The NBA Cup begins the knockout round Tuesday. Three teams from each conference earned automatic berths by winning their respective groups along with one more team from each conference via wild card berths.
The field should result in some exciting games. While it’s certainly up for debate whether the NBA Cup has made fans care more about early season games, the players visibly increase their effort in Cup games. The prize for winning the in-season tournament is $500,000 for each player on the roster, and everybody gets a bit of cash just for making it to the quarterfinals. It’s enough of a motivator to inspire greater competition—especially in the elimination rounds.
