52
NBA reveals long-awaited format, groups for new in-season tournament
(www.thescore.com)
East - Atlantic |
---|
Boston Celtics |
Brooklyn Nets |
New York Knicks |
Philadelphia Sixers |
Toronto Raptors |
East - Central |
---|
Chicago Bulls |
Cleveland Cavaliers |
Detroit Pistons |
Indiana Pacers |
Milwaukee Bucks |
East - Southeast |
---|
Atlanta Hawks |
Charlotte Hornets |
Miami Heat |
Orlando Magic |
Washington Wizards |
West - Northwest |
---|
Denver Nuggets |
Minnesota Timberwolves |
Oklahoma City Thunder |
Portland Trailblazers |
Utah Jazz |
West - Pacific |
---|
Golden State Warriors |
Los Angeles Clippers |
Los Angeles Lakers |
Phoenix Suns |
Sacramento Kings |
West - Southwest |
---|
Dallas Mavericks |
Houston Rockets |
Memphis Grizzlies |
New Orleans Pelicans |
San Antonio Spurs |
Maybe not. We'll see if anyone cares about a midseason tournament. I'll be curious to see how seriously the players take it. Like will the middle third franchises rest some players and use it to develop some guys? Since the games won't count, and they have little hope of winning, will it be treated like summer league games?
All the tournament games still count as regular season games so there's no change in incentive to rest guys. The only one that doesn't count as a regular season game is the tournament championship and they win a half million bucks if they win so they're trying to incentivize the players to play.