Do NBA In-Season Tournament games count for regular season? Understanding league's new format

The NBA introduced a new competition this season – the In-Season Tournament. The league added it to provide teams and players another chance to win another trophy called the NBA Cup. One of the questions asked is: do In-Season Tournament games count for the regular season?

According to the rules of the tournament on NBA.com, all games count for the regular season except the Championship Final. All 30 teams still have 82 games in the regular season, with the two teams making the final playing an 83rd game that won't count in the standings.

The tournament started on Nov. 3 and will end on Dec. 9. The semifinal and final will be held at a neutral site, the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Why are the courts different for the NBA In-Season Tournament?

New Orleans Pelicans City Edition Court.

One of the most noticeable things when the first NBA In-Season Tournament games began was the colorful courts. Some fans loved the idea, but others just didn't like the bright colors and called it a terrible idea. So, why are the courts different for the tournament?

The answer is simple: to make it easy for fans to distinguish which is a regular season game and a tournament game. Home teams will have City Edition courts during the entire competition, while home players will wear the new City Edition jerseys.

All 30 teams will have different City Edition floors and jerseys. It's part of the NBA's effort to make the tournament a very big deal. More and more players are starting to like the idea, including LeBron James.

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LeBron James hints about wanting to win NBA Cup

LeBron James of the LA Lakers

LeBron James helped the LA Lakers win their NBA In-Season Tournament debut on Friday night against the Phoenix Suns. He ended the game with 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists despite a minor knee injury that forced him to miss the final four minutes of the first quarter.

James seemed excited about winning their first tournament game. He explained that they might go after the NBA Cup because of the $500,000 cash prize for each player who will be part of the championship team.

"It feels great because it's an In-Season Tournament win," James said. "We'll take that. We'll take that for sure. I heard there's $500,000 on the line, so we're going for that. We're going for that."

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