The NBA Cup’s difficult “Group of Death” has fans going bonkers.
Battle tested will be the player emerging from this group in the NBA Cup in-season tournament. It’s easy to forget that the 2024–25 NBA season is just a few months away with Summer League currently underway and the Olympics approaching. But in addition to the upcoming season, the league is preparing for the NBA Cup’s second annual event. The NBA Cup Group Draw, which places teams in groups for the initial stages of the in-season event, is how the league prepares for the latter. Additionally, several in the Western Conference are drawing criticism, with some referring to them as the “Group of Death.”
The last three Western Conference NBA Finals representatives, the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, and Golden State Warriors, along with the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies, two clubs that could easily make the playoffs next season, make up the NBA Cup “Group of Death” in the West. There are numerous storylines in this group, ranging from Klay Thompson and the Mavericks playing his former team, the Warriors, to the top two choices in the 2020 NBA Draft playing Ja Morant’s Grizzlies against Zion Williamson’s Pelicans. But the majority of supporters were only considering the group’s general toughness. X user @JayBanks22 tweeted, “Group C is not fair lol,” in response to ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel’s disclosure of
The two West groups aren’t as strong all around as the NBA Cup “Group of Death,” which is stacked from top to bottom. The Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, and San Antonio Spurs are in Group B, while the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, and Portland Trail Blazers are in Group A. The teams in the East are as follows: Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, and Detroit Pistons; Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, and Washington Wizards make up Group C.
The workings of the NBA Cup in-season competition
October 22, 2024, is the start date of the 2024–25 NBA season. On November 12, the NBA Cup tournament’s Group Stage begins. Each team will play each of the other four teams in its group once between then and early December, with the top eight teams in the league moving on to the Knockout Stage. The competition will then proceed to the final four semifinals and the final, which will take place in Las Vegas on December 14 and 17. The Bucks, Pacers, Celtics, and Knicks advanced to the NBA Cup 2023 Knockout Stage in the East, while the Lakers, Kings, Pelicans, and Suns emerged from their respective groups in the West. The Lakers and Pelicans, along with the Bucks and Pacers, advanced to the semifinals.
The Lakers and Pelicans, along with the Bucks and Pacers, advanced to the semifinals. This resulted in the first-ever NBA Cup final between the Lakers and the Pacers, with LeBron James and the Lakers winning the trophy. The groupings have already been revealed, and FanDuel has the Celtics as the favorite to win the next in-season tournament at +450. The Thunder (+750), Bucks (+850), Knicks (+1000), Timberwolves (+1000), and 76ers (+1000) are the next favorites.