ZWF: The In-Season Tournament is a success
Zander's Weekend Facts #96: Sunday, December 10, 2023
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, a recap of the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament, and a look at what Zander’s been reading this past week. Plus, a compilation of the top headlines you need to know about from the last seven days.
Also, go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast! Episode 125 features a diatribe on why undefeated Florida State should not have been left out of the College Football Playoff, and why it’s a sign of bad things to come for college sports. Download the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, December 10, 2023:
Lakers win the first-ever NBA Cup
Saturday night’s Championship game in Las Vegas capped the inaugural edition of one of the NBA’s most successful innovations in recent memory.
This season, the National Basketball Association debuted the In-Season Tournament to mixed fanfare. While a few saw the vision, some players, coaches, media members, and fans didn’t understand why the league would add a semi-confusing tournament in the middle of the season.
There was certainly reason to be skeptical at the beginning. The format of the beginning stages of the event, known as Group Play, was somewhat hard to understand considering group games would count for both the tournament and a team’s regular season record. The league attempted to differentiate these games by introducing colorful floors that were unique for each team, garnering some pessimistic reactions on social media. There were also questions on how seriously some of the league’s top teams and star players would take the event, especially in an area where many top players take games off during the season to rest.
However, those of us who consider ourselves fans of the beautiful game of soccer, of which NBA Commissioner Adam Silver would concede about himself, knew what the league was trying to do.
In England, teams competing in the English Premier League can participate in up to four competitions per season, giving them four chances at winning a trophy. While teams compete in the domestic league, they can also compete in the continental UEFA Champions League, and domestically against lower-tier U.K. sides in the EFL and FA Cups. And if you ask the teams, players, and fans whether matches in the FA Cup matter, you’ll get a resounding “YES!”
So while the matching up against different teams aspect is not there for the In-Season Tournament, the allure of another competition (and the benefits that come with it for the winners) presented a massive opportunity that has worked elsewhere. It now appears to have worked in the NBA.
The notion that players wouldn’t come to play, even as at least one admitted he didn’t know what was happening, was quickly debunked. The first night of Group Play had six of the seven games decided by single digits, including five that were decided by five points or less. Another game later in Group Play led to three players ejected in the first minute between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors, a game the T-Wolves won by three points. The final night of Group Play then brought with it drama and intrigue as teams were fighting to take a spot in the Knockout rounds. All the while, ratings were up for the IST nights on broadcast partners ESPN and TNT during Group Play by 26% compared to last year.
Moving to this past week, the Knockout round games felt must-watch on a random Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday night if you’re a basketball fan. Something unfathomable in past years when thinking about early-December basketball.
It all led up to Saturday’s Championship game between the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers which was highlighted by some of the league’s stars performing to the best of their abilities. LeBron James, who scored over 30 points four times in the tournament, put in 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the final. Anthony Davis went off for 41 points, 20 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks, the first player in the NBA to have that stat line in over 30 years.
Yet, the upstart Pacers, led by IST breakout player Tyrece Haliburton, didn’t go away easily, cutting their deficit to as little as three points in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for Indiana, the stars of Los Angeles played this game like it had great importance. It was mentioned repeatedly throughout the game how James had set the tone for the Lakers in this event, that they were there to win the first NBA Cup. That’s what the Lakers did, winning 123-109 and clinching the In-Season Tournament title.
As commentator Doc Rivers said during the broadcast of the Championship game, “If you don’t think this matters, you’re crazy.”
It’s that mindset from players like LeBron James who have that incomparable aura about them, even among their teammates, that this event needed to succeed in its first year. Adam Silver needed that buy-in from his superstars, and he got it.
Yes, there may be some kinks to work out. The fully-painted courts are gimmicky, but they tell you immediately that you’re watching a game that has more implications than a normal regular season matchup. And it’s still a bit puzzling that every game up until the Semifinals counts in the regular season standings as well, but the Championship game does not. But overall, there’s no arguing that the NBA swung and connected big time with this event.
Just making professional basketball in November and December matter is an achievement on its own. To get the players to play like it’s a postseason game is the ultimate home run. Expect the NBA Cup to be a prize teams aim to reach for many years to come.
For more information on this week’s top story, here’s an article from ESPN - Lakers win NBA Cup; LeBron James earns in-season tournament MVP
What Zander’s been reading
Chicken tenders are one of the greatest foods ever invented. (This is a fact.) Yet, any aficionado would know that not every tendie is the same. Eat This, Not That! found which frozen chicken tenders you can buy at the grocery store are the healthiest for you, and which ones are unfortunately the exact opposite. (They also made an article for fast-food chicken chains, which I’ve linked here.)
Check out this week’s featured article at Eat This, Not That! - 10 Best & Worst Frozen Chicken Tenders, According to Dietitians - (Apple News link)
Rapid-fire Facts
These are top news headlines from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
Kevin McCarthy: Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) announced on Wednesday that he will be resigning from Congress at the end of the year. McCarthy became the first House Speaker in U.S. history to be removed by a vote of the House of Representatives in October when several fellow Republicans broke ranks with the party’s former leader. Also last week, former Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-NC) announced he would be retiring at the end of his current term in Congress.
Military Promotions Hold: Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) dropped his objection to the nominations of hundreds of military officials last week after nearly nine months. Tuberville had held up the confirmations due to his objections to a Pentagon policy that reimburses travel costs of service members seeking reproductive health care options. While the policy did not change, Tuberville lifted his blockage on the promotions on Tuesday. The Senate subsequently approved the promotions of over 400 military personnel, while around 10 four-star generals will have their nominations voted on one by one.
Fake Electors Lawsuits: A settlement was reached last week in a lawsuit involving ‘fake electors’ supporting former President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin. In the aftermath of the 2020 election, 10 Republicans in the state signed paperwork claiming they were electors on Trump’s behalf, even though he lost the state in the election. The settlement requires those individuals to retract the paperwork claiming Trump won, acknowledge Joe Biden won the 2020 election, and not serve as electors in any presidential election in which Trump is on the ballot. Wisconsin was one of seven states that Biden won in which pro-Trump electors signed paperwork attempting to declare him the winner of the 2020 election.
Ukraine Funding: Congress is currently stalled on the issue of foreign aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia. A $111 billion bill that would have included aid to both Ukraine and Israel, currently at war with Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, among other items was blocked after Republicans unanimously rejected the measure in the Senate. Republicans claim that Democrats have not engaged in serious talks regarding immigration policy, which has become the main concern of the GOP in the negotiations. A bill for foreign aid funding would need 60 votes to pass the Senate. White House officials say under current funding, they will only be able to supply Ukraine until the end of the year.
Hunter Biden: Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, was charged with nine tax-related crimes in a new indictment in California on Thursday. The indictment accuses Biden of failing to file and pay his taxes, evading a tax assessment, and filing a fraudulent tax form. The lawsuit claims that Biden used the money that would have been paid to the government to live an “extravagant lifestyle.” If convicted on the charges that include failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes from 2016 to 2019, Biden could face a maximum penalty of 17 years in prison.
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the top headlines from the sports world in the Sporting Club:
NFL Week 14: The game that could decide the winner of the NFC East division will take place tonight on Sunday Night Football as the Eagles face the Cowboys in the highlight matchup of week 14. Earlier in the day, the 1:00 p.m. ET window is bookmarked by Rams-Ravens, Jaguars-Browns, and Colts-Bengals. At 4:00 p.m. ET, the 49ers host the Seahawks, the Broncos visit the Chargers, and the Bills match up with the Chiefs. To conclude week 14, Monday night features two games at 8:15 p.m. ET as the Titans take on the Dolphins, while the Packers visit the Giants. To start the weekend, the Patriots upset an AFC foe by taking down the Steelers 21-18 in Pittsburgh.
College Football: On Sunday, the field for the final four-team edition of the College Football Playoff was revealed. #1 Michigan will play #4 Georgia in the Semifinal, while #2 Washington matches up with #3 Texas. The winners of January 1's Semifinal games will play in the National Championship one week later. The entire lineup of Bowl games was also unveiled, highlighted by CFP snubs #5 Florida State and #6 Georgia meeting in the Orange Bowl. In Saturday’s lone FBS college football contest, Army held off a last-second push by Navy in the annual Army-Navy Game, winning 17-11. With the win, Army took home this season’s Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.
MLS Cup: Columbus Crew SC dominated most of Saturday’s MLS Cup 2023 to win their third league title. The Crew took down defending MLS Cup champions LAFC 2-1 at home behind a penalty from Cucho Hernandez in the 33rd minute and a goal from Yaw Yeboah just four minutes later. An LAFC goal from Daniel Bouanga in the 74th minute did not prove to be enough momentum for the visiting side in the end. With previous MLS Cup titles in 2008 and 2020, Columbus Crew now has the third-most league titles in MLS history, behind LA Galaxy’s five and D.C. United’s four cups.
MLB Free Agency: The biggest news of the MLB offseason dropped on Saturday, with two-way player Shohei Ohtani announcing his intent to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ohtani, the reigning AL MVP, reportedly agreed to a 10-year, $700 million deal to switch LA allegiances from the Angels to the Dodgers. Ohtani’s deal is the richest in American sports history and is the most expensive deal in MLB by over $300 million. With Ohtani now out of the free agency market, some of the hottest remaining names include pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and center fielder Cody Bellinger. Another baseball superstar, left fielder Juan Soto, was traded from the San Diego Padres to the New York Yankees last week.
Heisman Trophy: In the annual Heisman Trophy ceremony on Saturday night in New York, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels was named the winner of college football’s most prestigious award. Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. followed closely behind in second, with Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. rounding out the voting for participants who had been invited to the festivities. Daniels led FBS this season with 40 passing touchdowns, 412.2 total offensive yards per game, and a 95.7 QBR. Daniels became the first player since 2016 to win the Heisman while not playing in a conference championship game that season.
Wrapping up the Facts
Before this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to the latest episode of the podcast, along with every episode of Zander’s Facts, wherever you get your podcasts.
You can also listen to every episode of the podcast on this very website. All Zander’s Facts podcast episodes are now available on zandersfacts.com under the “Zander’s Facts” tab for your enjoyment! That includes the next episode of the Zander’s Facts Podcast, which comes out this Wednesday!
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The facts in print return next Sunday, December 17, 2023.
