Sixers' Nick Nurse is a big fan of in-season tournament, calls it awesome

[76ers Since 74]

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers were unable to advance out of group play in the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament, finishing group play 2-2. However, that doesn’t take away from the experience, which was new for everybody. The NBA wanted to conjure more interest in the early portion of the regular season. The league succeeded. Viewership is way up compared to games in November 2022. Per The Sports Business Journal, ESPN received a 24% viewership increase while TNT received a 7% increase for comparable games in the past. In total, NBA viewership is up 12%. Data for games played on Nov. 24 and Nov. 28 have not been collected yet. Despite the quirky courts and a format that was tough to understand at times, the event has been a resounding success. Coach Nick Nurse and the Sixers liked it despite their early elimination. “I’m blaming it all on the floor,” Nurse said jokingly of Philadelphia’s elimination. “I thought that — I’m half-serious, but it’s not that big a thing — I thought the tournament is and was, past tense for us, awesome. I think the players, fans, everybody was into it.” Maybe the NBA doesn’t need the whacky floor designs for the 2024-25 season when they do the in-season tournament again. Maybe they just need to have signage for the tournament, but it doesn’t take away from how intense the games were and how seriously the players took these games. It was a nice change of pace for November. “I didn’t think they needed to try and add that gimmick to the floors,” Nurse finished. “I think the play and the competition and everything was speaking for itself. Again, I’m blaming it totally on our floor and everything (he said smiling and joking). Look for a different floor here next year. A different color or a different look.” The Sixers will begin a two-game road trip on Wednesday when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans. Sixers to face Wizards, Hawks after in-season tournament eliminationSixers vs. Pelicans game preview: Lineups, how to watch, broadcast infoWhat comes next for Sixers after in-season tournament elimination?
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Source: https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/2023/11 ... t-awesome/