The inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament turned out to be a huge success as the Los Angeles Lakers captured the title defeating the Indiana Pacers in the championship game
The NBA In-Season Tournament turned out to be a breath of fresh air for both players and fans alike as we were able to watch meaningful basketball games early in the season. This brilliant idea by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was a genius one because the result was consistent, competitive basketball in a playoff-like atmosphere.
And with the addition of the play-in a few years ago, and now with the addition of this beautiful tournament, the NBA winning and will continue to win as long as these changes have a positive outcome that benefits the players. The regular season standings were affected by every game with the exception of the championship and we got some great games to watch as a result.
This tournament was well designed and well put together and the great thing about that is that it has the potential to be even better with minor adjustments and small tweaks. Another thing that was awesome about this tournament was that we got to see teams mostly healthy with fresh legs since we are only a few games into the season.
That assured an even playing field and gave every team an equal opportunity to compete. Ideas like the In-Season Tournament are what will keep the league alive and thriving and make every game exciting and worth watching. The fact that Silver took calculated risks that paid off gives hope that the league will continue to be open to change and that they will entertain new thoughts and ideas to give fans the best version of the NBA.
Maybe Silver can also figure out how to improve All-Star Weekend next? Because this tournament was definitely a major hit. Before we completely put the IST in the books, let's take a look at three huge takeaways from its inaugural event.