The league has just announced the schedule for the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament in 2023-24. The highly-anticipated competition will tip off on November 3rd with none other than the Milwaukee Bucks opening the tournament against the New York Knicks in a nationally-televised game.
Apart from the Knicks, the Bucks have also been pitted against the Miami Heat, the Charlotte Hornets, and the Washington Wizards in the East’s Group B.
Milwaukee Bucks Expected to Top NBA In-Season Tournament Group B
Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz has come out with his fearless forecast of how the In-Season Tournament will play out, and unsurprisingly, the Bucks are expected to emerge as winners of Group B:
“Milwaukee may not be motivated to win the NBA Cup, but this group did take the regular season seriously last year en route to 58 wins. If Miami still hasn’t traded for Damian Lillard (or is still working out the chemistry between him and the rest of the roster) by November, the Heat won’t be at full strength yet. New York will be a tough out,” Swartz wrote.
All 30 teams will take part in the In-Season Tournament. The NBA has divided the league into three groups of five teams per conference. Each team will battle every squad in their group once, with the side with the most wins advancing to the knockout stage. The non-group-winning team with the best record in each conference will also advance as a wildcard.
According to Swartz, he expected the Bucks to finish with the best record in Group B. He predicts that Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. will face off against their Central Division rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in the knockout stage.
Boston Celtics Projected to Win Inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament
Unfortunately for the Bucks, they get bounced in the quarterfinals after losing to the Cavs — according to Swartz at least.
The Cavs, however, lose out to the Boston Celtics in the Final Four, with Jayson Tatum and Co. advancing to the championship game against the Sacramento Kings. Swartz believes that it’s going to be Boston who bags the title on Dec. 9 in Las Vegas. For good measure, every single player on the Celtics roster (or whichever team actually ends up winning the tournament) will pocket a cool $500,000 each.
For More Wisconsin Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @PaoloSongcoNBA, and follow us @WiSportsHeroics. Also, check out our Merchandise Here! Get 20% off with the code “WSH.” You can also reach out to Paolo Songco via email at pao.songco@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Wisconsin sports, click here! Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers.
