The NBA has unveiled the format for their new in season tournament which will debut this fall. The inaugural event will tip off on Friday November 3rd, and culminate on Saturday December 9th. Both the semi-finals and finals will take place in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena.
There will be two stages to the tournament, Group Play and the Knockout Rounds. Modelled after European soccer championships, teams will take part in designated “tournament nights” outside of the regular NBA schedule this November.
Group Draw Results:
Teams were separated into three groups of 5 in each conference via random draw. They will all play one game against each group opponent, two at home, and two on the road, before the top 8 teams move on to the Knockout Rounds. The winner of each group, plus two “wildcard” teams will form the final 8 for the single game elimination quarterfinals and beyond.
| West Group A | West Group B | West Group C |
| Memphis Grizzlies | Denver Nuggets | Sacramento Kings |
| Phoenix Suns | LA Clippers | Golden State Warriors |
| L.A. Lakers | New Orleans Pelicans | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Utah Jazz | Dallas Mavericks | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Portland Trail Blazers | Houston Rockets | San Antonio Spurs |
| East Group A | East Group B | East Group C |
| Philadelphia 76ers | Milwaukee Bucks | Boston Celtics |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | New York Knicks | Brooklyn Nets |
| Atlanta Hawks | Miami Heat | Toronto Raptors |
| Indiana Pacers | Washington Wizards | Chicago Bulls |
| Detroit Pistons | Charlotte Hornets | Orlando Magic |
In order to balance the groups, each team was placed in a “pot” based on their 2022-23 regular season record. One team from each pot was then drawn to form the groups. The criteria was as follows:
• Pot 1: The teams with the three best prior-season records in a conference.
• Pot 2: The teams with the 4th- through 6th-best prior-season records.
• Pot 3: The teams with the 7th- through 9th-best prior-season records.
• Pot 4: The teams with the 10th-through 12th-best prior-season records.
• Pot 5: The teams with the 13th-through 15th-best prior-season records.
Knockout Rounds:
Once group play has concluded, the top team from each group will advance to the Knockout Rounds. These 6 teams will be joined by 2 wildcard teams, determined by the following tie-breakers:
• Head-to-head record in the Group Stage;
• Point differential in the Group Stage;
• Total points scored in the Group Stage;
• Regular season record from the 2022-23 NBA regular season; and
• Random drawing (in the unlikely scenario that two or more teams are still tied following the previous tiebreakers).
The home team will be determined by the teams with the best record through group play, with the top team in each conference playing host to the wildcard team.
After the quarterfinals narrow the field to 4 teams, they will move to a neutral site in Las Vegas for the semis and championship rounds. The NBA will distribute the prize pool to players based on how far each team advances in the tournament. An All-Tournament team and MVP will also be named.
The winning club will be awarded the NBA Cup, along with $500K per player. The runners up will receive $200K per player, 3rd & 4th place teams will receive $100K each, while the quarterfinalists will each receive $50K.
All games played, with the exception of the Championship game, will count towards the regular season standings and individual statistics for the 2023-24 season. Once the top 8 teams are determined, the remaining 22 clubs will each play 2 additional, currently unscheduled, games against one another in order to ensure each NBA franchise plays 82 games.
Schedule:
First night of group stage: Friday November 3rd
Final night of group stage: Tuesday November 28th
First night of knockout round: Monday December 4th
Final night of knockout round: Tuesday December 5th
Non-knockout round teams regular season game: Wednesday December 6th (opponents TBD)
Semi Finals: Thursday December 7th
Losers of Quarterfinals regular season game: Friday December 8th
Non-knockout round teams 2nd regular season game: Wednesday December 8th (opponents TBD)
Finals: Saturday December 9th
Photo: Gobierno CDMX. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.