With the NBA in-season tournament down to it’s final four teams, has it been a success.
This season marked a new change for the NBA, as it was the inaugural season for the NBA in season-tournament. This change to the league was one that NBA commissioner Adam Silver had been very excited about prior to the start of this season. The NBA as a whole have invested a lot into this tournament, with a lot of money spent on marketing it and even hosting the final four games in Las Vegas, with the teams playing to capture a trophy. As this season was more or less a test run for how this event can go in the future, there are many questions as to why it was implemented and if it was worth all of the hype.
No doubt the matchups have been entertaining for basketball fans thus far, but for the average fan there still seems to be little incentive to think that the tournament means any more than your typical regular season games. For starters, the games that are played are not considered separate games from the regular season, with all in-season tournament games counting as a regular season game as well, with each team’s regular season record subsequently affected. The implications on a team’s postseason standing are not affected, so why should fans care about the tournament if their team’s ultimate goal is reaching the playoffs at the end of the season?
Although the stakes for the players are an extra money bonus to their contract, there is little reason to hold these in-season tournament games with any more weight than one would hold a typical regular season NBA game.
One of the other changes that the tournament has brung have been the newly designed custom courts and jerseys that have been reserved exclusively for the in-season tournament. The reception to these new designs have been mixed amongst NBA fans, with some liking the designs and others thinkin that the bright colors that are used are too eccentric and are an eyesore on the viewing experience of the game. It often comes down to if someone prefers their team’s design or not. In any event, these custom aesthetics for the game definitely give the in-season tournament some flare. The problem is, again, that there really is no prestige to be had with all of the new designs because the tournament itself does not affect how the NBA season progresses.
Despite all the changes, or lack thereof, many NBA fans question why the tournament was even implemented in the first place. One of the most popular theories was that it would give the early NBA season something to draw fans in. The middle of the season has always had all-star weekend and the end of the season has always been exciting with teams competing for playoff spots, but the early part of the season can sometimes feel bare of any substance, and that is the reason why many think this tournament was implemented.
The in-season tournament is close to wrapping up. Maybe the answer will change throughout these final games, but as of right now the tournament seems to be a lot of flash with little substance.