As we projected when we announced its structure, the NBA's first in-season tournament was a huge success. The oracle you deserve is Fact or Fiction
First time in forever, pre-Christmas basketball had actual stakes. LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers will face Tyrese Haliburton's Indiana Pacers, a youthful team led by a rising star seeking a franchise title for the first time since the ABA.
Note the intriguing contrast between the Lakers' size and experience and the Pacers' quickness and youth. Haliburton, who sees everything, and James, who has seen everything, play chess
I appreciate the styled courts because one of my children asked, "Wait, why is the floor like that?" She learned about the tournament and knew what was going on each time she viewed it. If a 7-year-old can figure this out in minutes, everyone should spot the IST.
Avoid making the courts so slippery next time. Perhaps the state's coolest high school gyms could host the games. Definitely improve City Edition shirts. Continue creativity workshops here
We need a week or something to play consecutive in-season tournament games. Spacing them out eliminated drama from the first three pool games. Most people found sometimes, Oh, tonight is a tournament game. While some teams were three games in, the Raptors played their first. When the stakes were determined on the final night, interest jumped tenfold
24 teams must play simultaneously on the last day of pool play. There are six groups of five teams, thus not everyone can play one night. That will wait till the league has 32 teams.