When the NBA In-Season Tournament first started in 2023, it caught many fans off guard. In fact, most average basketball watchers had no clue what was taking place.

A midseason tournament during the middle of the season just didn’t make sense to those who grew up watching the NBA’s standard 82 game schedule. The goal was to provide a little extra excitement to what had become, to some, a long and stale regular season.

Since then, the gamble has seemingly paid off for the league monetarily. As the tournament enters its third season championship run, it has not only been rebranded as the Emirates NBA Cup , players and fans alike have started to pay more attention to what is at stake.

For those who may have heard of the Emirates NBA Cup but were too embarrassed to ask how it works,

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