NBA Cup’s Scheduling Dilemma: Fans Are Struggling to Commit to Final

LAS VEGAS — Alex Reed walked off a plane at the Harry Reid International Airport sporting a Trae Young jersey. It was about 1 p.m. PT on Saturday and Reed, a diehard Atlanta sports fan, was headed straight to T-Mobile Arena to watch the Hawks face the Bucks in the Emirates NBA Cup semifinals.

But he didn’t plan a trip to Sin City to see the Hawks. Instead, he told Front Office Sports he was there to watch the Falcons face the Raiders in Allegiant Stadium for Monday Night Football. The Hawks happened to qualify for the NBA Cup semifinals Wednesday night, less than 72 hours before his flight, and because “tickets were cheap,” he and his partner decided to add it to their itinerary.

When asked whether he would’ve come for the Hawks only, Reed chuckled and simply said, “No.” However, there was a caveat: He would have gone if he knew the Hawks had qualified at least a few weeks in advance.

“Yes, [or at least] I would’ve probably had a better decision,” Reed said.

While the Hawks did not make Tuesday’s championship game, Reed said he wouldn’t have attended anyway because he would’ve flown out by then. And he’s far from the only one with this experience. Over the weekend, Vegas was filled with groups of Atlanta sports fans who mixed a Hawks jersey with their majority of Falcons merchandise. 

Another pair of fans, who chose to remain anonymous, told FOS they flew to Vegas from Hawai‘i to support the Falcons. One of them was a supporter of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo but still chose not to attend the game live. They also said an earlier notice may have prompted them to make the trip—even if it were just for the NBA Cup.

What’s the Fix?

Their stories highlight the scheduling conundrum the NBA is facing as it attempts to grow the NBA Cup. The league envisions a tentpole event fans are willing to travel to, similar to what it has built with the Las Vegas Summer League. But the format of the NBA Cup makes it difficult for fans to know which teams they’re coming to support.

Last year, none of the three games in Vegas sold out—even though the Lakers won the tournament. Diehard fans could easily make the impromptu four-hour drive from Los Angeles, which isn’t as easy for Bucks and Thunder fans this year. 

The average ticket price for this year’s NBA Cup final is $202, down about 42.5% from last year, according to TickPick.

The NBA has not ruled out any changes to the tournament in future years, but solidifying the final four NBA Cup teams weeks before the games is tricky given the NBA’s timeline. The league wants the tournament to come before Christmas, which gives them only about two months from the start of the season. The NBA Cup started three weeks into the season to give some teams time to ramp up.

There are only two tournament nights for group play per week—Tuesdays and Fridays—which coincides with broadcasting dates for ESPN and TNT. That could change with Amazon Prime Video in the fold starting next season, and it could help condense the schedule. 

“This is going to be a living, breathing thing that we’re very open to tweaking and evolving. We’ve got a big new stakeholder in the mix with Amazon that will probably help us shake things up as we look forward,” Evan Wasch, NBA executive vice president for basketball strategy and analytics, told FOS.