Wizards Reveal NBA Cup Court
The Washington Wizards and the rest of the league will participate in the second annual Emirates NBA Cup next month.
All 30 teams have been divided into six groups of five and will play four regular season games against each of the other teams in their group. Two of those games will be on the road where the other two will be at home, where the Wizards will debut this court.
Every team is donning a special court for the NBA Cup, which takes plays on Tuesdays and Fridays during the month of November.
This year, the Wizards are in East Group C with the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks.
The Wizards will debut their new court on Nov. 22 when the Celtics come to town for their second and final visit of the season. Then, the team will play on the court once again on Nov. 26 against the Bulls.
If the Wizards were to advance to the knockout stage, there would be a chance for the team to play on the court one more time, but given the talent levels across all five teams in the group, the Wizards are unlikely to make it out of the group stage for a second straight season.
Last year, the NBA Cup had skeptics, but it turned out to be a successful tournament. Playoff atmospheres were brought into regular season games and it really gave the league some momentum early in the year that was parlayed from the initial early-season excitement.
For a young Wizards team still a few years away from contending, the NBA Cup will provide an opportunity for these players to compete in a high-intensity environment that they wouldn't have otherwise had.
The Wizards are back in action for their season opener tonight against the Celtics.