The first ever “NBA Cup” belongs to the Los Angeles Lakers. Driven by a timelessly dominant LeBron James and an unstoppable Anthony Davis in the finals, the traditional franchise wins another trophy. The tournament is a success for the league and Las Vegas.
The furious Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers 123:109 in the final of the “NBA In-Season Tournament” and became the first winner of the new “NBA Cup”. LeBron James was named tournament MVP and most valuable player after leading his Lakers to seven wins in seven games in this inaugural competition – and reminding fans and observers alike that he and his Lakers are also in the championship race must be expected.
“King James” collected 24 points and 11 rebounds in the final, while teammate Anthony Davis became the outstanding player with 41 points, 20 rebounds and 4 blocks. James and Davis are the only two holdovers from the former championship team that won the championship in the coronavirus-ravaged 2019-20 NBA season. The congenial duo once again acted in the best “Batman and Robin” style on the way to another trophy. Although it doesn’t count as a real title, there was $500,000 in prize money for each player of the newly crowned cup winner.
With an average of 26.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game while shooting an extremely strong 56.8 percent from the field, the oldest player in the league left his mark on the entire tournament. With wins against the Phoenix Suns (106:103) and New Orleans Pelicans (133:89), the Lakers qualified for the final after remaining undefeated four times in the group stage. The final was the only game in this tournament that is not considered a regular season game. As usual, all other duels count as part of the 82-game regular season, before the start of the “play-ins” and playoffs in mid-April.
Fully hit
The NBA desperately wanted to bring a little enthusiasm into the early phase of the season, which in the past dragged on for months and was usually extremely slow. “Load management” – resting top stars to prevent injuries, half-empty halls and often boring basketball between October and January were primarily the order of the day. As a rule, some enthusiasm only arose from February onwards, before the knockout rounds and finals in the spring. Until after the Super Bowl, the NBA never had a chance against the much more popular NFL.
Unstoppable under the boards: Anthony Davies.
(Photo: AP)
So now the “in-season” tournament, for future editions of which this victory by the Lakers was of course the perfect way to drum up advertising. The league couldn’t have imagined a better start to this new experiment. Audience ratings and click numbers on social media shot up to unprecedented record levels at this early point in the season, the entire visual appearance – complete with new, brightly colored floors and jerseys, as well as the sometimes exhilarating basketball in which players gave their all because it was everything – all of that made this tournament a huge success.
With the new format, the NBA borrowed from European sports. “The origin of the idea was global soccer and the recognition that there is currently a tradition, especially outside the United States, of winning other cups and competitions during a season in addition to winning the championship,” explained Commissioner Adam Silver. The league boss will of course particularly like the fact that the new findings and, above all, the excellent user metrics will also make it easy to negotiate when a new TV partner for the new format needs to be looked for soon.
Is there a new Lakers dominance now?
When the Lakers won the controversial “Bubble Championship” a little more than three years ago, the team’s signature was clear: a dominant James/Davis axis, flanked by strong, aggressive and athletic defenders. Last year, too, the number seven seeded Lakers reached the Western Conference Finals thanks to a similar approach, where they failed against the eventual champion Denver Nuggets. At the start of this season, the Californians looked anything but scary; However, after the performances of the past few days, the record champions must be reckoned with again.
The formula is similar: a suffocating defense built around the outstanding Davis, who is one of the best players in the world when he is not injured – as is so often the case. An armada of versatile wing defenders like Cam Reddish, Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt are doing their part. Like against the Pacers, whose most dangerous attacker Tyrese Haliburton was cleverly put under constant pressure and taken out of the game. This took a toll on Indiana’s brilliant offense; the underdogs only hit 36.8 percent of their shots from the field and missed 31 of their 41 three-point attempts.
On the other hand, the Lakers took advantage of their physical dominance. They knew that the Pacers are one of the worst defensive teams in the league (ranked 28th out of 30) and like to push their opponents into the middle, and they exploited this weakness mercilessly. Only two successful three-pointers were matched by an incredible 113 out of 123 points directly in the zone or from the free throw line – a discrepancy that is hard to understand in the basketball year of 2023.
James and Vegas
The tournament also became Pacers star Haliburton’s big coming out party. Traded from Sacramento to Indiana in his second year as a professional, the unorthodox playmaker has developed into one of the best offensive players in the league. His name is now known by more than just the hardcore fans. In the semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks he shone with 27 points and 15 assists, and before that he knocked the favored Boston Celtics out of the tournament with a triple double (26 points, 13 assists, 10 rebounds).
But the stage once again belonged to LeBron James. The soon-to-be 39-year-old sprinted faster than players almost half his age and heaved everything in his path out of the way. In the crucial three games against the Suns, Pelicans and Pacers, James seemed possessed, on a mission.
It is no coincidence that James performed so well in Las Vegas of all places. The league has already announced that it plans to expand in the very near future. Commissioner Silver spoke of wanting to look into this extensively in 2025, when the current TV and media contract expires. Then the league wants to cash in big again, more money than ever before will flow into the coffers from the new mega deal. The two top favorites to win new clubs are Seattle, where the Supersonics once played, and Las Vegas – the country’s entertainment center.
James has made no secret of his desire to own an NBA franchise after his playing career is over. Las Vegas & LeBron would be a match made in heaven for many reasons. “My enthusiasm for bringing a team here remains high. The fans here are great. They already have other sports here: WNBA, NFL, NHL, soon baseball, Formula 1 was here. They love big attractions here, and the NBA will be another high-profile addition to this city.”
In the end only winners
“I’m sorry, a franchise doesn’t automatically come with it,” said Silver as he handed over the MVP trophy to James. The most successful player of his generation expands his trophy collection, which already includes four NBA titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, 19 All-Star appearances, three All-Star MVPs, rookie of the year, scoring champion and two Olympics Gold medals included. No one in the history of the sport has scored more points than James, whose final score is not taken into account, but who, with 39,201 regular season and 8,203 playoff points, is almost unassailable at the top of the all-time scoring list.
The league boss will have been pleased that his most popular player took this tournament seriously from day one and legitimized it by winning the title. In the end, only winners remain after the final whistle in the “T-Mobile Arena” in Las Vegas. After introducing the “Play-In” tournament in April, the league has once again managed to provide extra motivation and enthusiasm in a season that has been far too long for many. Playoff intensity in November and December – that leaves no one unmoved. Players played harder, fans tuned in in droves, media finally started covering basketball again, and the criticism was entirely positive.
The Pacers took the next step, from young upstarts to a club that can make a big splash in the Eastern Conference in the near future. A trade for a respectable winger and suddenly something really big could happen in the Hoosier State. And the Lakers? They used the stage to once again make it clear to all fans, experts and opponents: As long as LeBron James can skate across an NBA floor and he has Anthony Davis next to him, and the stakes are highest and the lights shine brightest, LA has it a title chance. Also in James’ 21st professional season!