Lakers Set to Face Multiple Familiar Foes in New 2023 In-Season Tournament
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has played around with the idea of establishing an in-season tournament for a few years now -- a la the UEFA Champions League in soccer for instance.
Silver's idea became reality on Saturday as the league announced the format of the tournament, set to begin this upcoming season.
As far as how the beginning is concerned, the tournament will begin with a round-robin stage where all 30 NBA teams will be divided into groups.
The groups for the inaugural tournament were announced on Saturday, and the Lakers are scheduled to face some teams that they should be quite familiar with.
The first one that immediately jumps out as far as potential fireworks are concerned is their matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies. No, Dillon Brooks won't be suiting up for them, but a rematch of the 2023 Western Conference Quarterfinals should be interesting, especially with the bad blood built in even if some of it may have waned.
The game against Phoenix should serve as a great litmus test for LA provided that the Suns are fully healthy, and it'll be good to watch LeBron James and Anthony Davis go up against Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in a game that has some stakes to it before the playoffs begin.
The Jazz and Blazers games could lack some luster, especially if Damian Lillard ends up leaving Portland, but watching No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson play against LA in a potentially new Blazers era will be intriguing.
All told, an in-season tournament is a new idea for the NBA, but it's one that could lead to some fun scenarios especially as the stakes get higher.
No matter how it ultimately turns out for the NBA at large, the group stage will be a good watch -- and we might just get a taste of playoff-esque basketball before the calendar turns to 2024.
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