The New York Knicks are on the verge of advancing to the knockout round of the Emirates NBA Cup for the third straight season. This is the third season of the rendition, though many players are still figuring out what the true incentives are.
Knicks’ Josh Hart offers revision to NBA Cup
There is the obvious big cash price that players are playing for. Winning the NBA Cup has meaning in that regard, and the players do seem to care about winning the new in-season tournament.
However, winning the Cup does not affect a team’s postseason standings. Josh Hart feels like that should change, so he offered a solution that could make the Cup more meaningful towards the end of the season.
“I think what would be really cool is if they solidify it a little bit more, whoever is the winner gets a half-game [extra in the regular-season win column]. You get to the championship game, you get a half-game if you win. If you lose the championship, it doesn’t go against your record. Now you have that half game so you have the tiebreaker and it legitimizes that NBA Cup a little bit more. That’s what I would love to see,” Hart said via Posting and Toasting.
The Knicks have a good chance to advance in the cup
In the current format, the championship game of the tournament does not count towards the regular season, regardless of the outcome. Therefore, winning the cup gives no additional incentive or boost to a team’s playoff hopes.
New York currently holds a 2-1 record in cup play and can advance to the knockout round with a win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday. Milwaukee might not have its superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, as he is currently questionable with an adductor injury.
Regardless of whether he plays or not, the Knicks still have a strong chance to win over a struggling Bucks team. Aside from the cup, the Knicks need to stack up more regular season wins and get themselves into a rhythm heading into December.