The NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament starts Friday across the league. The Warriors begin this regular season tournament in Oklahoma City against the Thunder.
The tournament is the league’s attempt to generate more competitive fire and interest in the regular season by adding stakes to some of the earlier games. There are some incentives to winning the NBA Cup: Each player on the winning team gets $500,000, a trophy and a midseason trip to Las Vegas to play the semifinal and championship games.
There’s a lot unknown about how teams will approach the tournament and if its addition will accomplish the NBA’s goal to lather up more intensity in some early-season games — teams should feel compelled to all play their stars. The Warriors, though, won’t be facing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City’s All-Star guard who’ll sit out Friday with a knee issue.
Draymond Green has a prominent role in the NBA’s TV advertisement for the tournament alongside other stars such as Anthony Davis, DeMar DeRozan and Trae Young. But are the Warriors really that invested in getting some hardware that isn’t the Larry O’Brien? Here’s how the Warriors are approaching the in-season tournament.
The format
All 30 NBA teams are divided into five groups of five for a group round that’s played from Nov. 3 through Nov. 28. The Warriors are grouped with the Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs as well as the Thunder. The teams’ records after playing each other once within the regular schedule — two on the road and two away — will determine who advances to the knockout round.
The second game is against the Timberwolves at Chase Center on Nov. 13, the next against the Spurs at home on Nov. 24 and the final group-round game on Nov. 28 against the Kings in Sacramento.
If the Warriors have the best record in those four games, or if they qualify for one of two wild-card spots, they play in a quarterfinal game on Dec. 4 or 5 that will count toward their regular-season schedule. A win advances them to the semifinals and a chance at the NBA Cup in Las Vegas. The semifinal game also will count as a regular-season game, but the championship will not count toward the two competing teams’ final regular-season record. The 22 teams that do not qualify for the final rounds will each play two regular-season games with opponents to be determined.
The strategy
Don’t expect the Warriors to treat the in-season tournament games like playoff games. There might be some extra excitement, but head coach Steve Kerr won’t be piling on any extra minutes for his core guys to get a victory.
“I wasn’t going to make a big deal about it, then they told us the coaching staff gets a big bonus if we win it. So Steph is going 48, we’re locked in on the in-season tournament,” Kerr joked on Wednesday.
He added that he will go about his minutes strategy as if it’s any other regular season game. Each of the four teams is in the Western Conference — all teams are placed in conference rival groupings — so there will be some natural incentive to win either way.
“I played Steph 35 (minutes) against Sacramento because we needed it,” Kerr said. “So maybe he plays 35 that night if the game is close or in the balance, but I’m not treating it like a Finals game where he might play 42. We have a back-to-back two nights later in Cleveland and Detroit, so we have to think big-picture. But a few extra minutes? Sure.”
The Warriors haven’t talked about preparing any differently for the tournament games compared to any other regular-season game.
“You don’t prepare differently for it, because it’s basketball. It’s another game,” Andrew Wiggins said. “I’m excited for it. The idea that it’ll help keep everything interesting and exciting and make the game bigger.”
Do the players want to win?
The league is doing what it can to distinguish the tournament games from any other game. Each team will have a colorful court design to distinguish the regular season from the tournament game. But is it enough for the games to feel any different? Do the players want the NBA Cup?
“The only thing really different is the court, really,” Gary Payton II said. “We’re just out there trying to win games. The bigger picture is in June, so if we can win as many games, it’ll help us. But they threw something in to motivate us, but it’s just another game to me.”
Having the semifinals in Las Vegas is a strong incentive for players who might like a midseason detour. There’s some desire to win the inaugural tournament, too.
“Being the first team to win it, you get paid for it, too. It’s good,” Wiggins said. “Not like a goal to win, but you want to win. It’s just another game. You want to win every game you can. It’s not like it’s added games to the season, it’s still part of the regular season so you definitely want to win. If you can win the whole thing, why not go for it?”
Added Kerr: “It’s going to be interesting. I know we have court designs and stuff, there will be a different feel. But since we’ve never been through this, it’s hard to know what to expect. But I think with the competitive nature of the players and coaches in this league, guys are going to want to win it. Guys are going to go hard. I like it, it has potential to be really fun, so I am all in.”