The NBA Cup is here.
And nobody still really knows what to make of this NBA in-season tournament experiment. Is it just a sideshow to the NBA season and the games are not overly important beyond their value to the NBA’s regular season? Do these games give young teams actual playoff practice and pressure game practice? Does the cup winner mean anything?
The answer to those questions is. . . uncertain.
To the players, it might still feel like another game. The NBA Cup has not quite taken over primacy and importance in the big picture. Everyone is still trying to figure out what makes these games more important.
“It’s fun for the fans. I think it’s awesome,” Moe Wagner said. “Obviously, it brings in money so as a player I’m excited about that. To be honest with you, it does get you a little more excited because the fans are more excited, the court is different. Every time something changes, you get a little more excited about it. At the end of the day, let’s be real, it doesn’t change anything day-to-day.”
That is probably accurate. Players are not as invested in the results of these games in terms of the bigger tournament. At least not until the very end when the chance to win something is clearly within sight.
It was Wagner after all who asked after the Magic defeated the Boston Celtics on Black Friday to sit in first place in the group heading into the final day of group play what the team needed to advance. The Magic PR rep needed a calculator to give him an answer.
The Magic still used that moment as a launching pad for their season.
The young team began its nine-game win streak in its In-Season Tournament win against the Chicago Bulls (the second win of that streak). The streak included the hallmark win over the Celtics on Black Friday.
They did not reach the knockout round. But the point was made. The team gained confidence for the rest of the season.
This year’s team is a different team. The Magic made the Playoffs last year and are playing with a new level of poise and composure.
Orlando does not need the “playoff practice” as they did last year. But they can still get something out of these games.
Before the season, the Magic could look at these games as a chance to prove they belonged among the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Pressure games against the Philadelphia 76ers and a national TV finale against the New York Knicks felt like a chance for this team to make a statement of intent.
Paolo Banchero’s injury has changed everything, of course. The Magic are still trying to find themselves after the injury. They are looking to establish themselves.
The Eastern Conference, though, has given them some grace. They are sitting in fourth in the conference at the moment, putting them in place to achieve their goals from the start of the season.
What the Magic have to prove then is that they can compete without Banchero. And while they do not need the playoff experience anymore – and maybe their group is a different challenge than we expected in August – they need the confidence to compete against quality teams again.
The Magic do not need to advance in the NBA Cup to deem it a success. But they need to compete and prove their team for the next month and a half can compete and do more than keep the boat steady without Banchero.
These games matter for that at least.
