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The NBA’s In-Season Tournament has arrived with teams set to begin their Group Play games on Friday, Nov. 3.
In its debut season, the In-Season Tournament will see all 30 teams take part in four group games, played on designated “Tournament Nights.” Eight teams will then advance to the single elimination Knockout Rounds in the fight for the NBA Cup and a prize pool of around $18 million.
The Warriors tip off their tournament games on the road against the Thunder on Friday. While all games will count towards the regular season standings, head coach Steve Kerr says there still needs to be more balance to the schedule by reducing the number of games teams play.
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Why Steve Kerr wants a shorter NBA season
Coming off an offseason of international basketball with the FIBA Basketball World Cup in September, NBA players have had a quick turnaround to the 2023-24 NBA season. The first week of the season has already seen a number of star players on the injury reports missing games.
Kerr, a vocal advocate for a reduced season, reiterated that sentiment.
“I believe firmly that we should have a shorter NBA season. I think somewhere around 70-73 games would be a huge boost for the NBA, to be honest with you,” he told reporters.
“We need that extra rest. We have too many games right now. The players play so hard, they have to train so hard. I have to coach these guys and I see it. I played myself 15 years in the NBA. It’s something that I feel very strongly about that we could come to a position where we have a stronger product and a stronger league if we cut the schedule down.”
With an already jam-packed NBA schedule, the league has implemented strategies to reduce back-to-backs along with the introduction of the “series model,” which sees two teams play each other in the same arena two games in a row to reduce travel.
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The new tournament won’t add any additional games to the schedule, outside of the one championship game for the two finalists, who will play 83 games. In a perfect world, Kerr sees the tournament format working with a reduced schedule while improving the overall quality of the regular season games.
“I love the In-Season Tournament,” he added. “No reason why we couldn’t keep all of that, but have a schedule that is more efficient for everybody.”
How will Warriors approach the In-Season Tournament?
For the Warriors, the In-Season Tournament provides an opportunity to add to their already-stacked trophy cabinet. There’s an argument that the higher-intensity reps this early in the season could add to the wear and tear of the players, but Kerr says he’s not fussed with the potential for additional fatigue for his squad.
“I don’t think that’s a factor,” he said. “We’re treating this very seriously, but we’re not going to be playing our guys 45 minutes. We’re still going to have the big picture in mind and these games are going to be very competitive.
“But our guys are used to playing a lot of basketball and they’re in great shape and I think it’ll be a lot of fun. I’m not worried about that at all.”
Having said that, the Dubs have the third-oldest roster in the league with an average age of 29.0 years, with their core four-man group well north of 30.
Stephen Curry (35), Klay Thompson (33), Draymond Green (33) and Chris Paul (38) are all set to take the floor for their tournament opener. And for a team that’s stacked NBA championships, Kerr says the competitive juices will come alive for the tournament and allow them to work on their late-game execution in games that will carry a playoff-like intensity.
“I don’t think I need to motivate our players, really. If you put a prize in front of NBA players, they’re going to compete. This is what they do,” Kerr said.
“Our players are excited and I don’t need to give them any special motivation. I do think that because it’s a separate competition, something that we’re going to be taking part in over the next couple of months, I do think that it can sharpen up our game.
“The games will feel meaningful and that edge that will be created is important for us to make sure we’re sharp down the stretch of games.”
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While the In-Season Tournament may not be the be-all and end-all for the Warriors, who have their sights firmly set on hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy, Kerr hailed the tournament ideation and sees younger teams capitalizing on the chance to take home a trophy and build winning habits.
“I think every coach will have to determine the motivation of his own team and maybe the goals. It could be that if you’re a team that really doesn’t have hopes of winning an NBA championship this year, maybe you do push the team further for the In-Season NBA Cup.
“Maybe it is something that becomes a bigger goal for those teams. But each coach has to determine that for himself and for his team. For me, obviously, the NBA championship is our number one goal and that will be the case this year, but that doesn’t mean we’re not motivated to win the NBA Cup as well.”
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