Jayson Tatum and Domantas Sabonis are two of the NBA players who starred in the Netflix documentary, ‘Starting 5’.
The documentary followed them, LeBron James, Jimmy Butler and Anthony Edwards throughout the 2023-24 season.
It has been hugely popular, with fans worldwide enjoying behind-the-scenes coverage of some of their favourite basketball players.
One of the many subjects in the 10-part series was something Tatum ‘didn’t understand’, even though Sabonis described it as ‘very simple’.
The In-Season Tournament (now NBA Cup) was introduced last season in an attempt to add more excitement to the regular season.
The NBA took inspiration from European soccer, where cup competitions are customary, as they give teams another trophy to win besides the championship.
LeBron James led the Los Angeles Lakers to the inaugural edition of the tournament and the idea was a resounding success.
The only issue was that many of the NBA’s top players, including Jayson Tatum, could not come to grips with the new concept.
“I didn’t really understand it, I’d never seen anything like this,” Tatum told ‘Starting 5‘. “I don’t know it. I really don’t know. I just know we’ve got to win,” Anthony Edwards added.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Butler said: “I don’t know enough about it, I really don’t. All the rules, brackets and stuff, I’m the wrong person to ask. But I know if you win, you’ll be happy with the outcome.”
But Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis had no problem with the In-Season Tournament and could not understand why others did. “I’m not confused, I don’t know why everyone’s confused. It’s very simple.”
The same teams expected to contend for the NBA title are the favourites to reach the knockout rounds of the 2024 NBA Cup.
But the nature of the competitions means that upsets are much more likely (one-off games rather than best-of-seven).
The Lakers were not one of the best teams in the league last season and they managed to lift the trophy thanks to outstanding play from LeBron and Anthony Davis.
The Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers are three teams with an outside chance of winning the NBA Cup this year.
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