
As criticisms and debate rage around the NBA's In-Season Tournament, otherwise known as the NBA Cup, the tourney prepares to crown its third-ever champion, as the Knicks and Spurs face off in the championship round on Tuesday night. And while the NBA Cup's group play rounds, as well as the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, counted towards the league's 82-game schedule, the championship round will not. But does the NBA Cup championship round have an indirect effect on the teams who ultimately triumph?
In other words, how did past champions of the NBA Cup—the Lakers in 2023-24, the Bucks in 2024-25—perform the rest of the way in the regular season and in the postseason, if they advanced that far?