The NBA has introduced the five-team teams that can used for the league’s first-ever in-season match, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. The disclosing came about Saturday throughout a particular episode of ESPN’s “NBA In the present day” held at “NBA Con” in Las Vegas.
The teams had been decided in a draw comparable to what’s utilized in soccer’s World Cup. There are six teams — three every from the Jap Convention and Western Convention — and every convention was cut up into 5 pots primarily based on final season’s standings. One staff was randomly chosen from every of the pots to find out the opening-round matchups.
The outcomes are:
- Group 1: Sixers, Cavaliers, Hawks, Pacers and Pistons.
- Group 2: Bucks, Knicks, Warmth, Wizards and Hornets.
- Group 3: Celtics, Nets, Raptors, Bulls and Magic.
- Group 4: Grizzlies, Suns, Lakers, Jazz and Path Blazers.
- Group 5: Nuggets, Clippers, Pelicans, Mavericks and Rockets.
- Group 6: Kings, Warriors, Timberwolves, Thunder and Spurs.
The match will begin with group play, which is able to match every staff with the opposite 4 in its grouping. These video games will happen on Nov. 3, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24 and 28.
The winner of every group will advance to a knockout spherical, joined by the staff with the most effective file in every convention amongst those that didn’t win a gaggle.
Quarterfinal video games will probably be performed Dec. 4 and 5, hosted by the higher-seeded groups. The 4 winners in that spherical will transfer on to T-Cell Area in Las Vegas for the Dec. 7 semifinals and the Dec. 9 championship recreation.
Bontemps factors out that every one groups will play inside their convention till the final recreation, which ensures an East vs. West matchup, identical to the NBA Finals.
“All people’s not going to purchase in straight away,” admitted Joe Dumars, the NBA’s govt vp of basketball operations. “So that may’t be the objective that everyone’s going to purchase in from day one. This stuff take time. And I believe, as time goes on, I believe you may construct this up and folks can actually get into it.”
The championship trophy will probably be referred to as the NBA Cup, and gamers will obtain $500K every for successful it. Different prize cash consists of $200K for second place, $100K for dropping within the semifinals and $50K for dropping within the quarterfinals.
The league opted to not present different incentives, similar to a assured playoff spot, for the match winner.
