Tag: in-season tournament

Who will win the first NBA in-season tournament?

How seriously will the Boston Celtics and other ball clubs take it, and will they prioritize it over resting stars or taking it easy to save energy and health for the 2024 NBA Playoffs?

The NBA’s new in-season tournament is already underway, and fans of the respective teams trying to win it for the very first season of its existence are still wrapping their heads around exactly how it works.

But the question of who will win it is an interesting one given the dynamics surrounding it are still, by and large, unknown. How seriously will the Boston Celtics and other ball clubs take it, and will they prioritize it over resting stars or taking it easy to save energy and health for the 2024 NBA Playoffs? On a recent episode of ESPN’s “NBA Countdown,” host Richard Jefferson, the so-called director of ambiance, joined the show to give his predictions for the teams that will come out on top.

To hear which clubs he thinks will come out of each group and compete to win it all this fall, take a look at the clip embedded below courtesy of the NBA on ESPN YouTube channel.

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Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis a fan of the NBA’s new in-season tournament

The NBA’s version of a midseason tourney has Boston in the league’s East C group for the start of tournament play.

Not everyone is a fan of the NBA’s new in-season tournament, but for Boston Celtics star big man Kristaps Porzingis, the Latvian center is a fan of the new addition to the league calendar. “I love it. In Europe, we always have some sort of tournament in preseason or during the year,” explained Porzingis after practice earlier this week via Boston Dot Com’s Khari Thompson.

“When I was growing up, I always enjoyed those kind of tournaments,” added the Celtics center, who played professionally in Europe for Seville’s Real Betis Baloncesto before coming to the NBA in 2015. “It kind of just put more of a spotlight on something that’s midseason and stuff like that.”

The NBA’s version of a midseason tourney has Boston in the league’s East C group for the start of tournament play.

That group also has the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic, and Toronto Raptors, with play beginning for Boston in the tourney on Nov. 10 vs. the Nets at TD Garden.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Denver Nuggets’ In-Season Tournament court misplaced the 3-point line

Grant Williams could tell something was wrong during warmups.

The NBA is trying something a little different this year with its inaugural In-Season Tournament — a league-wide, knockout competition meant to mimic the mid-year events of European soccer.

It’s a fun concept with the NBA hosting the championship game in Las Vegas. There’s also bit of extra incentive for the players and coaches in the form of an $18 million prize pool for the winners. To make matters more engaging, home teams are rolling out special edition courts for each game during tournament play.

Some of them are really cool! Some of them are not. And some, like the Denver Nuggets’ court, don’t even meet NBA regulations.

Before the Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks opened up pool play on Friday night, Grant Williams noticed something was a bit off with the three-point line when his usual shot wasn’t falling during morning shootaround.

“Everything was short,” Williams said per the Associated Press. “Plus, I could just tell from the perception, either it was the blue court and it’s messing with my eyes in the empty arena, or this line is long.”

It was the latter. The three-point arc painted on the court was much further back than it should’ve been. The Nuggets fixed the mistake before tipoff, but the evidence was still noticeable.

“You could tell the line is still kind of marked on the court,” Williams said. “But we’ll make it work. Sometimes, imperfections happen so you’ve got to adjust.”

Both Denver and Dallas shot over 40 percent from behind the arc on Friday, so it didn’t seem to throw off to much once the game actually started. The Nuggets won, 125-114, but the larger point is this: never create a new court when a simple floor sticker will suffice.

NBA Twitter reacts to Steph Curry’s controversial game-winner vs. Thunder

After the first in-season tournament game ended with a controversial game-winner from Steph Curry against the Thunder, NBA Twitter exploded with reactions. See what fans and analysts were saying on Friday night.

The Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder provided intense energy and a dramatic finish in their in-season tournament opener on Friday night.

Following a back-and-forth high-scoring contest that featured both teams trading buckets, the game went down to the wire.

The outcome came down to free throws from a red-hot Lu Dort. However, Dort split the free throws, opening the door for the Warriors to steal the game with 16 seconds left on the clock.

One game after Klay Thompson hit a game-winning jumper at the buzzer against the Sacramento Kings, Steph Curry answered the bell in Oklahoma City. However, Curry’s game-winner didn’t come without theatrics.

With time ticking down, Curry drove to the basket on his way to a high-arching layup at the rim that rattled through the net to give the Warriors a 141-139 win in a thriller against the Thunder. Yet, the final play of regulation went into review after a basket interference call on Draymond Green.

After a flurry of reviews, it looked like Oklahoma City’s Josh Giddey appeared to touch the net while Green was going for the rim. The call was overturned, and Curry was awarded the game-winning basket.

Curry finished with a game-high 30 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field with five made triples to go along with eight boards and seven assists in 31 minutes.

After the Warriors won their fifth straight game in dramatic fashion, the NBA community on Twitter erupted with reactions. Here’s a look at what fans and analysts were saying on Friday night.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

NBA Twitter reacts to Thunder’s blue court vs. Warriors for in-season tournament

After the Thunder unveiled their new-look blue court for the start of the in-season tournament against the Warriors, NBA Twitter chimed in with reactions.

If you’re watching basketball on Friday for the start of the NBA’s first ever in-season tournament, you’re bound to notice something different. With the start of the tournament, the league unveiled new-look courts across the association.

The Golden State Warriors opened the in-season tournament with a road contest in the West C group against the Oklahoma City Thunder. For the in-season tournament opener, the Thunder rolled out an eye-popping new edition of their home court on Friday night at Paycom Center.

Along with a look at the in-season tournament trophy at center-court, the hardwood was bright blue.

While the Thunder revealed their bright blue court, the NBA community on Twitter chimed in with a flurry of different reactions. Here’s a look at what fans and analysts were saying about the court on Friday evening.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

Warriors at Thunder: How to watch, stream, lineups, injury report and broadcast info for first in-season tournament game

Before the Warriors meet the Thunder on Friday in a first in-season tournament game, here’s everything to know before the game, including how to watch.

Friday will mark the start of group play in the highly-anticipated in-season tournament. While the games will still count as normal regular-season games, they will also matter for the in-season tournament that will track throughout the first half of the 2023-24 season.

The Warriors will represent the West C group along with the Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. 

On Friday, the Warriors will kick off the first in-season tournament with a road contest against the Thunder. The start of the tournament is coming at the right time for the Warriors.

Golden State is currently riding a four-game winning streaking, including three straight road wins. The Thunder are coming off a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans at home on Wednesday.

Before the Warriors meet the Thunder on Friday in a first in-season tournament game, here’s everything to know before the game, including how to watch.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

Reacting to the Boston Celtics’ new in-season tournament court

The NBA wanted a visual marker to differentiate the tournament games from regular season contests, so all 30 teams will have new alternate courts.

The Boston Celtics, known for their iconic parquet court, will be using an alternate basketball court for the upcoming NBA in-season tournament, their first such alternate court in the nearly eight decades of the storied ball club’s existence. The reason for the new court extends beyond the Celtics organization, however, with the impetus for Boston’s new alternate court something shared with the Association’s other 29 teams as well.

The NBA wanted a visual marker to differentiate the tournament games from regular season contests, so all 30 teams will have new alternate courts as a result. While the league is confident most fans will like the floors, traditionalist Celtics fans may not be convinced.

The hosts of the CLNS Media “How Bout Them Celtics!” podcast recently took a look at the new court on a recent episode also covering Boston’s blowout win over the Wizards on Monday.

Check it out in the clip above!

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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Celtics to use an alternate court for NBA’s in-season tournament

It will be the first such alt court used by the team in its near eight decades of history.

In their nearly eight decades of existence, the Boston Celtics have never used an alternative basketball court, instead relying on their iconic parquet for all games from the preseason to the playoffs. But that will change this season with all 30 teams in the league putting out a new alternate court to use during the NBA’s new in-season tournament according to new reporting from ESPN’s Zach Lowe.

Created so fans can “know instantly they were watching a group stage game” of the tourney, the question driving this development was the league asking “What if we painted the entire court? And what if we did it for all 30 teams, using the same general template?” to get a clear visual marker that the games which will use those courts are in-season tournament games.

“The Celtics — owners of perhaps the most iconic basketball floor in the world — played it fairly traditionally, going with dark green in the bulk of the court and a wood-shaded runway,” writes Lowe.

“The league is confident most fans will like the floors and that the courts will serve their main purpose,” adds the senior ESPN writer.

The court, linked above, certainly won’t be mistaken for the team’s usual, iconic parquet. But if they end up winning that inaugural competition on it, it may well warm some of the traditionalist holdouts over.

Then again, knowing Celtics fans and their titles-or-bust perspective, maybe not.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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NBA reveals custom court Sixers will play on for in-season tournament

The NBA revealed a custom court for the Philadelphia 76ers and the rest of the NBA to play on for the in-season tournament.

With the 2023-24 season underway in the NBA, the new in-season tournament is set to debut for its inaugural run.

The Philadelphia 76ers are in Group A in the Eastern Conference alongside the Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks. The winner of that group will take part in the quarterfinals. The four survivors head to Las Vegas for the semifinals and play for the NBA Cup as the league looks to conjure up something to play for in the early part of the season.

The Sixers, whose first in-season tournament game will be on Nov. 10 at the Pistons, will have a different court when they play these games. The league came up with an in-season tournament court for all 30 teams to play on and revealed them on Monday.

The Sixers will play at home in the in-season tournament on Nov. 14 against the Pacers and on Nov. 21 against the Cavaliers. They will be on the road on Nov. 10 against the Pistons and Nov. 17 against the Hawks.

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How might the Boston Celtics do in the NBA’s new in-season tournament?

It could all depend on how the Celtics gel early in the season.

How might the Boston Celtics do in the NBA’s new in-season tournament? According to NBA Dot Com’s Brian Martin, it all depends on how the Celtics gel early in the season after an offseason that saw a lot of roster turnover. Per Martin, the Celtics “lost some defense and toughness with the losses of (veteran Celtics point guard) Smart and (Robert Williams III), but the addition of (star big man Kristaps) Porzingis gives the Celtics another elite offensive weapon to complement (All-NBA forwards Jaylen) Brown and (Jayson) Tatum.

“How quickly things come together on the court will go a long way to determining how well this team does during the Group Play stage of the In-Season Tournament,” adds Martin.

For the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament, the Celtics will be playing in Group C, which features four other teams in the league’s Eastern Conference.

That group includes Boston, the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic, and Toronto Raptors, none of whom should be on the Celtics level as one of the NBA’s top projected contenders, but all of whom have enough talent on their roster to give Boston trouble if they play down to their opponents.

The Celtics will play the Nets on Nov. 11, Toronto Nov. 17, Orlando Nov. 24, and the Bulls on Nov. 28 in group play. For more details on the tourney and what it entails, click here.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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