Welcome to The Opener, where every weekday morning during the regular season you’ll get a fresh, topical story to start your day from one of SI.com’s MLB writers.
On Tuesday, The Athletic reported the NBA is considering implementing an in-season tournament that takes place separately from its regular season and postseason structure. American sports viewers may be unfamiliar with such a concept, but soccer fans know it well.
The most famous example is England’s FA Cup, an annual single-elimination tournament that features the country’s best professional clubs, which, considering the stature of English football, makes them some of the world’s best teams. It also includes “non-league” semi-professional teams composed of players who have to work second jobs to make a living.
