Lessons Learned From the NBA’s First-Ever In-Season Tournament

The NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament ended with a big bang, with the showtime Los Angeles Lakers dazzling an early season crowd with an emphatic title-worthy triumph over the over-achieving Indiana Pacers 123-109. The abbreviated tourney was a big hit, with players and fans showing great interest in the new exciting format.

Indeed, the league has demonstrated its dynamism and boldness in introducing an innovative new adventure to spice up the action at the start of the season. Games played in the early stages of the season are usually used by teams to condition their players physically, and to experiment with player combinations and set plays. But with the introduction of a new format, interest for the early team standings went straight up the roof!

What then were the take-aways from this first-ever mini-tourney?

First, setting up this new abbreviated competition has proved to be a huge financial success for the league. There was a reported 16% increase in gate attendance during the group stage. And it is clear that attendance for the quarterfinals, the semis and the finals were significantly better than the regular games. Hence, more sponsors are expected to plunk in funds for the new innovation come its second season next year.

Second, competitions that are short and sweet like this will definitely favor the likes of Lebron James and Anthony Davis Jr. The long, grueling best-of-seven playoff series would simply tire out Lebron’s overused and AD’s oh-so-fragile bodies. But short, one-and done clashes with strong rivals will give them a better chance at slipping through their younger, stronger rivals.

Which takes us to our third point: some players did not give the tourney much importance, while others – like Lebron – saw the significance of the new short format as an opportunity for another title. With its clear success, expect more players to give their all for the 2nd NBA Cup.

One casualty of the new format was the tradition of easing off on the action once the win was assured. With the points quotient playing a very significant role in case of ties in the win-loss column, teams were forced to keep on playing hard to maximize the point-spread. Case in point: the Boston Celtics nipped the Orlando Magic for the East’s Group C winner via a lopsided 124-97 win over the Chicago Bulls on the last day of the group stage.

As for the final game itself, the Lakers demonstrated to us a classic way to handle speed. The Pacers were coming out as the fastest, hence top-scoring team in the league right now. Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle has been able to whip out a hard-driving, fast-transitioning team to maximize on his team’s young legs. But Laker coach Darvin Ham devised a defense that shut off the Pacers’ vaunted transition offense. This time, the Lakers’ size trumped the Pacers’ speed, something the eastern heavyweights – the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks – failed to address. Coach Ham solved the Pacers’ offensive sprint by putting a defender – kudos to Cam Reddish – in front of Tyrese Haliburton right from the baseline. By taking out the Pacers’ weapon of choice, the Lakers were able to dictate their tempo and win the coveted crown.

But certainly, there was the emergence of a new breed of stars like Tyrese Haliburton that we must also recognize. Tyrese was the key behind the Pacers’ offensive juggernaut. Their transition was super-fast, it was relentless, it came from all sides, from inside and out. And Ty orchestrated this wave-after-wave offense with the precision of a General George Patton. In preparing against the Pacers, team will have to find ways to deal with their patented speed show.

And it is to the credit of Coach Carlisle that, despite the lack of outstanding talent, the Pacers have outsped, outshot, and out-dazzled most of their opponents this season. That is, until the Lakers solved their speed stumper. Coach Carlisle has instilled the Pacers’ fresh winning culture. He has succeeded in maximizing the potential of each member of this small-market team. But from hereon, the Pacers will be a marked team as there is now a growing acceptance that Haliburton’s ‘Hickory Hoosiers’ are a team to reckon with.

Finally, the Lebron-AD magic was once again on full display during the Finals. At 38, Lebron is a walking wonder of the cage world. Despite the age, Lebron can still ball with the best of them. Lebron was the defensive cog that covered the interior as AD diffused the Pacers’ pick-and-roll at the top. AD outdid himself in the finals with a monster performance which netted 41-points, 20 rebounds and 4 blocks. AD, who has been injury-prone for the last couple of seasons, showed everyone what he could do, given a healthy body.

With still 5 months before the real playoff battles commence, the Lakers and the Pacers have drawn first blood. The Lakers are 14-10 and 6th in the Western Conference. The Pacers are 13-8 and currently 5th in the Eastern Conference. Will they be able to sustain their In-Season brilliance? Or will the heavyweights make their presence felt in the months ahead? It’s definitely still a long way to go, and many things can still happen. There’s the team chemistry developing, or unraveling for some. There’s the trade deadline, the possibility of injuries, etc. Whatever it is, fans are grateful for all the early season thrills the NBA has delivered. This Christmas season, we pray for more blessings and we wish for more cage excitement for all the fans across the globe.

Cover photo courtesy of USA Today Sports. Other photos courtesy of Indy Star, South China Morning Post, Draft Kings Network and Taipei Times.