The NBA in-season tournament ushered a new era in the league as its innovative format captured the attention of the basketball world. Despite the early resistance, the competition has excited the audience as well as the players involved. With the final four going head-to-head in Las Vegas, the quarter-final matchups till now have yielded unexpected outcomes.
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In the first game, the Indiana Pacers defeated an in-form Boston Celtics on their homecourt to secure a semi-final spot. Despite going behind slightly in the first half, the hosts made a marvelous comeback in front of their loyal supporters. With 74 points in the second half, they shattered the dreams of Boston as all of their starters reached double figures in points.
The following match brought out a similar range of emotions as the Sacramento Kings lost to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Kings failed to recover from the second-quarter dominance of the Pelicans as they witnessed misery in the presence of the home crowd. The Sactown went quiet as the favorites failed to book their tickets to Vegas.
With two consecutive wins for the underdogs, the anticipation for the upcoming game between the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers is bound to be high. Ahead of that crucial home match, the Lakers star prepared themselves in the City of Angels. With the buzz surrounding the competition reaching an all-time high, the hosts aim to remain focused during the buildup.
Still, the team’s star center Anthony Davis did not shy away from revealing his excitement for the in-season tournament. “Kind of reminds you of that Sunday night football, Monday night football, even playoffs in the later rounds where it’s the only game on TV and everybody’s locked in,” he stated. “It gives you that feel for sure,” he mentioned, highlighting the competitiveness level.
“Kind of reminds you of that Sunday night football, Monday night football, even playoffs…where it’s the only game on TV and everybody’s locked in.” Anthony Davis speaks on the In-Season Tournament atmosphere. pic.twitter.com/xF0xP4twca
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) December 5, 2023
Anthony Davis and Co have only one goal in mind
Apart from the glamour of the tournament, the prize money comes across as a lucrative aspect for the players. Davis accepted the impact of money on the rising competitive level previously. “$500 [thousand] sound real good to us,” the 2020 NBA champion had mentioned.
The team’s talisman LeBron James had previously indicated the same. He highlighted, “Y’all heard that there’s $500,000 on the line, so we’re going for that”. In a recent interview, Rui Hachimura also expressed, “We gotta go get this one tomorrow and then go to Vegas and get the whole bag”.
Thus, the overall structure of the tournament has worked quite well for the league. The motivation from the players to push their limits to earn a huge amount in a short period benefited the NBA as the in-season tournament became the talk of the town.
