Basketball Intelligence for 12/4/23

In-Season Tourney Quarterfinals tonight! Plus James Harden, Zion Williamson, Nassir Little, Pascal Siakam, and more

LEAGUEWIDE STORIES

The NBA In-Season Tournament’s Real Test Begins Now
Howard Beck, The Ringer

“How does college football get a 6-6 team to play another 6-6 team at the Who Gives a Rat’s Ass Bowl, somewhere in the middle of Wyoming?! I mean, who cares about that?” Wann says, chuckling. “Well, I’ll tell you who cares about that: Those fan bases care about that.”

“Whoever’s winning is gonna care,” Wann says, laughing. “Fans are so good at figuring out ways to cope with their team’s failures. And so the teams that aren’t making it to the semis and whatever, they can easily cope with that by saying, ‘Well, who cares? It’s just a stupid thing that they invented.’ But it’s not stupid from the perspective of people that are still winning, right?”

Rivalries pick back up as In-Season Tournament shifts to Knockout Rounds
Steve Aschburner, NBA.com

Inside the NBA's impromptu process for scheduling around the in-season tournament
Jake Fischer, Yahoo Sports

Hollinger: Is In-Season Tournament one of LeBron’s last shots at glory? Plus, Vegas predictions
John Hollinger, The Athletic

NBA in-season tournament: What you need to know about the quarterfinal matchups
Dan Devine, Yahoo Sports

Stock Watch: What's trending in the NBA
Staff, theScore

TEAM STORIES

BRK: Nets need consistent defense to be new season storyline after impressive performance
Brian Lewis, New York Post