NBA In-Season Tournament: Damian Lillard wants title for two-way players, and other thoughts around the league

MILWAUKEE — The NBA’s newest strive at innovation will start this week with the first video games of the In-Season Tournament. Modeled after competitions in other sports activities, each in the United States and out of the country, the match will see all 30 groups compete for the NBA cup. 

All of the motion will start on Friday with the first batch of organization level video games. Every crew was once randomly drawn into a bunch with 4 other groups of their convention and will play each and every of them as soon as. The six organization level winners and two wild playing cards – the two non-group winners with the best possible data – will advance to the knockout rounds. From there, it is unmarried removing the remainder of the method. 

Every organization level recreation, in addition to the quarterfinals and semifinals of the knockout rounds, will rely as common season video games. Thus, the handiest additional recreation any crew must play shall be the ultimate. All video games via the quarterfinals shall be performed in the crew’s house markets, whilst the semifinals and Final shall be held in Las Vegas on Dec. 7-9. 

There are, in fact, various faculties of concept on the tournament and whether or not it’ll paintings. Ahead of the video games, here is a have a look at what a few of those that shall be concerned have to mention. 

Smart does not pull any punches

Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart has been certainly one of the few to actually make any adverse feedback. Though to be honest, he did not criticize it such a lot as declare there is no hobby amongst the gamers. 

“Being completely honest, nobody cares about [winning in-season tournament], it’s the big one that we care about,” Smart stated at media day. “I have mixed feelings on it, but it’s great to be able to play more basketball, and I think that’s more of it, just those more games for the fans.” 

Others keen to compete 

There are undoubtedly other gamers who percentage Smart’s view, however for the maximum section, they have got been open to the concept. Whether the league has nudged them to behave as such in public is unclear (it would not be sudden), however many appear keen to compete. 

Here’s PJ Tucker from shootaround previous to opening evening, again when he nonetheless performed for the Sixers:

“I don’t mind it. If it works for the league, it works for me. It’s a part of the business, I think it’s a part of the game growing and bringing more to the pot for everybody. I’m excited about it. I think the tournament in Vegas will be pretty cool. I think as it gets further along more guys will get into it. 

“Yeah, I imply, you need to win. Anything you play you need to win. I believe like the league is filled with a ton of aggressive guys. Everybody wants to win, so if we are gonna have a match we are gonna need to win it.”

And Khris Middleton after the Bucks’ win over the Heat:

“I’m excited about it. It’s a new format and at the end of the day these games count for something so we should see competitive games and, hopefully, we come out on top.”

Lillard wants to win it for two-way gamers

By a long way, the maximum fascinating reaction up to now has come from Damian Lillard, who famous that the money prize was once attractive, as was once the truth that every one two-way gamers get an equivalent percentage. Each participant on the successful crew will obtain $500,000 – just about equivalent to a two-way participant’s wage for the whole season. 

“I did learn that there’s a prize for the champion, individual, and I also learned that our two-way players get that prize as well,” Lillard stated after the Bucks’ win over the Heat. “As somebody who’s built relationships with a lot of those guys over the course of my career, I would love to not only be able to win it, but to be able to say we looked out for our guys. I guess I’m excited about the opportunity to do that, but I don’t know how many guys are gonna be like ‘OK, this is a tournament game, we gotta do this, we gotta do that.’ We’ll see.”

Nurse stocks enjoy from training out of the country

Sixers trainer Nick Nurse spent quite a lot of years training in Europe, the place in-season cups have lengthy been a staple. As such, he is a large fan of the concept. 

“Personally I love it,” Nurse stated in Milwaukee previous this season. “Been through it a lot of years [overseas]. It’s a part of every season over there. Obviously, it comes from soccer, football over there, so people are really in tune with it, even the players are in tune with it – what’s going on and why you’re doing it. I love it from that standpoint. I think the other standpoint is when you get down to one-game knockouts at this level I think will be amazing to watch when it gets to that point. 

“Yep, I do [think players will take it seriously], however it should take a minute. I feel the play-in, everyone puzzled that and hated it, and now everyone loves it. That one went beautiful rapid. We’ll have to look.” 

Coaches cut up on means

Bucks head trainer Adrian Griffin is all in on the thought and sees it as the most important studying device for his crew forward of what’s anticipated to be a deep playoff run. 

“For us, there’s gonna be a trophy, so we’re gonna go after it,” Griffin stated. “We’re gonna use this opportunity to continue to improve and get better. I think it will give us great experience moving forward, a great opportunity to experience some playoff intensity, playoff atmosphere, playoff environment. It can only benefit us. If you’re going to compete, compete to win, and I think our players feel the same way. 

“It shall be a perfect publicity to the form of playoff setting that you are going to see in April, May and June. We’re taking a look ahead to it.”

Sacramento Kings head trainer Mike Brown, then again, does not plan to means it any another way than he would a standard recreation. 

“I mean we’re not looking ahead to it, you know we are excited about it, and I’m excited to see it unfold but you know we’re worried about the Warriors tonight,” Brown stated previous to his crew’s loss to Golden State on Wednesday. “That doesn’t mean that it’s a shot at the In-Season Tournament, or anything like that ’cause we are looking forward to it. It’s just we are not preparing for that any differently like we are not starting to prepare for that now. We are just trying to get better and when we play hopefully we’ll play at our best because it would be awesome to win a cup.”

Players intrigued via distinctive courts

As a part of the In-Season Tournament roll-out, the league introduced new courts for all 30 groups, which they are going to use all the way through match video games. The function is that the distinctive courts will lend a hand fanatics briefly determine whether or not a recreation is a part of the IST. 

Opinion has been cut up on social media, however gamers were intrigued. 

“I like it,” Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro stated at shootaround in Milwaukee. “I think it’s unique, it’s different than a regular court, and the games that we’re playing are different too, so it goes hand in hand.”

“Yeah, I saw the pictures,” Khris Middleton stated following the Bucks’ win over the Heat. “It’s pretty cool, it’s pretty cool how they did it with all the teams having something like that with their own team colors. Never played on a court like that before, in an NBA setting at least.”

CBS Sports’ Colin Ward-Henninger contributed to this file.