The new competition that the NBA invented last year to add some salt and pepper to the first phase of the season begins this Tuesday. The fantasy decoration of the courts used for the NBA Cup is now ready. The teams arrive at the tournament after a start to the regular season with a few surprises. The Cleveland Cavaliers are the revelation so far, having won their first 11 games, putting them ahead of the Celtics in an Eastern Conference in which Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks and Joel Embiid’s Philadelphia 76ers have seen relegated to tail positions. The first champions of the Cup competition, the Lakers, will have a difficult time even surpassing the group stage, since their group includes the two most in-form teams in the Western Conference: the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns.
Given the busy competition schedule, the NBA managed to create a kind of virtual groups within the regular season, so that the games are both league and cup games. There are six groups of five teams that are drawn taking into account the positions of the last regular season to try to ensure that they are balanced. However, some of the most in-form teams from the beginning of the season have ended up meeting each other.
There are three groups in the Eastern Conference and another three in the Western Conference. The champions of each group and the best runner-up from each conference qualify for the quarterfinals. The semifinals and final will be played at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in December. The final is the only match that does not also count for the league.
In the Eastern Conference, the Celtics, last year’s NBA champions, meet in Group C with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the most in-form team at the moment. The Celtics maintain the entire block that led them to win the ring, although their starting center, Kristaps Porziņģis, has started the season injured. In Cleveland, Kenny Atkinson has greased the machine. Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley share the scoring responsibility, while Mobley himself and Jarrett Allen lead the defense. The result is being spectacular. They are the only team with more than 50% accuracy in field goals and on Friday they crushed the Golden State Warriors with a first half to frame (83-42). They have a perfect balance of 11 wins and zero losses and will make it difficult for the Celtics to achieve first place in the group, although those from Boston will have the home field advantage in the direct duel of the group, which is played in a single round. . The other three teams in the group (Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards) will be the stone guests.
In Group A of the East, the favorites are the New York Knicks, although the pieces have not yet fully fallen into place with the arrival of Karl Anthony Towns. The 76ers seemed reinforced with the signings of Paul George (from the Los Angeles Clippers) and Caleb Martin (from the Miami Heat), but they have started the season with only one victory in the first eight games. Their star, Joel Embiid, has not yet played a minute, first due to injury and then due to a three-game ban for pushing a journalist who criticized him in an article. The only alternative to the Knicks seems to be the Orlando Magic, but they are not very good either. Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets are the two weakest teams in the group.
Where things are not working either is in the Milwaukee Bucks, with only two wins in 10 games despite the titanic efforts of Antetokounmpo (averages 30.1 points and 12.8 rebounds) to lead the team. The Bucks are seeded in Group B of the East, but their poor moment makes the Indiana Pacers (last year’s NBA Cup finalists) favorites. The group is completed by the Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons, theoretically weaker.
The ‘group of death’
In the West, the death group It is B. The first two in the conference (Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns) and last year’s cup champion (Los Angeles Lakers) meet there. Oklahoma’s combine the best defense in the league, in which Chet Holgrem puts fear under the basket, with the inspiration of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in attack. In the Suns, Kevin Durant, who seemed rejuvenated, has suffered a calf injury that will keep him off the court for at least two weeks. In the Lakers, the one who is in top form (32.4 points, the NBA leader, and 11.2 rebounds per game) is Anthony Davis, who has eclipsed LeBron James at the start of the season. Bronny James, the son of The King, has made history by sharing the court with his father, but he has an increasingly marginal role and has been relegated to playing with the G League affiliate. The Utah Jazz and Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs complete the group.
Group C also has three heavyweights, including the last two Western champions: Nikola Jokić’s Denver Nuggets and Luka Dončić’s Dallas Mavericks. Since neither of them are doing very well, Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors, who have started the season with 7 wins and 2 losses, can try to surprise. The New Orleans Pelicans and the Memphis Grizzlies have fewer options.
In Group A of the West, the favorites are Anthony Edwards’ Minnesota Timberwolves, a team still in development after the departure of Karl Anthony-Towns and the arrival of Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle. The main alternative will be the Clippers, with the Sacramento Kings as third in contention and with the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers with hardly any options.
League matches are played on Tuesdays and Fridays until December 3. The two most attractive games this Tuesday are the 76ers-Knicks and the Warriors-Mavericks. The quarterfinals, a single match, will be on December 10 and 11; the semifinals on the 14th and the NBA Cup final on the 17th. The first edition boosted the interest of fans and audiences. League officials hope history repeats itself.
