Emirates NBA Cup Updates: Warriors Only Team With Clear Path to KO Round
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 26 Nov 2024
The Golden State Warriors are the lone team with a clear path to the next round of the ongoing second NBA season in-tournament competition now known as the Emirates NBA Cup.
The Warriors have won three of their four games assignment in Group C of the Western Conference with only the third placer Denver Nuggets (1-2) standing in their way of a clean sweep. At second in the group is the Dallas Mavericks at 2-1 which have the last placer Memphis Grizzlies (0-3) for their final assignment
In the event of a tie at first place in the group, Golden State will advance on the merit of winner over the other rule as it has beaten Dallas earlier. The Mavericks however still have the chance to advance as the conference's wild card with their superior points differential (currently at plus 42).
Meanwhile, the two automatic qualifiers from the other groups are still being fought over with Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets leading Group B and Group A respectively, both with 2-0 records. Four other teams, however are technically still in the running in the two groups all with 1-1 records.
The group games will last until early next month with the four qualifiers playing in a sudden death semi finals with the two winners clashing to determine the Western Conference top team to face the Eastern Conference top team after undergoing the same format in the East.
In the inaugural in-tournament competition, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers in the finals emerging as the first NBA Cup champion.
On February 2, 2024, the airline company Emirates announced a multi-year deal with the NBA including the naming rights of the NBA Cup, becoming the Emirates NBA Cup from the 2024 edition onward.
All games in the group plays up to the knockout rounds in both conferences shall count in the regular season standing with the exception of the finals.
The incentive for the finals winner is that the team will get to play in the playoff for the 7th place in the post season. The loser on the other hand gets to play in the playoff for the 8th place in the post season. The Lakers got to exercise this privilege last season but the Pacers, because of its better regular season record and hence higher placing, have clinched higher post season spot.
Orlando Magic and New York Knicks lead Group A in the East with 2-0 record. The winner between them is likely to advance as the next two placers after them already have two losses.
Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons lead Group B in the East both with 2-0 record but the Miami Heat are technically still in the running with 1-1 card.
Group C is problematic in that the three leading teams Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers are tied at 2-1 with the Hawks holding a win over the Celtics and Boston beating Cleveland. The Hawks will meet the Cavaliers while Boston have Chicago Bulls as final assignment. A tie for the first is therefore likely which will be broken by head to head result or higher point differential as the case maybe.
The mini snap in-tournament is proving to be somehow a reflection of the regular season race with Cleveland and Boston at 1-2 in the East and Golden State and Oklahoma City tied at the lead in the West with LA Lakers and Houston Rockets not far behind.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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