The Milwaukee Bucks and the rest of the league will need to bring in a competitive edge immediately this upcoming NBA season. The league is adding a new feature this upcoming season to help create more viewership for the league with the NBA in-season tournament.
The viewership is at its lowest in about November-December due to other high-profile sports in the prime of their scheduling. To help draw in more viewership and add a new element to the league – like many European soccer leagues feature – there will now be an NBA In-season tournament called the “NBA Cup.”
The entire league will compete in the “NBA Cup,” and the players of the winning team of the tournament will take home $500,000 each. The stats and results also will count towards the overall regular season stats and records.
NBA In-Season Tournament: Milwaukee Bucks Group Announced
How Does the NBA In-Season Tournament Work?
The “NBA Cup” works with teams divided into different groups. There will be three groups in the East and three groups in the West. The group stage consists of playing against all of the other four teams in your group once.
“The Group Play games will be played on “Tournament Nights,” which will take place every Tuesday and Friday from Nov. 3-28 (with the exception of Election Day on Nov. 7). The only NBA games played on Tournament Nights will be Group Play games,” according to the NBA’s statement.
The six winners of the groups and two wild cards will advance to the Knockout Stage, one from the East and one from the West.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ Group
The Milwaukee Bucks were drawn into the “East B” group. The other four teams in their group are the New York Knicks, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, and the Miami Heat.
The Bucks will have their eyes set on the Miami Heat in this tournament, as redemption will be on their mind after the eight-seeded Heat ended Milwaukee’s season in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Las Vegas Concludes the NBA Cup
As the knockout stage begins and teams start advancing, the last four teams will compete in the semifinals, which will take play in Las Vegas on Dec. 7. The championship game will be played in Las Vegas on Dec. 9.
Las Vegas continues to be a hotspot for the NBA as of recent. The NBA Summer League has been a success, and now will host the semi-finals and finals for the “NBA Cup.” Before we know it, Sin City will be home to an NBA franchise themselves.
The NBA Cup will be an exciting way to get the season started off early in the winter. It will be interesting to see how teams will view it and how they compete. Regardless, I like the Bucks’ chances to win “East Group B” and advance to the Knockout Stage.
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