The Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls in an NBA In-Season Tournament game at the Scotiabank Arena on Nov. 24. Photo: Mark Blinch/Getty Images
OK, OK, NBA. You win.
The new in-season tournament, an idea I wrote off as being ridiculous, appears to be a massive success, Pete writes.
💠And that's not just because I stayed up late Tuesday night screaming at the TV for the Knicks to run up the score in a 24-point game in November.
Apparently, New York's margin of victory was a tiebreaker to advance to the next round. Nobody really seemed to know on the broadcast, and I still don't know what this tournament even is.
But who cares? We're in!
The big picture: Regardless of who wins the new and (still weird) mid-season "NBA Cup," the league itself is the big winner here.
That spells very good news for the more tournament-like eight-team knockout round, culminating in a Dec. 7 semi-final in Las Vegas. And that means the NBA has created a new excitement monster.
💰Be smart: It's no coincidence that the league's broadcast rights deals are expiring after next season.
