"Thus far, the Cup's single-elimination bracket has yielded tricks for favorites and treats to underdogs. Although the eventual NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder reached last year's final in Las Vegas, neither of the first two winners (the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023 and Milwaukee Bucks in 2024) won more than a single game the next postseason, indicative of how different the NBA Cup sprint is from the playoff marathon."
"Jump to a group:East Group A (ATL, CLE, IND, TOR, WAS)East Group B (BKN, BOS, DET, ORL, PHI)East Group C (CHA, CHI, NYK, MIA, MIL)West Group A (MIN, OKC, PHX, SAC, UTAH)West Group B (DAL, NO, MEM, LAC, LAL)West Group C (DEN, GSW, HOU, POR, SAS) Note: All odds in this story are as of Wednesday morning. East Group A Group favorite: Cleveland Cavaliers (55%)Contender: Atlanta Hawks (24%)Lurking: Toronto Raptors (11%), Indiana Pacers (7%), Washington Wizards (3%)"
The 2025 Emirates NBA Cup begins on Halloween as the league's third in-season tournament, using a single-elimination group-to-bracket sprint. The Cup's format produces frequent upsets, and early winners have not translated Cup success into deep postseason runs. ESPN's Basketball Power Index (BPI) is used to account for team health and player ability and to project group favorites and contenders. BPI projects Cleveland as the favorite in East Group A (55 percent), with Atlanta (24 percent) as a primary contender and Toronto, Indiana and Washington as lurking possibilities. The Cup rewards short-term form and favorable matchups over playoff-style depth.
Read at ESPN.com
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