NBA Cup: The dream final, the best player, what should change?

Who has been the best player, what should be changed and which team will make history by winning the first NBA Cup competition title? Our experts answer these questions.

The opening tournament of the NBA season reaches the knockout rounds, in which one team will lift the NBA Cup and each of its players will win $500,000 in prizes. What started with the 30 teams playing four group stage games has now been whittled down to the eight quarterfinal contenders.

Four teams from each conference will play for the right to advance to the semifinals on December 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, followed by the championship game on December 9. On Monday, the Indiana Pacers will host the Boston Celtics, while the New Orleans Pelicans will travel to the Sacramento Kings.

On Tuesday, the New York Knicks will visit the Milwaukee Bucks, followed by LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Phoenix Suns. The tournament has generated a lot of buzz for its unique format, newly designed courts and a surge in interest among fans for early season games.

Ahead of the quarter-finals, our experts look at the biggest questions: what did they like about the tournament so far, who was the best player, what should be changed and who will finally make history by winning the competition’s first title.

The group stage of the seasonal tournament was…?

Tim MacMahon: Fun. The league office figured out a way to add a little more interest to a series of early regular-season games. The colorful fields were a great marketing stunt that clearly identified those clashes as tournament games and got people talking about the NBA during the NFL season. If the league can reclaim Tuesday and Friday nights during the fall, it will be a huge win.

Jamal Collier: Taken more seriously than expected, both by fans, media, players and teams. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed it and it added some intrigue to the pre-Christmas Day part of the programme. The point differential tiebreakers may have been a little confusing, but they are 100 percent worth it just to see Celtics coach, Joe Mazzullahaving to apologize to his Chicago Bulls counterpart, Billy Donovanfor beating his team badly.

Dave McMenamin: A resounding success. The stars accepted. Coaches followed the rules of the competition, even if that meant avoiding the institutionalized practice of not increasing the score at the end of games. The fields and uniforms gave it a unique look. And there were a lot of really fun games that went all the way.

Kendra Andrews: Exactly what the league wanted it to be. He created some meaningful and exciting basketball in November. Taking into account the point spread and the different courts created some very fun basketball for games that wouldn’t have mattered as much. The icing on the cake was the last game of group play, the Warriors against the Kings, with as dramatic an ending as one could wish for.

Tim Bontemps: A victory for the commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver. The long-time supporter of this event finally saw his vision come true, and the result was much more interest in the event. NBA during the last few weeks than in a typical November.

Which match in the quarterfinals of the season tournament causes the most intrigue?

MacMahon: Suns-Lakers certainly has the biggest draw. It’s a special occasion every time LeBron James and Kevin Durant face off, which happened for the first time in five years this season. We’re talking about the all-time leading scorer and a guy who broke into the top 10 last week, and both are still performing at All-NBA levels. With Suns guard Devin Booker and Lakers big man Anthony Davis, this game has some serious star power.

Collier: Knicks-Bucks should be a fun matchup. It almost seemed like these teams were headed for a playoff matchup last season before Milwaukee was upset in the first round, so a tournament elimination game between the two will take its place. Both teams are really starting to find their feet after a slow start, with the Bucks winning eight of their last nine and the Knicks winning eight of their last 11.

Andrews: I have my eye on the Kings-Pelicans. When the seasonal tournament was first introduced, I thought it would be perfect for younger, up-and-coming teams looking to make a splash. Both teams meet that requirement. Zion Williamson and De’Aaron Fox are two of the most intriguing young stars in the game. NBAand both teams are looking to prove that they are authentic.

McMenamin: Indiana-Boston. This Pacers team represents how the tournament can enhance the experience of the NBA for everyone involved: A young team that has yet to advance can experience a playoff-like atmosphere, while fans can watch a rising star like Tyrese Haliburton blossom on the national stage. Indiana and its league-leading 127.6 points per game have a chance to upset an AL title favorite. NBA in Boston on their home court for the right to go to Las Vegas. What an opportunity!

Good time: The league has four very good matchups, but I’ll also stick with Kings-Pelicans. Williamson is healthy and New Orleans is playing well, while the incredible Sacramento crowd will be excited to see their team get the chance to go to Las Vegas. Since Fox also plays at a high level for the Kings, this game could provide some late-night fireworks.

Who is your NBA Cup MVP so far?

Andrews: Lebron James. He led the Lakers to a 4-0 record in group play, and the level at which he is playing at the age of 38 is astonishing. Whether he wants to win the $500,000 prize for each of his younger teammates or whether he wants to win another trophy, James has been incredible in these tournaments.

Good time: James. I’ll pick the best player on the best team, and the Lakers star is both in the tournament so far – a notable achievement for a player a month shy of his 39th birthday. It would be fitting if James found his way to Las Vegas as part of what the league hopes will be a new tradition.

Collier: Tyrese Haliburton. He’s already having a fantastic season, getting off to an even better start after making the All-Star team last season, but he improved during pool play. Indiana is just 5-7 in non-tournament games, but in this event, Haliburton averaged 28.5 points and 13.5 assists to lead Indiana to its 4-0 record.

MacMahon: Damian Lillard averaged an efficient 30 points and seven assists as the Bucks remained undefeated in pool play. He also had the best quote to sum up the experience from him during his post-match interview with Ros Gold-Onwude of ESPN after the group stage win over the Knicks: “You can tell it’s like something is happening, but it’s new, so I’m not really sure what the hell is going on… It seems like a moment (the court, the uniforms, the TV game and all that), but I don’t think anyone really knows what’s going on. “We’re just trying to get to Vegas.”

McMenamin:Kevin Durant. Although he missed one of the Suns’ group games due to a sore right foot, his numbers in the other three were sublime: 35.7 points on 58.6/75/86.7 shooting splits, 7.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists. The 17-year veteran can’t receive enough praise for how he returned to his dominant form (and stayed there) after his Achilles surgery in 2019.

What would you change about the tournament?

Collier: I still think there needs to be something that gives fans a reason to care about who wins the tournament. The winner may do no worse than the No. 9 seed, guaranteeing a home play-in game, at worst, no matter what happens the rest of the season. Imagine the intensity for fans of teams on the rise knowing they are headed to the postseason, or teams fighting to position themselves in a crowded Western Conference and guarantee a spot.

MacMahon: As someone who believes sportsmanship is the most overrated thing in sports, I’m all for raising the score. However, to try to keep the peace, the league should probably limit point differential benefits for each individual game. Maybe put up 15 points at most to avoid the discomfort of intentionally targeting a poor free throw taker midway through the fourth quarter of a blowout.

McMenamin: The number one seed coming out of pool play should be able to choose their opponent instead of automatically facing the fourth-seeded wild card team in the quarterfinals. That way, a team like the Lakers, who already beat Phoenix in group play, could opt to play New Orleans or Sacramento, for example, rather than having to beat the Suns again to advance.

Andrews: Would it be possible that these games don’t count toward the teams’ overall records? The Warriors coach, Steve Kerr, made an interesting comment: if you need to win by 12 to get to the quarterfinals but you’re only up by two seconds before the end, do you try to take it to overtime to get the points and advance?, or just take the win to help their qualification for the playoffs? It’s an interesting dilemma that could provide even more drama if the games didn’t count twice.

Good time: The most important thing that needs to change won’t come until the league decides to expand to 32 teams. At that point, you can have eight groups of four teams, have everyone play twice, and then move on to the knockout rounds. The current format leaves some teams looking at the last day of competition, which creates a slightly strange situation.

Make your choices! What is your championship matchup and who will win?

Good time: Celtics over Kings. Boston should take care of Indiana on Monday, and I like the Celtics’ chances once they get to Las Vegas. I can make a case for either team in the West, but I think Sacramento will beat the Pelicans in front of their incredible home crowd on Monday, and the extra day of rest will help the Kings against the winner between the Suns and Lakers.

Andrews: Lakers over Celtics. This matchup would become an instant classic, given the pedigree and history between these two franchises. The Celtics have been one of the best teams in the league, but the Lakers have been the best team in the group, and I think they want that bragging rights a little more than Boston.

MacMahon: Celtics over Suns. This isn’t exactly taking a chance with Boston having the best record and best net rating in the league. The Suns, similarly, have the best overall record and net rating among the West’s qualifiers.

Collier: Celtics over Lakers. The NBA I couldn’t have imagined it better. It’s the perfect opening matchup to add legitimacy to the tournament. As the best team in the league so far this season, I would expect the Celtics to keep it up in Las Vegas on their way to victory.

McMenamin: Lakers over Knicks. Los Angeles seems extremely motivated to win the cash prize, and New York is a brave group that could pull off a couple of upsets to reach the finals. Furthermore, for a tournament that Silver has already casually referred to as the ‘David Stern Cup,’ there is no title game that would please the late commissioner more than a showdown between the league’s two biggest markets.