By: Gavin Reynolds and Lainey Font 

     The NBA In-Season Tournament (NBA Emirates Cup) came back for its second season! The NBA In-Season Tournament is a short tournament that occurs mid regular-season of the NBA including all 30 teams. Since the tournament is newer, The Squire conducted some research and also asked Eisenhower basketball captain, Austin Hanson, a couple of questions about the tournament to help readers better understand it. 

     This is only the second year of the tournament, which began with the group stage November 22, where each team was split into a five-team group including three groups from each conference. Eight teams made the bracket, including four from each conference. The bracket included the one seed versus the four seed and the two seed versus the three seed of each half. The games in the bracket were single elimination, which is unique compared to the seven-game series in the playoffs. Whichever team won, moved on, and the loser was completely done.  

     East Group A includes the New York Knicks, who finished the group games with a record of 4-0; the Orlando Magic, with a record of 3-1; the Philadelphia 76ers, who went 2-2; the Brooklyn Nets, who finished 1-3; and the Charlotte Hornets, who finished the group games with a record of 0-4, with the Magic clinching the wild card and the Knicks winning the group.  

     East group B consists of the Milwaukee Bucks (4-0), the Detroit Pistons (3-1), the Miami Heat (2-2), and the Indiana Pacers (0-4), with the Bucks winning the group.  

     The teams within East Group C are made up of the Washington Wizards (0-4), the Cleveland Cavaliers (2-2), the Boston Celtics (3-1), the Chicago Bulls (2-2), and the Atlanta Hawks (3-1), who clinched the group.  

     In the Western conference West Group A featured the Houston Rockets (3-1), the Minnesota Timberwolves (2-2), the Sacramento Kings (1-3), the Portland Trailblazers (2-2), and the Los Angeles Clippers (2-2), with the Rockets coming out on top. 

     Competing in West Group B were the Los Angeles Lakers (2-2), the San Antonio Spurs (2-2), the Utah Jazz (0-4), the Phoenix Suns (3-1), and the Oklahoma City Thunder (3-1), who clinched the top.  

     Finally, West Group C consisted of the Dallas Mavericks (3-1), the New Orleans Pelicans (1-3), the Golden State Warriors (3-1), the Memphis Grizzlies (1-3), and the Denver Nuggets (2-2), with the Mavericks making the wild card and the Warriors who won the group. 

     In total, eight teams were placed into the bracket including the winner of each group and an additional team from each conference who did well, but didnt come out on top of their group, to total the eight bracketed teams. 

     Out of all the teams, Hanson believed the Thunder would come out on top and win it all and he was very close. After the competitive group play, quarter-final, and semi-final the Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder competed in the championship on December 17, where the Bucks came out on top 97-81.  

     The star players in the NBA have become fun to watch, especially in this tournament. There was an NBA In-Season Tournament MVP (Most Valuable Player), which could have been anybody with a strong performance. The top five players favored to win it were: 1. Nikola Jokic of Denver who averaged 32.3 ppg (points per game), 13.6 rpg (rebounds per game), and 10.2 apg (assists per game); 2. Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee who averaged 32.7 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 6 apg; 3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City that averaged 30.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, and 6.3 apg.; 4. Jayson Tatum in Boston with, 28.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg, and 5.7 apg.; and 5. Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks who averaged 24.9 ppg, 13.6 rpg, 3.2 apg.  

     Hanson shared with The Squire that he believes Trae Young should win the MVP because he carried the Atlanta Hawks far into the tournament, averaging 21.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, and 12.2 apg. However, Antetokounmpo came out with the award, very fittingly being on the tournaments winning team. 

     In conclusion, many basketball fans have complained about the NBA not being as exciting because players haven’t been putting forth the effort they used to. However, there is motivation for this tournament. As Hanson explained, “I think the in-season tournament is more fun to watch because there is a $500,000 bonus for the winner, so I believe they try harder.”