The loud, obnoxious courts not-withstanding, the In Season Tournament, even though it has an award (pro wrestling belt?) it has put a bit more focus back on "teams" instead of "rings, Ernuhh" culture.
And, the MVP convos were getting kind of old. Jokic versus Embiid (versus Giannis) round 3.
Breath of fresh air.
Either, if you LOVE the NBA. Or, if you love to HATE the NBA -- which nobody does better than NBA fans. haha.
Whoever wins the In Season Tourney, not sure if it adds to a narrative, or anything like that, or if it helps teams down the road in the play-offs, but at least it is something interesting. Good competition with college basketball that does pre/mid/post season tournaments better than anybody.
I think the In Season Tournament has an MVP award. Or, it should. That could be a big award to play for.
The IST also turns the NBA into 3 parts: start of the year until the IST. IST to the All Star Weekend/Trade Deadline (I forgot which happens first). Then, of course, the stretch run (going into the playoffs).
... IST could affect the narratives for the MVP race more than the playoff race/Finals race.
Discuss.