First of all, just name the Cup, so we don’t call it a long ass name of In-Season Tournament. They can keep the design but I think they should it make it silver, because the Larry is the gold and the main trophy. They should name it after Adam. The Silver Cup. If it just changes hands like the Stanley or they keep it and just produce every year, that’s up to them. But it should be called the The Silver Cup Tournament.
Now the main question. Before the season started, each team was schedules 80 games (40 home, 40 away) including the Silver Cup Group Stages games. The other 2 games are designed for the Quarterfinals and the Semifinals of the Silver Cup.
Now, for the 22 teams that will be eliminated, they will just play 2 more games (1 home, 1 away) among each other. That is easy.
But how about the 8 Silver Cup playoff teams?
Assuming these are them, with the current standing now:
For the East
- Bucks
- Celtics
- Pacers
- Heat
And for the West
- Lakers
- Kings
- Pelicans
- Wolves
I understand it will be 1-4 and 2-3 matchups, with the QF being played at home of the 1 and 2 seeds.
So it’s easy, Bucks, Celtics, Lakers and Kings will then have 41 home games and 40 road games.
While Pacers, Heat, Pelicans and Wolves are at 40 home and 41 road games.
What happens at the Semifinals though? Since it will be played in Las Vegas. Do they simply count it as a Neutral game. Or do they assign a home and a road team.
They can mix and match and make it work and if they assign a home and road where all would end up with 41 and 41. But there could be 42 home games for a couple of teams or a 42 road game schedule.
It may be trivial but I’m just wondering how it’s gonna be. Since there will be historical record implications and such.
Say, Bucks and Celtics move on to the semis, one of them will end up with 42 home games, if they assign a home and road team which would most likely be decided on seeding. Bucks would be the home team for Vegas while Celtics are the road team. Celtics will end up evenly at 41 and 41. Bucks will end up with 42 and 40.
So how will it be? Will they assign a home and road like in the Bubble. Or just count the semifinal games as Neutral games?
To end, there should be another in-season tournament in January-February. This has been fun.
It will be the Stern Cup. The promoter of the global games in the NBA.
Two quarterfinal games will be played at Mexico City while the other two at Paris.
The two semifinal games and the final game, to be played at London.
It’s almost certainly going to be the Stern Cup, Silver has thrown that out as the hypothetical name multiple times. They most likely just want to determine the staying power first before naming the trophy.
As for the rest of it, it’s explained on the NBA website.
During the Knockout Rounds on days when In-Season Tournament games are not scheduled (Wednesday, Dec. 6 and Friday, Dec. 8), the 22 teams that do not qualify for the Knockout Rounds will each play two regular-season games.
A formulaic approach will determine the matchups for these games using the Group Play standings in each conference (5th-15th). Two of the 22 games will be scheduled cross-conference since there will be an odd number of teams in each conference that do not advance to the Quarterfinals. These cross-conference games will be scheduled between bottom-finishing teams in the Group Play stage subject to travel constraints, and no team will play more than one of its two games cross-conference. The other 20 games will be scheduled within conference featuring teams that are otherwise scheduled to play each other three times over the course of the season wherever possible.
The four teams that lose in the Quarterfinals will each play a regular-season game on Friday, Dec. 8, against the opponent in their same conference.
Games still have a road/home team designation even if it’s played at a neutral site
I don’t have the answer, but I understand your point. :)
There’s three different variables that I’m seeing so far: Tournament “seeding”. Home/road record/tiebreakers for regular season/playoffs. Home/road revenue sharing/reimbursements.
To your point of international location “tournaments” - That could be a way to expand pre-season/training camp. Each division goes to another country for a week, and plays in an international club “tournament”. As long as every franchise gets their 1 (or 2) home game(s) for prep, and plays 2-3 NBA teams, it’s the same schedule, with the league hosting a week or so vacation during camp on their dime.