical MVP conversations. With the In-Season Tournament, the NBA has simply more to talk about and discuss. Talking points shift from repetitive and often unnecessary MVP debates to interesting discussions about the tournament. Ultimately, it breaks up the season in a good way and creates more structure.<\/p>\n