The has established itself in the calendar of the world’s best basketball competition as a success. It is true that the Lakers’ triumph in its inaugural edition added extra glamour to the trophy, but the teams are very involved in this second edition, which will again be decided in Las Vegas in a Final Four format.
LeBron clashes with Anthony Edwards mid-game
It is striking how the NBA has missed the opportunity to create a new title following the birth of the NBA Cup. Soccer fans know that there was traditionally a championship where the League champion played against the Cup champion and this is known as the Super Cup.
The NBA could have perfectly invented its own Super Cup for this season and more with the impressive poster that was left to them. Because if the Lakers were Cup champions, their arch-rivals the Celtics were the League winners and both faced with a title at stake could have been one of the great events of the year.
Too many titles
It is true that it might be a bit of a stretch to go from giving only the championship ring to suddenly handing out three titles in the NBA per season, but it is no less true that the best launch for a hypothetical Super Cup was to measure the two most successful teams in the history of the competition.
The NBA should have launched this three-pointer before the NBA Cup Finals are held on December 18 and there is a new champion. The reality is that both the Lakers and Celtics have the biggest media profile in the entire competition, being two franchises that account for more than 40% of the titles that the NBA has given.
In fact, they wouldn’t even have to play a game apart from the 82 in the NBA regular season, since the ‘proud greens’ and the Californians have to face each other twice this season in that period. If there is nothing at stake, the rivalry is high, imagine if there was a title at stake.
The latest innovations
The NBA has been announcing a series of innovations in recent years, led by the NBA Cup, but it is by no means the only one. The competition announced at the end of 2022 six new redesigned trophies named after NBA legends, invoking as the headliner for the MVP.
Hakeem Olajuwon gave his name to the Defender of the Year, Wilt Chamberlain to the Rookie of the Year, John Havlicek to the Sixth Man and George Mikan to the Most Improved. In addition to this, the NBA invented a new award for the Best Player on the Buzzer, putting Jerry West’s name first.
The competition is also in the process of remodeling an All-Star that has long lacked the appeal of the late last century. The NBA is considering the possibility of a four-team tournament after having made teams with captains in recent editions and even setting a total scoring target in the game.
