The United States Professional Basketball League announced this Saturday its first tournament in parallel to the regular season, a nba cup which will have its end December 9 in The Vegas, Nevada).
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver He said league officials had discussed the idea for 15 years before settling on a format inspired by the European football Champions League (Champions League).
“What a perfect opportunity for a global league as the NBA“, said Silver. “It’s perfect for our game.”
Silver warned that the enchantment with the new competition might not be instantaneous, hoping that fans of the NBA were patient at the beginning of the Copa.
“It takes a little bit of time to establish a new tradition,” Silver said. “In all sports we’re seeing innovations and now it’s time for this tournament to get into the season. So here we go.”
Six groups of five teams each were drawn, three from the Eastern Conference and three from the Western Conference, according to the records of the last season.
Each team will play two games at home and two away from home in the group stage, facing each rival in the group once.
How it will be played
Those games will be played Tuesdays and Fridays starting November 3. Three group winners and the next best overall team from each conference will advance to the knockout round of the quarterfinals.
The winners will advance to the semifinals in Las Vegas on December 7, with the championship game two nights later. Each player on the champion team of that tournament will receive $500,000.
“I’m excited”said the coach of the Golden State Warriors, Steve Kerr. “I think it will add an element of excitement for the players, the coaches and the fans. I think it’s a great idea.”
Golden State Warriors NBA.jpg
In the Western Conference, Group A It will consist of the Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis, Phoenix, Utah and Portland.
He Group B will feature defending NBA champion Denver, New Orleans, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas and Houston, while Group C includes Golden State, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Minnesota, Sacramento.
In the Eastern Conferencehe Group A it includes Philadelphia, Cleveland, Atlanta, Indiana and Detroit and Group B consists of Milwaukee, New York, Miami, Washington and Charlotte.
He Group C will feature Orlando, Chicago, Boston, Brooklyn and Toronto.
2023-07-09 17:57:26
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