I've been an NBA fan for like ten years. Can someone explain to me wtf the NBA cup is and why it matters? I've watched games with the stupid cup floors, and they mention it occasionally during the commentary, but no one seems to give a shit about it. Strong "the NBA makes us talk about this" energy.
Is this just because the emirates have tons of oil money or wtf?
Make the middle of the season games have better player performance because of the stakes for the individual players/teams. Add slightly more excitement.
It definitely worked last season. The courts suck but the game quality was HIGHLY improved last season compared to years prior for this period.
They get a trophy and it has no effect on the season playoffs, or finals. It doesn't really seem to add much excitement, but the nba has been pretty exciting this year, so maybe the excitement about winning a meaningless trophy is being lost in the noise.