🚨 Wemby's World & the NBA's In-Season Cup 101: Everything You Need to Know - 11/3/23

Welcome to “Hoop’d There It Is” - Your daily 5-7 min dive into all things NBA.

What Stood Out to Me Last Night (11/02/23)

Victor Wembanyama keeps grabbing my attention.

So, I caught the 4th quarter when the Suns had nearly erased a 20+ point deficit. Highlights? Wemby dunks the ball hard off a pass from a Zach Collins. He was fouled but no call. Next? He jukes, then nails a pull-up 3. Then, an off-balance mid-range jumper. Before all this? 2 trips to the line. The result? Wemby racks up 38 points and 10 boards on a variety of moves all game, overshadowing Durant and Booker. The Spurs guards finally realized the threat they have in the middle today. MVP chatter might be a joke now, but he could be in the mix next season. Remember, he's only 19.

I missed some of the NBA games, so I'm introducing a new section at the bottom: "Let Reddit Explain the (some of the) Games I Didn't Watch."

Let me know if you guys are into that.

Who I’m Watching for Tonight (11/03/23)

First up, gotta point out that all the games tonight? They're "in-season tournament" games. Like, what the heck are in-season tournament games? It's this new concept the NBA brought in this season. Curious? Check out below for the full breakdown of how it works. 👇

That being said, there are two standout games:

• OKC vs. GSW: I'm eager to see how Chet handles Draymond's physicality. I'm also curious about how the longer-perimeter OKC team plans to exploit the smaller Warriors.

• But, the real showdown? Luka vs. Jokic. They aren’t guarding each other or anything, but trust, they run the show for their squads. Expect a straight-up masterclass in offensive basketball.

 Random NBA Thought

So, the NBA's spicing things up with an in-season tourney called the 'NBA Cup' - think of it as the NBA's answer to early winter blues. The big idea? Make that snooze-y stretch from early November to December pop with excitement (and... cha-ching! More TV $$$).

In order to differentiate these tournament games from regular season games, the league is making significant changes to the appearance of basketball courts. Those standard courts? They're getting jazzed up. Inspired by each team’s City Edition uniform, expect a fresh color palette and a slick 'airport runway' strip, symbolizing the journey to Vegas for the finals. Even iconic courts like the Lakers, Celtics, and Bulls are getting a makeover.

Everyone in this tournament is looking to win the NBA Cup.

NBA Cup Bracket Breakdown:

• Groups: 6 groups of 5 teams each.

• Schedule: Group games throughout November starting tonight (11/3)

• Quarterfinals: Dec. 4-5.

• Semifinals: Dec. 7.

• Championship: Dec. 9, and yep, it's in Vegas!

• Awards: An MVP award and All-Tournament team will be announced

• Prize: Winners pocket $500k each. Runners-up? $200k.

NBA Cup 101

Group Play:

• Who's In What Group? So, we've got our 30 NBA teams split up into six groups of five based off last season standings. Three groups for the East and three for the West. Pretty straightforward.

• Who Plays Who? Inside these groups, every team's gotta play against its group buddies. That's four games each during this stage. Quick maths, right?

• What's It Mean for the Regular Season? Every single game in this NBA Cup has a direct impact on the regular season standings.

After Group Play:

• Who Moves On? Post group stage, the top-performing squads from each group (based on wins and tiebreakers) get the ticket to the next big dances: quarterfinals, semifinals, and so on.

• The Bigger Battles: The deets on which teams square off in the quarters depend on their group stage performance.

• Didn't Make The Cut? Here's how it goes:

  • If your team couldn't win enough during the group stage, they're not out of the action. They'll lace up for two more games on Dec. 6 and 8 to round off their season.

  • East and West quarterfinal dropouts? They'll have a face-off on Dec. 7.

  • Those who missed the finals train after semis have completed their 82 games.

  • Now, for the finalists: they play an extra game, taking it to 83. But that championship game? It's all about glory 'cause it doesn't mess with the regular-season numbers.

There’s a lot to take in, but I finally understand what this is all about.

Stay tuned and mark those dates! 📅🏀

Let Reddit Explain the (some of the) Games I Didn't Watch

Summary:
Pelicans beat the Pistons 125-116 despite Zion sitting out. Matt Ryan and Herb Jones contributed nicely as CJ led the way with 33 and Valanciunas had 23/13.

Summary:

Philadelphia beat Toronto. Lot of praise for Embiid’s defense and the Sixers overall passing with Nick Nurse.

Kelly Oubre Jr.’s new nickname is IcyHot.

Also, Scottie Barnes looks like Toronto’s best player - the “third year leap” we were hoping to see here.

Learn more about how we want to re-do traditional fantasy basketball at www.hoopdfantasy.com