LAS VEGAS — Myles Turner thinks part of the reason the Indiana Pacers became a team capable of making a deep playoff run this past season was because of the in-season tournament.
And he can’t wait for Round 2.
Group play pools for the second edition of the tournament — now renamed the Emirates NBA Cup — were released by the NBA on Friday. The event will start on Nov. 12 and run through a championship game in Las Vegas on Dec. 17.
The Los Angeles Lakers beat Indiana in last year’s inaugural tournament final, capping an event where the league used different court designs and uniforms — in part to make sure viewers knew these games, while all part of the regular season, was supposed to have a different feel and meaning.
“It got eyes on us as a unit,” Turner said. “We don’t get a lot of TV games, so that exposure was good for not only ourselves but just the city itself. Really helped us throughout the season as well. We got some real positive momentum from it.”
At stake: the trophy, and cash.
Players on the winning team will claim $514,971 each, while $205,988 goes to each player on the runner-up team, $102,994 to players whose teams lost in the semifinals and $51,497 to those players whose team lost in the quarterfinals.
“The feedback from players was that it was competitive last year,” said CJ McCollum, the New Orleans guard and president of the National Basketball Players Association. “The jersey changes and the different courts matter. The fact that you’ll be competing for something outside of what you normally compete for throughout a season, a chance to win a trophy in the middle of the season is good and obviously, the financial implications also made a difference. All in all, guys just like to compete.”
The league is designating seven dates as “Cup Nights,” those coming Nov. 12, Nov. 15, Nov. 19, Nov. 22, Nov. 26, Nov. 29 and Dec. 3. Teams will play Cup games on four of those seven nights, one each against the other teams in its group.
Quarterfinals will be played Dec. 10 and 11. The semifinals are in Las Vegas on Dec. 14, followed by the championship game three nights later.
Every game counted in the regular season standings last season — except the championship game, which was technically an 83rd game for the two finalists.
“When you give them something to compete for, it makes it that much more entertaining,” McCollum said.
Here is how all the groups set up for the second edition of the In-Season Tournament
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Group A:
Minnesota Timberwolves
Los Angeles Clippers
Sacramento Kings
Houston Rockets
Portland Trail Blazers
Group B:
Oklahoma City Thunder
Phoenix Suns
Los Angeles Lakers
Utah Jazz
San Antonio Spurs
Group C:
Denver Nuggets
Dallas Mavericks
New Orleans Pelicans
Golden State Warriors
Memphis Grizzlies
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Group A:
New York Knicks
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers
Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets
Group B:
Milwaukee Bucks
Indiana Pacers
Miami Heat
Toronto Raptors
Detroit Pistons
Group C:
Boston Celtics
Cleveland Cavaliers
Chicago Bulls
Atlanta Hawks
Washington Wizards
— With files from Sportsnet
