Will teams rethink the IST?

[ozgod]

How would they rethink it? It's part of the regular season. Will coaches tell players not to try as hard in those games, don't dive on the floor, try and lose a game early so we don't have a chance to win it and expend additional energy? I'm just not sure how their approach would change. I'm assuming they tell the players to play hard in every game and take no days off.

As far as the Fakers and Pacers, it's easy to attribute their performances post tournament to their efforts during the tournament, but as they say correlation doesn't equal causation. I think it's too early to definitively say that the IST is what caused it. After all, the Bucks are 6-0 since their loss to the Pacers, and the Pels are 5-1. So we're saying one extra game and a trip to Vegas had that much of an impact?

[Kernewek]

I think in general the discourse around Indiana and LA's post-IST performance is a good reminder that correlation and causation are not, in fact, the same thing.

[PAOBoston]

There’s nothing to rethink. It was year one of the IST. It’s not going anywhere. It was a huge success. In fact, the NBA will tweak it even more and I would venture over the next 5-10 years, it will garner significantly more meaning and impact.

[BitterJim]

I think in general the discourse around Indiana and LA's post-IST performance is a good reminder that correlation and causation are not, in fact, the same thing.

And a great reminder that winning a single-elimination tournament doesn't mean you're the best team (in basketball, at least)

[tenn_smoothie]

This is exactly why I hated the IST for the Cs. Wish they had just beaten the Bulls by less than 23.  No way the Cs go 5-0 on the post-IST home stand  and who knows what their psyche would be right now if they’d played the two games in Vegas.  I really despise the tournament whose finalists are now the 8 and 10 seeds in their respective conferences.  If it bothers anyone that the Lakers won that’s giving it way more meaning than it should have.

Lakers and Lebron were made for the Tournament. I really had to laugh at him talking up the importance of winning the stupid thing and how much the players valued the half-million they pocketed as a result. Lebron needed the extra grocery money ? A perfect "championship" for that fraud. The Lakers subsequently hanging a banner for the IST was nauseating. I would be embarrassed to have done that - hope the Celtics have sense enough to not do the same if they ever win this meaningless tournament, which I could not care less about.

As for how a team should approach the tournament in the future, they are regular season games and should be treated as such. But I would never expend any extra effort or player minutes on trying to achieve a point-difference to qualify for the final two rounds. I might do the opposite, securing the win without embarrassing an opponent and avoiding the extra travel and games that result from qualifying for the final rounds.

[cman88]

honestly the biggest issue is a meaningless 83rd game that counts for nothing. maybe make it count as a tiebreaker.

all it will take is some major player getting injured in a game that doesn't count towards the schedule for people to start and question it.

[celticsclay]

Just want to add this isn’t entirely speculation on my part as I said. Lebron himself mentioned the challenges of being on the road and in so many high intensity games as part of their struggles

[Roy H.]

Just want to add this isn’t entirely speculation on my part as I said. Lebron himself mentioned the challenges of being on the road and in so many high intensity games as part of their struggles

Is Vegas really an away game for the Lakers?  It's what, an hour by plane, with a very pro Lakers crowd?

And why take Lebron at face value?  He's a blame-deflecting whiner.

[Moranis]

Just want to add this isn’t entirely speculation on my part as I said. Lebron himself mentioned the challenges of being on the road and in so many high intensity games as part of their struggles

Is Vegas really an away game for the Lakers?  It's what, an hour by plane, with a very pro Lakers crowd?

And why take Lebron at face value?  He's a blame-deflecting whiner.

they've played 5 of 6 on the road including 2 back to backs and consecutive road games in San An with a day in between (and that doesn't count the 2 games in Vegas).  They haven't really been home much the whole month.  They played Dallas at home on November 22. The only 3 games they've played in LA since then were Dec 2 against Houston, Dec 5 against Phoenix, and Dec 18 against the Knicks.  Just 3 home games in over a month.   Lots of travel. They play Boston and Charlotte and then 2 more road games this month.  Then in January it is reversed.  The first 3 weeks of the new year they play 9 home games and just 1 road game.  They have a really weird schedule.

[BitterJim]

honestly the biggest issue is a meaningless 83rd game that counts for nothing. maybe make it count as a tiebreaker.

all it will take is some major player getting injured in a game that doesn't count towards the schedule for people to start and question it.

I like that idea. I don't think it's enough to make some fans really care more about it, but if you're gonna force an extra game that should mean something when it comes to tie breakers. Just make the first 2 tie breaker criteria being the IST winner/runner up.

[Neurotic Guy]

honestly the biggest issue is a meaningless 83rd game that counts for nothing. maybe make it count as a tiebreaker.

all it will take is some major player getting injured in a game that doesn't count towards the schedule for people to start and question it.

I like that idea. I don't think it's enough to make some fans really care more about it, but if you're gonna force an extra game that should mean something when it comes to tie breakers. Just make the first 2 tie breaker criteria being the IST winner/runner up.

It would take the first pick in the 2nd round to make it something I’d care about. I’d root for the Cs to win  it if that were the prize. But I’d still be generally irritated by the concept. It’s a silly meaningless ‘championship’ and I don’t look forward to it getting increasingly popular as I think it may.