Why are courts different for NBA In-Season Tournament? Exploring league's unusual approach

The In-Season Tournament kicked off Friday with many fans and players still unsure about the rules of the tournament. It was not just the rules that raised curiosity but also the court designs that were used for the games. Fans witnessed their teams on specially designed courts and home teams in city edition jerseys.

For those who are still confused about the courts and the jerseys, this approach by the league is to separate the In-Season Tournament games from the other regular-season games. The specially designed courts are to help fans tell which games are a part of the tournament. Similarly, home teams will wear city edition jerseys for the tournament.

All 30 teams have designed special courts for these specific games. All the courts are painted with team colors and a 16-foot runway strip runs across the center. The designs also have the NBA Cup and a logo that goes along with the respective team’s special edition uniforms.

This is the first time that the LA Lakers, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers will have alternate designs for their courts.

However, these specially designed courts will only host group play and quarterfinal games. The semifinals and the final will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

This is the first time the NBA is experimenting with an In-Season Tournament, where a total of 67 games would be played, including group play and knockout rounds. Interestingly, the championship game will not count toward the regular-season standings.

Charles Barkley is not too excited about In-Season Tournament

Many players and fans have no idea what the tournament games mean for them and their teams. While the NBA has specifically designed these games to make the regular-season games more competitive and fun for fans, many are not sure if it would aid the league’s intentions.

One of those people who are still not sure about the motivation factor is Charles Barkley. The Phoenix Suns legend said that the $500,000 incentive is not a big amount for NBA player.

"For these guys, $500,000 dollars, I don’t want to insult anybody at home, but I’m not sure $500,000 is a lot of money to these guys," Barkley said. "If you win the In-Season Tournament and don’t win the big championship, like, do you put a banner up for the In-Season Tournament? I don’t think so."

However, Barkley said his final opinion will be based on the results. He also said that he would ask Commissioner Adam Silver about it, which would help him further understand the motivation and concept behind it.