The NBA’s in-season tournament is back — except it’s not called that anymore.
Now named the NBA Cup, the idea is the same: Drive interest in a part of the season when casual fans’ attention is focused on football by turning some regular season games into a chase for a European soccer-style cup. It worked last year, when tournament games generally played with more energy than other regular-season games, making die-hard fans happy. Putting the games on what are now called “Cup Nights” — where every game was part of the cup and played on special courts — drew attention. Having LeBron James and the Lakers go all the way to win the first title helped with ratings and fan interest.
Next season’s cup chase starts with group-stage games on Nov. 12 with cup nights running through Dec. 3, with each team playing four group games against the others they have been drawn in with. The top four teams in each conference — the three group winners plus a wild card — will advance to the knockout round, culminating with the final four in Las Vegas and a championship game on Dec. 17.
Here are the groups for this year’s tournament.
Western Conference
West Group A
Minnesota Timberwolves
LA Clippers
Sacramento Kings
Houston Rockets
Portland Trail Blazers
West Group B
Oklahoma City Thunder
Phoenix Suns
Los Angeles Lakers
Utah Jazz
San Antonio Spurs
West Group C
Denver Nuggets
Dallas Mavericks
New Orleans Pelicans
Golden State Warriors
Memphis Grizzlies
Eastern Conference
East Group A
New York Knicks
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers
Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets
East Group B
Milwaukee Bucks
Indiana Pacers
Miami Heat
Toronto Raptors
Detroit Pistons
East Group C
Boston Celtics
Cleveland Cavaliers
Chicago Bulls
Atlanta Hawks
Washington Wizards
If the Memphis Grizzlies are healthy and bounce back, West Group C is the “Group of Death.” East Group A — with the Knicks, 76ers and Magic — can make its case.
